How much debt do Northwestern University journalism graduates have?

The median federal loan balance is $15,333, which ranks the lowest of 8 journalism bachelor's programs in Illinois. That works out to about $163 a month over 10 years.

Is a journalism degree from Northwestern University worth it?

On the numbers, yes for most students. Debt equals 30% of first-year earnings, against a national median of 67%, and the share of borrowers in default two years into repayment is 10% or less.

Do Northwestern University journalism graduates stay in Illinois?

Many leave. 32% (38 of 117) were working in Illinois one year after graduating.

Northwestern University Journalism (Bachelor's): Tuition, Graduate Salary, and Debt

Bachelor's in Journalism
Private nonprofit university
Evanston, IL

College Scorecard June 2026 release · BLS wages May 2025

The short answer

Northwestern University journalism graduates earn more than graduates of most journalism programs nationally, $50,426 in their first year. Where this program stands out is debt. The typical graduate leaves with $15,333 in federal loans, less than at 94% of journalism programs in the country. It is one of the higher-paying journalism degrees in Illinois.

First-year earnings$50,42698th percentile of 170 programs nationally

Earnings after 5 years$72,14043% more than year one

Median federal debt$15,333The lowest of 8 Illinois programs

Debt-to-earnings30%Illinois median 63%, national 67%

How it compares

Each figure is the median for graduates of the program. The Illinois and national columns are the medians across all journalism bachelor's programs that report the figure.

	Northwestern University	Illinois	National
Earnings, 1 year after graduating	$50,426	$37,016	$34,515
Earnings, 5 years after graduating	$72,140	$49,778	$53,282
Median federal debt at graduation	$15,333	$23,917	$24,500
Debt as share of first-year pay	30%	63%	67%
Programs compared		8	170

Five years out, Northwestern University graduates earn more than the national figure and about $22,362 more than the Illinois median.

Debt and first-year pay at every Illinois journalism program

Programs in the upper left give graduates higher pay for less debt. Dashed lines mark the Illinois medians.

Northwestern UniversityOther Illinois programs

Hover over or tap a dot to see the school. Only programs that report both earnings and debt are shown.

What graduates earn over time

Pay rises about 43% between the first and fifth year.

Northwestern University grads, year 1$50,426

Northwestern University grads, year 5$72,140

All Illinois journalism grads, year 5$49,778

Year 1 and year 5 figures come from different graduating classes, so the growth rate is an estimate.

Does family income change the outcome?

Graduates who received Pell Grants, which go to students from lower-income families, earned $2,254 less in their first year than other graduates. Students who expect to rely on grants should weigh this gap.

Pell Grant recipients, year 1 earnings$49,360Median debt $11,583

Other graduates, year 1 earnings$51,614Median debt $17,500

Paying back the loans

On a standard 10-year plan, the median debt means a payment of about $163 a month, or 3.9% of a graduate's typical monthly pay in the first year.

Two years into repayment (113 borrowers)	Share
Paid off in full	30–39%
Paying down the balance	40–49%
Paused payments (forbearance)	10% or less
In default	10% or less

The government publishes these as ranges to protect privacy. They were measured in 2018 to 2020, partly during the pandemic pause on federal loan payments, so the forbearance share may be higher than usual. Separately, 21 parents took out Parent PLUS loans for these students, with a median of $69,443.

Where graduates work, and what the pay is worth

32% of graduates (38 of 117) were working in Illinois one year after graduating. Prices in the Chicago area are about 4% above the national average, so a $50,426 salary here buys what about $48,676 buys in a typical US city.

Careers this field leads to

These are the jobs that the federal crosswalk from fields of study to occupations links to journalism, largest first. Pay is the median across all experience levels.

Editors

$76,060

Median pay in Illinois. 4,560 people work in this job in Illinois. Nationally, jobs are projected to shrink 1% from 2025 to 2035, with about 7,900 openings a year. Typical education to start: bachelor's degree, plus less than 5 years of related work experience.

Bottom 10%: $46,410Top 10%: $107,850

Photographers

$36,570

Median pay in Illinois. 2,150 people work in this job in Illinois. Nationally, jobs are projected to shrink 1% from 2025 to 2035, with about 10,700 openings a year. Typical education to start: high school diploma or equivalent.

Bottom 10%: $31,200Top 10%: $96,770

Writers and Authors

$68,220

Median pay in Illinois. 2,640 people work in this job in Illinois. Nationally, jobs are projected to stay about the same in number from 2025 to 2035, with about 11,900 openings a year. Typical education to start: bachelor's degree.

Bottom 10%: $41,830Top 10%: $134,400

News Analysts, Reporters, and Journalists

$60,590

Median pay in Illinois. 1,060 people work in this job in Illinois. Nationally, jobs are projected to shrink 6% from 2025 to 2035, with about 3,400 openings a year. Typical education to start: bachelor's degree.

Bottom 10%: $36,680Top 10%: $140,620

About Northwestern University

Tuition and fees	$68,322 / year
Average net price after aid	$29,167 / year
Admission rate	8%
Graduation rate (within 6 years)	95%
Undergraduate students	9,201

Journalism ranks 16th of 29 bachelor's programs at Northwestern University by first-year earnings. The top three are Information Science ($102,998), Computer Science ($99,981), and Applied Mathematics ($94,684).

Other journalism bachelor's programs near Evanston

School	Distance	Year 1 pay	Debt
Northwestern UniversityEvanston, IL · private nonprofit		$50,426	$15,333
Loyola ChicagoChicago, IL · private nonprofit	4 mi	$38,302	$23,000
DePaul UniversityChicago, IL · private nonprofit	12 mi	$37,388	$24,334
Columbia College ChicagoChicago, IL · private nonprofit	12 mi	$31,369	$26,000
Northern Illinois UniversityDekalb, IL · public	56 mi	$31,753	$25,750

Common questions

The median graduate earns $50,426 one year after graduating and $72,140 five years after. The median across journalism bachelor's programs in Illinois is $37,016.

About this data

Earnings and debt only include students who received federal financial aid (grants or loans).
Earnings only count graduates who were working and not enrolled in more school. Graduates who went straight to further study are not included.
Debt only includes federal loans. Private loans and credit cards are not counted.
Some schools with several campuses report one combined figure for all of them. We count each of those schools once, and leave them out of Illinois comparisons when their main campus is in another state.
Scorecard figures describe graduating classes from several years ago. BLS wages are from May 2025.
School-level numbers like tuition, admission rate, and graduation rate are for the whole school, not the journalism program.

Sources

U.S. Department of Education, College Scorecard, field of study and institution files, June 2026 release
Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025
Bureau of Labor Statistics, Employment Projections 2025 to 2035
Bureau of Economic Analysis, Regional Price Parities, 2024
NCES, CIP 2020 to SOC 2018 crosswalk, and IPEDS institution directory, 2024

Journalism bachelor's programs in Illinois, ranked8 programs by pay and debt Journalism bachelor's programs in the US, ranked170 programs by pay and debt All Northwestern University programs, ranked29 programs by pay and debt