How much debt do UIC health sciences graduates have?

The median federal loan balance is $21,500, which ranks 3rd lowest of 5 health sciences bachelor's programs in Illinois. That works out to about $228 a month over 10 years.

Is a health sciences degree from UIC worth it?

On the numbers, yes for most students. Debt equals 72% of first-year earnings, against a national median of 75%. If the highest possible early salary is the main goal, several Illinois programs report higher pay.

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

Q: Do UIC health sciences graduates stay in Illinois?

Most do. 96% (74 of 77) were working in Illinois one year after graduating.

Bachelor's in Health Services/Allied Health/Health Sciences, General
Public university
Chicago, IL
About 174 graduates a year

College Scorecard June 2026 release · BLS wages May 2025

The short answer

UIC health sciences graduates earn less than graduates of most health sciences programs nationally, $29,735 in their first year. Where this program stands out is debt. The typical graduate leaves with $21,500 in federal loans, less than at 82% of health sciences programs in the country. Debt is low, but pay is also below the Illinois median of $34,806.

First-year earnings$29,73520th percentile of 146 programs nationally

Median federal debt$21,5003rd lowest of 5 Illinois programs

Debt-to-earnings72%Illinois median 72%, national 75%

How it compares

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

	UIC	Illinois	National
Earnings, 1 year after graduating	$29,735	$34,806	$34,598
Median federal debt at graduation	$21,500	$26,834	$26,674
Debt as share of first-year pay	72%	72%	75%
Programs compared		5	146

Debt and first-year pay at every Illinois health sciences 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.

Paying back the loans

On a standard 10-year plan, the median debt means a payment of about $228 a month, or 9.2% of a graduate's typical monthly pay in the first year.

34 parents took out Parent PLUS loans for these students, with a median of $23,250.

Where graduates work, and what the pay is worth

96% of graduates (74 of 77) were working in Illinois one year after graduating. Prices in the Chicago area are about 4% above the national average, so a $29,735 salary here buys what about $28,703 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 health sciences, largest first. Pay is the median across all experience levels.

Health Education Specialists

$60,120

Median pay in Illinois. 1,010 people work in this job in Illinois. Nationally, jobs are projected to grow 6% from 2025 to 2035, with about 6,900 openings a year. Typical education to start: bachelor's degree.

Bottom 10%: $41,480Top 10%: $105,660

Community Health Workers

$49,240

Median pay in Illinois. 2,040 people work in this job in Illinois. Nationally, jobs are projected to grow 13% from 2025 to 2035, with about 7,000 openings a year. Typical education to start: high school diploma or equivalent.

Bottom 10%: $39,040Top 10%: $65,540

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

Health Sciences ranks 39th 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 health sciences bachelor's programs near Chicago

School	Distance	Year 1 pay	Debt
UICChicago, IL · public		$29,735	$21,500
DePaul UniversityChicago, IL · private nonprofit	1 mi	$34,897	$27,000
North Park UniversityChicago, IL · private nonprofit	8 mi	$40,374	$30,666
Purdue NorthwestHammond, IN · public	22 mi	$33,944	$26,500
Wheaton CollegeWheaton, IL · private nonprofit	23 mi	$32,375	$20,356

Common questions

The median graduate earns $29,735 one year after graduating. The median across health sciences bachelor's programs in Illinois is $34,806.

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 health sciences 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

Health Sciences bachelor's programs in Illinois, ranked5 programs by pay and debt Health Sciences bachelor's programs in the US, ranked146 programs by pay and debt All UIC programs, ranked46 programs by pay and debt