Federal data
Public four-year colleges in Illinois by graduates' median earnings 4 years after
Illinois public four-year colleges, ranked by median earnings four years after completion, from College Scorecard (September 18, 2026). At least 5 colleges must report this figure for this list to exist.
| Rank | School | City | Sector | Median earnings, 4 years after | Completions |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign | Champaign | Public, 4-year | $79,628 | 16,752 |
| 2 | University of Illinois Chicago | Chicago | Public, 4-year | $72,839 | 8,690 |
| 3 | Southern Illinois University Edwardsville | Edwardsville | Public, 4-year | $65,199 | 3,278 |
| 4 | Northern Illinois University | Dekalb | Public, 4-year | $64,583 | 4,024 |
| 5 | University of Illinois Springfield | Springfield | Public, 4-year | $63,235 | 1,599 |
| 6 | Illinois State University | Normal | Public, 4-year | $62,507 | 5,780 |
| 7 | Southern Illinois University-Carbondale | Carbondale | Public, 4-year | $61,484 | 2,867 |
| 8 | Northeastern Illinois University | Chicago | Public, 4-year | $60,607 | 1,332 |
| 9 | Western Illinois University | Macomb | Public, 4-year | $57,453 | 1,967 |
| 10 | Chicago State University | Chicago | Public, 4-year | $56,486 | 469 |
| 11 | Governors State University | University Park | Public, 4-year | $56,405 | 1,215 |
| 12 | Eastern Illinois University | Charleston | Public, 4-year | $53,620 | 2,372 |
Earnings cover federally aided graduates only, as published by College Scorecard, institution-wide rather than by one program.
How to read this. This is a whole-college figure across every program, not one program's graduates -- a college with mostly graduate or professional programs will show higher earnings than one that is mostly certificates. Completions shown alongside it are the latest IPEDS total on file.