Federal data
Highest earning communication and media studies programs in Illinois
Illinois communication and media studies 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 | Northwestern University | Evanston | Private nonprofit, 4-year | $52,210 | 57 |
| 2 | DeVry University | Lisle | For-profit, 4-year | $47,622 | 33 |
| 3 | Lake Forest College | Lake Forest | Private nonprofit, 4-year | $42,835 | 41 |
| 4 | Augustana College | Rock Island | Private nonprofit, 4-year | $40,806 | 60 |
| 5 | Wheaton College | Wheaton | Private nonprofit, 4-year | $39,321 | 47 |
| 6 | University of Illinois Chicago | Chicago | Public, 4-year | $38,912 | 125 |
| 7 | Northern Illinois University | Dekalb | Public, 4-year | $38,490 | 221 |
| 8 | Illinois State University | Normal | Public, 4-year | $38,125 | 233 |
| 9 | University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign | Champaign | Public, 4-year | $37,808 | 298 |
| 10 | Eastern Illinois University | Charleston | Public, 4-year | $37,778 | 68 |
| 11 | Southern Illinois University Edwardsville | Edwardsville | Public, 4-year | $36,569 | 134 |
| 12 | DePaul University | Chicago | Private nonprofit, 4-year | $34,453 | 200 |
| 13 | Western Illinois University | Macomb | Public, 4-year | $34,142 | 81 |
| 14 | Northeastern Illinois University | Chicago | Public, 4-year | $32,538 | 84 |
| 15 | Southern Illinois University-Carbondale | Carbondale | Public, 4-year | $32,465 | 39 |
| 16 | Saint Xavier University | Chicago | Private nonprofit, 4-year | $32,169 | 41 |
| 17 | University of Illinois Springfield | Springfield | Public, 4-year | $32,050 | 51 |
| 18 | Loyola University Chicago | Chicago | Private nonprofit, 4-year | $31,495 | 34 |
| 19 | Aurora University | Aurora | Private nonprofit, 4-year | $30,728 | 50 |
| 20 | Benedictine University | Lisle | Private nonprofit, 4-year | $30,334 | 44 |
| 21 | Governors State University | University Park | Public, 4-year | $27,071 | 55 |
| 22 | Olivet Nazarene University | Bourbonnais | Private nonprofit, 4-year | $23,259 | 36 |
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.
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