Federal data
Highest earning liberal arts programs in Illinois
Illinois liberal arts 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 | DePaul University | Chicago | Private nonprofit, 4-year | $84,066 | 211 |
| 2 | Saint Xavier University | Chicago | Private nonprofit, 4-year | $51,054 | 30 |
| 3 | Aurora University | Aurora | Private nonprofit, 4-year | $44,614 | 30 |
| 4 | Northeastern Illinois University | Chicago | Public, 4-year | $42,976 | 150 |
| 5 | Governors State University | University Park | Public, 4-year | $42,107 | 114 |
| 6 | Eastern Illinois University | Charleston | Public, 4-year | $40,273 | 122 |
| 7 | Western Illinois University | Macomb | Public, 4-year | $38,196 | 186 |
| 8 | Southern Illinois University-Carbondale | Carbondale | Public, 4-year | $37,545 | 55 |
| 9 | Illinois State University | Normal | Public, 4-year | $31,745 | 144 |
| 10 | Northern Illinois University | Dekalb | Public, 4-year | $29,426 | 74 |
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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