How much debt do UIC English graduates have?

The median federal loan balance is $18,750, which ranks 2nd lowest of 17 English bachelor's programs in Illinois. That works out to about $199 a month over 10 years.

Is a English degree from UIC worth it?

On the numbers, yes for most students. Debt equals 60% of first-year earnings, against a national median of 77%, and the share of borrowers in default two years into repayment is 10% or less. If the highest possible early salary is the main goal, several Illinois programs report higher pay, usually with more debt.

UIC English (Bachelor's): Tuition, Graduate Salary, and Debt

Q: Do UIC English graduates stay in Illinois?

Most do. 91% (99 of 109) were working in Illinois one year after graduating.

Bachelor's in English Language and Literature, General
Public university
Chicago, IL
About 70 graduates a year

College Scorecard June 2026 release · BLS wages May 2025

The short answer

UIC English graduates earn about what English graduates earn nationally, $31,066 in their first year. Where this program stands out is debt. The typical graduate leaves with $18,750 in federal loans, less than at 86% of English programs in the country. Strong value, but not one of the highest-paying English degrees in Illinois.

First-year earnings$31,06655th percentile of 471 programs nationally

Earnings after 5 years$50,97464% more than year one

Median federal debt$18,7502nd lowest of 17 Illinois programs

Debt-to-earnings60%Illinois median 74%, national 77%

How it compares

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

	UIC	Illinois	National
Earnings, 1 year after graduating	$31,066	$32,328	$30,195
Earnings, 5 years after graduating	$50,974	$48,248	$47,348
Median federal debt at graduation	$18,750	$23,499	$24,498
Debt as share of first-year pay	60%	74%	77%
Programs compared		18	471

Five years out, UIC graduates earn more than the national figure and about $2,727 more than the Illinois median.

Debt and first-year pay at every Illinois English program

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

UICOther 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 64% between the first and fifth year.

UIC grads, year 1$31,066

UIC grads, year 5$50,974

All Illinois English grads, year 5$48,248

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 slightly more in their first year than other graduates. They also borrowed less. At this program, the outcome does not look worse for students with less money.

Pell Grant recipients, year 1 earnings$30,961Median debt $18,500

Other graduates, year 1 earnings$30,204Median debt $18,750

Paying back the loans

On a standard 10-year plan, the median debt means a payment of about $199 a month, or 7.7% of a graduate's typical monthly pay in the first year.

Two years into repayment (116 borrowers)	Share
Paid off in full	10% or less
Paying down the balance	30–39%
Paused payments (forbearance)	20–29%
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, 27 parents took out Parent PLUS loans for these students, with a median of $15,912.

Where graduates work, and what the pay is worth

91% of graduates (99 of 109) were working in Illinois one year after graduating. Prices in the Chicago area are about 4% above the national average, so a $31,066 salary here buys what about $29,988 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 English, largest first. Pay is the median across all experience levels.

Secondary School Teachers, Except Special and Career/Technical Education

$79,990

Median pay in Illinois. 44,670 people work in this job in Illinois. Nationally, jobs are projected to stay about the same in number from 2025 to 2035, with about 63,500 openings a year. Typical education to start: bachelor's degree.

Bottom 10%: $49,020Top 10%: $135,960

Proofreaders and Copy Markers

$50,060

Median pay in Illinois. 300 people work in this job in Illinois. Nationally, jobs are projected to shrink 1% from 2025 to 2035, with about 1,100 openings a year. Typical education to start: bachelor's degree.

Bottom 10%: $33,950Top 10%: $77,030

About UIC

In-state tuition and fees	$14,338 / year
Out-of-state tuition and fees	$29,884 / year
Average net price after aid	$10,974 / year
Admission rate	77%
Graduation rate (within 6 years)	62%
Undergraduate students	22,170

English ranks 35th of 46 bachelor's programs at UIC by first-year earnings. The top three are Computer Science ($78,040), Nursing ($75,045), and Electrical Engineering ($72,926).

Other English bachelor's programs near Chicago

School	Distance	Year 1 pay	Debt
UICChicago, IL · public		$31,066	$18,750
DePaul UniversityChicago, IL · private nonprofit	1 mi	$28,660	$23,499
Northeastern Illinois UniversityChicago, IL · public	8 mi	$36,594	$19,000
Loyola ChicagoChicago, IL · private nonprofit	9 mi	$28,640	$26,000
Northwestern UniversityEvanston, IL · private nonprofit	12 mi	$31,748	$15,564
Elmhurst UniversityElmhurst, IL · private nonprofit	15 mi	$33,947	$19,500
Purdue NorthwestHammond, IN · public	22 mi	$31,171	$26,279
Wheaton CollegeWheaton, IL · private nonprofit	23 mi	$32,723	$21,500
Lake Forest CollegeLake Forest, IL · private nonprofit	28 mi	$32,982	$23,250

Common questions

The median graduate earns $31,066 one year after graduating and $50,974 five years after. The median across English bachelor's programs in Illinois is $32,328.

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 English 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

English bachelor's programs in Illinois, ranked18 programs by pay and debt English bachelor's programs in the US, ranked471 programs by pay and debt All UIC programs, ranked46 programs by pay and debt