Federal data
Highest earning master's business administration programs in Illinois
Illinois business administration 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 | $224,402 | 177 |
| 2 | University of Chicago | Chicago | Private nonprofit, 4-year | $194,606 | 504 |
| 3 | University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign | Champaign | Public, 4-year | $118,799 | 364 |
| 4 | Lake Forest Graduate School of Management | Lake Forest | Private nonprofit, 4-year | $113,944 | 95 |
| 5 | DePaul University | Chicago | Private nonprofit, 4-year | $101,710 | 498 |
| 6 | Loyola University Chicago | Chicago | Private nonprofit, 4-year | $101,612 | 116 |
| 7 | Saint Xavier University | Chicago | Private nonprofit, 4-year | $90,420 | 30 |
| 8 | University of Illinois Chicago | Chicago | Public, 4-year | $88,048 | 97 |
| 9 | Illinois State University | Normal | Public, 4-year | $85,715 | 36 |
| 10 | Northern Illinois University | Dekalb | Public, 4-year | $85,140 | 184 |
| 11 | Benedictine University | Lisle | Private nonprofit, 4-year | $81,812 | 250 |
| 12 | National Louis University | Chicago | Private nonprofit, 4-year | $74,999 | 45 |
| 13 | Elmhurst University | Elmhurst | Private nonprofit, 4-year | $74,808 | 84 |
| 14 | North Park University | Chicago | Private nonprofit, 4-year | $73,779 | 107 |
| 15 | University of St Francis | Joliet | Private nonprofit, 4-year | $73,571 | 65 |
| 16 | Southern Illinois University-Carbondale | Carbondale | Public, 4-year | $73,272 | 39 |
| 17 | Southern Illinois University Edwardsville | Edwardsville | Public, 4-year | $72,649 | 72 |
| 18 | Governors State University | University Park | Public, 4-year | $72,212 | 33 |
| 19 | Judson University | Elgin | Private nonprofit, 4-year | $71,232 | 41 |
| 20 | Lewis University | Romeoville | Private nonprofit, 4-year | $71,183 | 147 |
| 21 | DeVry University | Lisle | For-profit, 4-year | $71,067 | 1,921 |
| 22 | North Central College | Naperville | Private nonprofit, 4-year | $70,828 | 42 |
| 23 | Rockford University | Rockford | Private nonprofit, 4-year | $69,357 | 38 |
| 24 | Millikin University | Decatur | Private nonprofit, 4-year | $65,398 | 36 |
| 25 | Eastern Illinois University | Charleston | Public, 4-year | $64,062 | 43 |
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.