Federal data
Highest earning master's teacher education programs in Illinois
Illinois teacher education 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 | University of Chicago | Chicago | Private nonprofit, 4-year | $65,351 | 36 |
| 2 | Concordia University-Chicago | River Forest | Private nonprofit, 4-year | $57,389 | 103 |
| 3 | National Louis University | Chicago | Private nonprofit, 4-year | $55,506 | 191 |
| 4 | DePaul University | Chicago | Private nonprofit, 4-year | $54,896 | 69 |
| 5 | Western Illinois University | Macomb | Public, 4-year | $54,160 | 35 |
| 6 | Erikson Institute | Chicago | Private nonprofit, 4-year | $53,630 | 40 |
| 7 | Lewis University | Romeoville | Private nonprofit, 4-year | $51,876 | 44 |
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.