Northern Illinois University
Dekalb, Illinois · Public
Graduate earnings
45of 45 assessed undergraduate programs
have graduates earning more than a typical Illinois high-school graduate (about $36,082 a year).
45 of 57 undergraduate programs could be assessed. The other 12: 10 with no earnings published and 2 with nothing reported. 2 verdicts use 1-year earnings, an earlier career stage. The 83 graduate programs are in the table.
Average net price, all families$13,391 a year By family income
What it would cost
Net price is the yearly cost after grants and scholarships, as reported for students who received federal aid.
Average for all families
$13,391 a year
About $53,564 over 4 years, if price and aid stay the same.
This multiplies the reported yearly net price by the years you choose. It is not a quote or a prediction: it leaves out interest, price rises and the chance of taking longer to finish.
Net price for every income band
| Family income | Net price per year |
|---|---|
| Under $30k | $10,126 |
| $30k to $48k | $9,854 |
| $48k to $75k | $12,797 |
| $75k to $110k | $17,612 |
| $110k and up | $21,834 |
| All families (average) | $13,391 |
College Scorecard, release 2026-06-10. Bands with no figure were not reported by the school.
Program earnings
Median earnings of each program’s graduates against a typical Illinois high-school graduate ($36,082 a year).
74 of 140 programs could be assessed 53% have an earnings verdict
| Program | Degree | Median earnings | vs a high-school grad | Verdict | Median debt | Debt as years of gain | Recent completers |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Psychology | Bachelor's Degree | $49,669 | +$13,587 | clears the bar | $21,375 | 1.6 yrs | 211 |
| Nursing | Bachelor's Degree | $75,5571-year earnings | +$39,475 | clears the bar (1-yr) | $25,000 | 0.6 yrs | 153 |
| Teacher Education (by level) | Bachelor's Degree | $50,385 | +$14,303 | clears the bar | $24,545 | 1.7 yrs | 146 |
| Health/Medical Preparatory Programs | Bachelor's Degree | $55,778 | +$19,696 | clears the bar | $22,500 | 1.1 yrs | 139 |
| Business Administration | Master's Degree | $119,872 | +$83,790 | above HS line | $32,950 | 0.4 yrs | 122 |
| Marketing | Bachelor's Degree | $76,373 | +$40,291 | clears the bar | $21,500 | 0.5 yrs | 119 |
| Computer Science | Bachelor's Degree | $93,438 | +$57,356 | clears the bar | $21,004 | 0.4 yrs | 110 |
| Business Administration | Bachelor's Degree | $73,176 | +$37,094 | clears the bar | $21,000 | 0.6 yrs | 109 |
| Computer and Information Science | Master's Degree | $72,5051-year earnings | +$36,423 | above HS line (1-yr) | $24,300 | 0.7 yrs | 105 |
| Mechanical Engineering | Bachelor's Degree | $86,999 | +$50,917 | clears the bar | $23,125 | 0.5 yrs | 101 |
| Liberal Arts and General Studies | Bachelor's Degree | $57,697 | +$21,615 | clears the bar | $25,000 | 1.2 yrs | 97 |
| Communications and Media | Bachelor's Degree | $55,109 | +$19,027 | clears the bar | $23,812 | 1.3 yrs | 95 |
| Teacher Education (by subject) | Master's Degree | $65,145 | +$29,063 | above HS line | $24,901 | 0.9 yrs | 92 |
| Law | First Professional Degree | $78,459 | +$42,377 | above HS line | $75,688 | 1.8 yrs | 90 |
| Kinesiology and Physical Education | Bachelor's Degree | $54,207 | +$18,125 | clears the bar | $25,294 | 1.4 yrs | 84 |
| Accounting | Bachelor's Degree | $83,573 | +$47,491 | clears the bar | $15,342 | 0.3 yrs | 83 |
| Management Science | Bachelor's Degree | $71,040 | +$34,958 | clears the bar | $20,000 | 0.6 yrs | 80 |
| Special Education | Master's Degree | $62,066 | +$25,984 | above HS line | $26,549 | 1.0 yrs | 76 |
| Fine Arts | Bachelor's Degree | $44,202 | +$8,120 | clears the bar | $22,500 | 2.8 yrs | 69 |
| Biology | Bachelor's Degree | $52,086 | +$16,004 | clears the bar | $22,500 | 1.4 yrs | 66 |
| Human Development and Family Studies | Bachelor's Degree | $49,147 | +$13,065 | clears the bar | $30,020 | 2.3 yrs | 63 |
| Political Science | Bachelor's Degree | $54,039 | +$17,957 | clears the bar | $25,500 | 1.4 yrs | 63 |
| Engineering Technologies/Technicians, General | Bachelor's Degree | $81,554 | +$45,472 | clears the bar | $27,250 | 0.6 yrs | 56 |
| Finance | Bachelor's Degree | $86,511 | +$50,429 | clears the bar | $15,250 | 0.3 yrs | 56 |
| Educational Administration | Master's Degree | $72,883 | +$36,801 | above HS line | $28,097 | 0.8 yrs | 55 |
| Special Education | Bachelor's Degree | $53,148 | +$17,066 | clears the bar | $21,029 | 1.2 yrs | 48 |
| English | Bachelor's Degree | $47,981 | +$11,899 | clears the bar | $22,500 | 1.9 yrs | 47 |
| Public Health | Master's Degree | $74,989 | +$38,907 | above HS line | not published | not assessed | 44 |
| Electrical Engineering | Bachelor's Degree | $93,962 | +$57,880 | clears the bar | $22,500 | 0.4 yrs | 41 |
| Communication Disorders | Bachelor's Degree | $49,653 | +$13,571 | clears the bar | $16,500 | 1.2 yrs | 41 |
| Teacher Education (by subject) | Bachelor's Degree | $53,672 | +$17,590 | clears the bar | $22,500 | 1.3 yrs | 40 |
| Natural Resources and Conservation | Bachelor's Degree | $54,666 | +$18,584 | clears the bar | $22,250 | 1.2 yrs | 36 |
| Sociology | Bachelor's Degree | $58,023 | +$21,941 | clears the bar | $27,000 | 1.2 yrs | 35 |
| Music | Bachelor's Degree | $40,398 | +$4,316 | clears the bar | $27,250 | 6.3 yrs | 35 |
| Public Administration | Master's Degree | $82,907 | +$46,825 | above HS line | $30,500 | 0.7 yrs | 33 |
| Theatre | Bachelor's Degree | $36,777 | +$695 | clears the bar | $27,000 | 38.8 yrs | 33 |
| History | Bachelor's Degree | $46,086 | +$10,004 | clears the bar | $22,333 | 2.2 yrs | 33 |
| Nursing | Master's Degree | $120,765 | +$84,683 | above HS line | $44,065 | 0.5 yrs | 32 |
| Mathematics | Bachelor's Degree | $69,856 | +$33,774 | clears the bar | $23,068 | 0.7 yrs | 31 |
| Romance Languages, Literatures, and Linguistics | Bachelor's Degree | $51,151 | +$15,069 | clears the bar | $20,923 | 1.4 yrs | 30 |
| Music | Master's Degree | $41,850 | +$5,768 | above HS line | not published | not assessed | 30 |
| Mental Health and Counseling Services | Bachelor's Degree | $55,586 | +$19,504 | clears the bar | $27,787 | 1.4 yrs | 26 |
| Educational/Instructional Media Design | Master's Degree | $79,429 | +$43,347 | above HS line | $23,063 | 0.5 yrs | 24 |
| Student Counseling and Personnel Services | Master's Degree | $59,834 | +$23,752 | above HS line | $50,098 | 2.1 yrs | 23 |
| Dietetics and Clinical Nutrition Services | Bachelor's Degree | $55,221 | +$19,139 | clears the bar | $22,500 | 1.2 yrs | 23 |
| Medical Laboratory Science | Bachelor's Degree | $76,856 | +$40,774 | clears the bar | $18,000 | 0.4 yrs | 20 |
| Engineering-Related Fields | Master's Degree | $81,6861-year earnings | +$45,604 | above HS line (1-yr) | not published | not assessed | 18 |
| Apparel and Textiles | Bachelor's Degree | $68,636 | +$32,554 | clears the bar | not published | not assessed | 18 |
| Chemistry | Bachelor's Degree | $65,611 | +$29,529 | clears the bar | $22,750 | 0.8 yrs | 18 |
| Biology | Master's Degree | $46,5411-year earnings | +$10,459 | above HS line (1-yr) | not published | not assessed | 17 |
| Kinesiology and Physical Education | Master's Degree | $65,493 | +$29,411 | above HS line | not published | not assessed | 17 |
| Human Development and Family Studies | Master's Degree | $56,678 | +$20,596 | above HS line | $32,500 | 1.6 yrs | 16 |
| Human Services | Bachelor's Degree | $49,514 | +$13,432 | clears the bar | $27,000 | 2.0 yrs | 16 |
| Economics | Bachelor's Degree | $66,760 | +$30,678 | clears the bar | $24,976 | 0.8 yrs | 16 |
| Hospitality Management | Bachelor's Degree | $58,546 | +$22,464 | clears the bar | $24,000 | 1.1 yrs | 16 |
| Journalism | Bachelor's Degree | $50,658 | +$14,576 | clears the bar | $22,625 | 1.6 yrs | 15 |
| Biomedical Engineering | Bachelor's Degree | $54,0471-year earnings | +$17,965 | clears the bar (1-yr) | $15,000 | 0.8 yrs | 15 |
| Communication Disorders | Master's Degree | $63,768 | +$27,686 | above HS line | $44,534 | 1.6 yrs | 15 |
| Accounting | Master's Degree | $101,106 | +$65,024 | above HS line | $20,500 | 0.3 yrs | 15 |
| Geography and Cartography | Bachelor's Degree | $47,738 | +$11,656 | clears the bar | not published | not assessed | 14 |
| Dietetics and Clinical Nutrition Services | Master's Degree | $66,367 | +$30,285 | above HS line | not published | not assessed | 13 |
| Psychology | Doctoral Degree | $85,719 | +$49,637 | above HS line | not published | not assessed | 12 |
| Anthropology | Bachelor's Degree | $54,890 | +$18,808 | clears the bar | not published | not assessed | 12 |
| Mechanical Engineering | Master's Degree | $107,338 | +$71,256 | above HS line | not published | not assessed | 11 |
| Industrial Engineering | Bachelor's Degree | $82,584 | +$46,502 | clears the bar | $23,750 | 0.5 yrs | 11 |
| Atmospheric Sciences and Meteorology | Bachelor's Degree | $49,198 | +$13,116 | clears the bar | not published | not assessed | 11 |
| English | Master's Degree | $50,510 | +$14,428 | above HS line | not published | not assessed | 10 |
| Curriculum and Instruction | Doctoral Degree | $117,352 | +$81,270 | above HS line | not published | not assessed | 9 |
| Education | Master's Degree | $59,110 | +$23,028 | above HS line | $30,041 | 1.3 yrs | 7 |
| Fine Arts | Master's Degree | $53,301 | +$17,219 | above HS line | not published | not assessed | 6 |
| Physical and Occupational Therapy | Master's Degree | $65,500 | +$29,418 | above HS line | not published | not assessed | 5 |
| Theatre | Master's Degree | $42,708 | +$6,626 | above HS line | not published | not assessed | 2 |
| Taxation | Master's Degree | $113,7341-year earnings | +$77,652 | above HS line (1-yr) | not published | not assessed | 0 |
| Physical and Occupational Therapy | Doctoral Degree | $80,885 | +$44,803 | above HS line | $61,500 | 1.4 yrs | not published |
| Management Science | Master's Degree | not published | not assessed | earnings not published | not published | not assessed | 118 |
| Computer Science | Master's Degree | not published | not assessed | earnings not published | not published | not assessed | 60 |
| Marketing | Master's Degree | not published | not assessed | earnings not published | not published | not assessed | 49 |
| Educational Administration | Doctoral Degree | not published | not assessed | earnings not published | not published | not assessed | 36 |
| Industrial Engineering | Master's Degree | not published | not assessed | earnings not published | not published | not assessed | 33 |
| Physical and Occupational Therapy | First Professional Degree | not published | not assessed | earnings not published | not published | not assessed | 32 |
| Educational Administration | Graduate/Professional Certificate | not published | not assessed | earnings not published | not published | not assessed | 19 |
| Student Counseling and Personnel Services | Doctoral Degree | not published | not assessed | earnings not published | not published | not assessed | 10 |
| Applied Mathematics | Master's Degree | not published | not assessed | earnings not published | not published | not assessed | 10 |
| Health Professions and Related Clinical Sciences, Other | Doctoral Degree | not published | not assessed | earnings not published | not published | not assessed | 10 |
| Curriculum and Instruction | Master's Degree | not published | not assessed | earnings not published | not published | not assessed | 9 |
| Mathematics | Master's Degree | not published | not assessed | earnings not published | not published | not assessed | 9 |
| Statistics | Bachelor's Degree | not published | not assessed | earnings not published | not published | not assessed | 9 |
| Philosophy | Master's Degree | not published | not assessed | earnings not published | not published | not assessed | 9 |
| Geology and Earth Science | Bachelor's Degree | not published | not assessed | earnings not published | not published | not assessed | 9 |
| Physics | Doctoral Degree | not published | not assessed | earnings not published | not published | not assessed | 9 |
| Psychology | Master's Degree | not published | not assessed | earnings not published | not published | not assessed | 9 |
| Criminology | Bachelor's Degree | not published | not assessed | earnings not published | not published | not assessed | 9 |
| Music | Graduate/Professional Certificate | not published | not assessed | earnings not published | not published | not assessed | 9 |
| Nursing | First Professional Degree | not published | not assessed | earnings not published | not published | not assessed | 9 |
| Communications and Media | Master's Degree | not published | not assessed | earnings not published | not published | not assessed | 8 |
| Electrical Engineering | Master's Degree | not published | not assessed | earnings not published | not published | not assessed | 8 |
| Geology and Earth Science | Master's Degree | not published | not assessed | earnings not published | not published | not assessed | 8 |
| Philosophy | Bachelor's Degree | not published | not assessed | earnings not published | not published | not assessed | 7 |
| Political Science | Master's Degree | not published | not assessed | earnings not published | not published | not assessed | 7 |
| Allied Health Diagnostics and Treatment | Master's Degree | not published | not assessed | earnings not published | not published | not assessed | 7 |
| History | Master's Degree | not published | not assessed | earnings not published | not published | not assessed | 7 |
| Statistics | Master's Degree | not published | not assessed | earnings not published | not published | not assessed | 6 |
| Chemistry | Master's Degree | not published | not assessed | earnings not published | not published | not assessed | 6 |
| Communication Disorders | First Professional Degree | not published | not assessed | earnings not published | not published | not assessed | 6 |
| Educational/Instructional Media Design | Doctoral Degree | not published | not assessed | earnings not published | not published | not assessed | 5 |
| Chemistry | Doctoral Degree | not published | not assessed | earnings not published | not published | not assessed | 5 |
| Physics | Bachelor's Degree | not published | not assessed | earnings not published | not published | not assessed | 5 |
| Physics | Master's Degree | not published | not assessed | earnings not published | not published | not assessed | 5 |
| Clinical and Counseling Psychology | Doctoral Degree | not published | not assessed | earnings not published | not published | not assessed | 5 |
| Educational Assessment, Evaluation, and Research | Master's Degree | not published | not assessed | earnings not published | not published | not assessed | 4 |
| Teacher Education (by level) | Master's Degree | not published | not assessed | earnings not published | not published | not assessed | 4 |
| Anthropology | Master's Degree | not published | not assessed | earnings not published | not published | not assessed | 4 |
| Sociology | Master's Degree | not published | not assessed | earnings not published | not published | not assessed | 4 |
| Ethnic, Cultural Minority, Gender, and Group Studies | Bachelor's Degree | not published | not assessed | earnings not published | not published | not assessed | 3 |
| Mathematics | Doctoral Degree | not published | not assessed | earnings not published | not published | not assessed | 3 |
| Geography and Cartography | Master's Degree | not published | not assessed | earnings not published | not published | not assessed | 3 |
| Romance Languages, Literatures, and Linguistics | Master's Degree | not published | not assessed | earnings not published | not published | not assessed | 2 |
| English | Doctoral Degree | not published | not assessed | earnings not published | not published | not assessed | 2 |
| Clinical and Counseling Psychology | Graduate/Professional Certificate | not published | not assessed | earnings not published | not published | not assessed | 2 |
| Economics | Master's Degree | not published | not assessed | earnings not published | not published | not assessed | 2 |
| Political Science | Doctoral Degree | not published | not assessed | earnings not published | not published | not assessed | 2 |
| History | Doctoral Degree | not published | not assessed | earnings not published | not published | not assessed | 2 |
| Teacher Education (by subject) | Doctoral Degree | not published | not assessed | earnings not published | not published | not assessed | 1 |
| Kinesiology and Physical Education | Doctoral Degree | not published | not assessed | earnings not published | not published | not assessed | 1 |
| Economics | Doctoral Degree | not published | not assessed | earnings not published | not published | not assessed | 1 |
| Social and Philosophical Foundations of Education | Master's Degree | not published | not assessed | earnings not published | not published | not assessed | 0 |
| Germanic Languages, Literatures, and Linguistics | Bachelor's Degree | not published | not assessed | earnings not published | not published | not assessed | 0 |
| Biology | Doctoral Degree | not published | not assessed | earnings not published | not published | not assessed | 0 |
| Interdisciplinary Studies | Bachelor's Degree | not published | not assessed | earnings not published | not published | not assessed | 0 |
| Geology and Earth Science | Doctoral Degree | not published | not assessed | earnings not published | not published | not assessed | 0 |
| Clinical and Counseling Psychology | Master's Degree | not published | not assessed | earnings not published | not published | not assessed | 0 |
| Geography and Cartography | Doctoral Degree | not published | not assessed | earnings not published | not published | not assessed | 0 |
| Fine Arts | Doctoral Degree | not published | not assessed | earnings not published | not published | not assessed | 0 |
| Allied Health Diagnostics and Treatment | Bachelor's Degree | not published | not assessed | earnings not published | not published | not assessed | 0 |
| Public Health | Bachelor's Degree | not published | not assessed | earnings not published | not published | not assessed | 0 |
| Finance | Master's Degree | not published | not assessed | earnings not published | not published | not assessed | 0 |
| Engineering, General | Bachelor's Degree | not reported | not reported | nothing reported | not reported | not reported | not reported |
| Air Force ROTC, Air Science and Operations | Bachelor's Degree | not reported | not reported | nothing reported | not reported | not reported | not reported |
| Communication Disorders | Doctoral Degree | not reported | not reported | nothing reported | not reported | not reported | not reported |
| Management Information Systems | Master's Degree | not reported | not reported | nothing reported | not reported | not reported | not reported |
Sources and definitions
- U.S. Department of Education, College Scorecard, release 2026-06-10. Earnings are medians for graduates who received federal aid. Debt is federal loans only.
- The high-school line is ED’s state benchmark, $36,082 a year.
- Earnings not published: ED reports the program but no earnings figure, usually because too few graduates were measured. Nothing reported: ED lists the program with no figures at all. Neither is a judgement of the program.
- Debt as years of gain is median federal debt divided by how much more graduates earn per year than a typical high-school graduate. It is not a repayment time.
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