US College Programs

Illinois Colleges and Majors, Ranked by Graduate Pay and Debt

  • 1,243 programs report first-year pay
  • 149 schools with program pages
  • 57 field rankings

College Scorecard June 2026 release ยท BEA price parities 2024

The short answer

The median Illinois bachelor's program pays its graduates $41,145 in their first year, $1,103 more than the national median. Of the 47 bachelor's fields ranked in Illinois, electrical engineering pays the most ($74,442) and theatre the least ($20,709). The median bachelor's program leaves its graduates with $25,000 in federal debt, compared with $25,000 nationally.

Median first-year pay, bachelor's$41,145Across 906 programs. National $40,042
Median pay after 5 years, bachelor's$59,090Across 893 programs. National $57,933
Median federal debt, bachelor's$25,000Across 947 programs. National $25,000
Prices compared with the USAbout the sameBEA price level 100.0, US average 100

Pay and debt by credential

Medians across every Illinois program at each credential that reports the figure, next to the national median.

Bachelor's fields in Illinois, ranked

Each row is one field's median across its Illinois bachelor's programs. Field names link to the full ranking of those programs.

Some nursing bachelor's programs are for nurses who are already licensed and working (RN-to-BSN). College Scorecard counts them with programs for new students, and their graduates' pay reflects years of nursing experience, so high pay at a program here may not mean higher starting pay for a new nurse.

Associate's fields in Illinois, ranked

Each row is one field's median across its Illinois associate's programs. Field names link to the full ranking of those programs.

Certificate fields in Illinois, ranked

Each row is one field's median across its Illinois certificate programs. Field names link to the full ranking of those programs.

149 Illinois schools

Every Illinois school with at least one program page. School names link to the school's page, which ranks all its programs. Schools with one program link straight to that program.

"Programs" counts the school's programs that report first-year pay.

Common questions

The median electrical engineering bachelor's program in Illinois pays its graduates $74,442 in their first year, the most of 47 bachelor's fields ranked here. Nursing is next, at $73,150.

About this data

  • Earnings and debt only include students who received federal financial aid, and earnings only count graduates who were working and not enrolled in more school.
  • Debt only includes federal loans. Private loans and credit cards are not counted.
  • Medians are across programs, not students: each program counts once, however many graduates it has.
  • 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 figures when their main campus is in another state.
  • Price levels are the Bureau of Economic Analysis Regional Price Parities for 2024.

Sources

  1. U.S. Department of Education, College Scorecard, field of study and institution files, June 2026 release
  2. Bureau of Economic Analysis, Regional Price Parities, 2024