Federal data
Highest earning 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 Illinois Chicago | Chicago | Public, 4-year | $60,917 | 52 |
| 2 | Loyola University Chicago | Chicago | Private nonprofit, 4-year | $55,652 | 45 |
| 3 | Elmhurst University | Elmhurst | Private nonprofit, 4-year | $48,105 | 53 |
| 4 | University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign | Champaign | Public, 4-year | $48,038 | 124 |
| 5 | Wheaton College | Wheaton | Private nonprofit, 4-year | $47,714 | 30 |
| 6 | North Central College | Naperville | Private nonprofit, 4-year | $47,668 | 69 |
| 7 | Saint Xavier University | Chicago | Private nonprofit, 4-year | $46,377 | 30 |
| 8 | Trinity Christian College | Palos Heights | Private nonprofit, 4-year | $45,968 | 55 |
| 9 | Governors State University | University Park | Public, 4-year | $45,235 | 54 |
| 10 | Illinois State University | Normal | Public, 4-year | $44,898 | 499 |
| 11 | Concordia University-Chicago | River Forest | Private nonprofit, 4-year | $44,618 | 46 |
| 12 | Aurora University | Aurora | Private nonprofit, 4-year | $44,282 | 40 |
| 13 | Northern Illinois University | Dekalb | Public, 4-year | $44,214 | 149 |
| 14 | Olivet Nazarene University | Bourbonnais | Private nonprofit, 4-year | $44,072 | 37 |
| 15 | Bradley University | Peoria | Private nonprofit, 4-year | $43,359 | 62 |
| 16 | Millikin University | Decatur | Private nonprofit, 4-year | $43,331 | 43 |
| 17 | DePaul University | Chicago | Private nonprofit, 4-year | $43,326 | 64 |
| 18 | Northeastern Illinois University | Chicago | Public, 4-year | $41,938 | 52 |
| 19 | Eastern Illinois University | Charleston | Public, 4-year | $41,582 | 84 |
| 20 | Lewis University | Romeoville | Private nonprofit, 4-year | $41,130 | 55 |
| 21 | Western Illinois University | Macomb | Public, 4-year | $40,544 | 70 |
| 22 | National Louis University | Chicago | Private nonprofit, 4-year | $40,484 | 135 |
| 23 | Southern Illinois University-Carbondale | Carbondale | Public, 4-year | $39,496 | 85 |
| 24 | Southern Illinois University Edwardsville | Edwardsville | Public, 4-year | $38,830 | 107 |
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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