Federal data
Highest earning biology programs in Illinois
Illinois biology programs, ranked by median earnings one year after completion, from the College Scorecard field-of-study file (September 18, 2026). Only programs with at least 30 counted graduates in the earnings sample are shown, and at least 5 programs must qualify for this list to exist.
| Rank | School | City | Sector | Median earnings, 1 year after | Graduates counted |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Northeastern Illinois University | Chicago | Public, 4-year | $40,392 | 84 |
| 2 | Northern Illinois University | Dekalb | Public, 4-year | $38,137 | 110 |
| 3 | Southern Illinois University Edwardsville | Edwardsville | Public, 4-year | $38,067 | 108 |
| 4 | Saint Xavier University | Chicago | Private nonprofit, 4-year | $37,977 | 33 |
| 5 | Illinois State University | Normal | Public, 4-year | $36,337 | 97 |
| 6 | Lewis University | Romeoville | Private nonprofit, 4-year | $35,948 | 43 |
| 7 | University of Chicago | Chicago | Private nonprofit, 4-year | $35,275 | 58 |
| 8 | Western Illinois University | Macomb | Public, 4-year | $34,052 | 85 |
| 9 | Olivet Nazarene University | Bourbonnais | Private nonprofit, 4-year | $33,908 | 31 |
| 10 | North Park University | Chicago | Private nonprofit, 4-year | $33,592 | 35 |
| 11 | Augustana College | Rock Island | Private nonprofit, 4-year | $32,844 | 84 |
| 12 | Loyola University Chicago | Chicago | Private nonprofit, 4-year | $31,964 | 232 |
| 13 | Eastern Illinois University | Charleston | Public, 4-year | $31,278 | 45 |
| 14 | Knox College | Galesburg | Private nonprofit, 4-year | $31,203 | 33 |
| 15 | Elmhurst University | Elmhurst | Private nonprofit, 4-year | $30,804 | 35 |
| 16 | DePaul University | Chicago | Private nonprofit, 4-year | $30,750 | 40 |
| 17 | Benedictine University | Lisle | Private nonprofit, 4-year | $29,215 | 56 |
| 18 | University of Illinois Chicago | Chicago | Public, 4-year | $28,768 | 329 |
| 19 | Southern Illinois University-Carbondale | Carbondale | Public, 4-year | $28,206 | 51 |
| 20 | Roosevelt University | Chicago | Private nonprofit, 4-year | $27,462 | 45 |
| 21 | Dominican University | River Forest | Private nonprofit, 4-year | $26,015 | 31 |
Earnings cover federally aided graduates only, as published by College Scorecard.
How to read this. A smaller program can show a high or low figure from just a few graduates, and this earnings figure only ever covers students who received federal aid, so it does not describe every graduate.
Keep going