Northern Illinois University
Dekalb, IL, United States
Data verified Nov 2026 · CollegesRef 2026–27 edition
Photo: Alexbaumgarner, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons
Northern Illinois University has 74 programs with reported graduate earnings. The highest is Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing (master's), where graduates earn a median $120,765 four years after finishing, against $120,338 for the same field nationally.
Graduation rate
First-time, full-time students finishing within 150% of normal time
First-year retention
Students who return for a second year
Median earnings
$61,351
Former students who received federal aid
Source: U.S. College Scorecard, field of study, 2025
Median earnings of graduates who received federal aid, one and four years after finishing, and the median federal loan debt they borrowed at Northern Illinois University. The field median is the middle value for the same field and credential across every college that reports it. 67 more programs have too few graduates for earnings to be published.
Highest-earning programs
| Program | Graduates | Earnings 1 yr | Earnings 4 yr | Field median | Median debt |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Electrical, Electronics, and Communications Engineering | 41 | $77,987 | $93,962 | $98,9535% below | $19,658 |
| Computer Science | 122 | $66,593 | $93,438 | $99,1776% below | $16,093 |
| Mechanical Engineering | 119 | $74,956 | $86,999 | $91,2855% below | $16,731 |
| Finance and Financial Management Services | 48 | $63,036 | $86,511 | $77,31212% above | $15,085 |
| Accounting and Related Services | 104 | $71,735 | $83,573 | $73,05414% above | $15,000 |
| Industrial Engineering | 19 | $79,613 | $82,584 | $96,50414% below | $20,000 |
| Engineering Technologies/Technicians, General | 43 | $67,295 | $81,554 | $78,8013% above | $20,490 |
| Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing | 124 | $77,976 | N/A | $80,6283% below | $22,700 |
| Clinical/Medical Laboratory Science/Research and Allied Professions | 22 | $72,500 | $76,856 | $74,9962% above | $19,344 |
| Marketing | 112 | $54,296 | $76,373 | $66,54215% above | $18,669 |
| Business Administration, Management and Operations | 95 | $60,307 | $73,176 | $64,59013% above | $19,500 |
| Management Sciences and Quantitative Methods | 76 | $53,627 | $71,040 | $87,11918% below | $16,000 |
| Mathematics | 17 | $55,597 | $69,856 | $70,6281% below | $15,000 |
| Apparel and Textiles | 8 | $43,143 | $68,636 | $58,51617% above | N/A |
| Economics | 19 | $57,726 | $66,760 | $79,31016% below | $17,000 |
| Chemistry | 23 | $51,422 | $65,611 | $66,3661% below | $16,500 |
| Hospitality Administration/Management | 14 | $46,507 | $58,546 | $55,8565% above | N/A |
| Sociology | 28 | $43,103 | $58,023 | $52,10511% above | $24,585 |
| Liberal Arts and Sciences, General Studies and Humanities | 93 | $39,380 | $57,697 | $52,02011% above | $23,250 |
| Health/Medical Preparatory Programs | 113 | $39,127 | $55,778 | $62,34311% below | $22,500 |
| Mental and Social Health Services and Allied Professions | 33 | $46,403 | $55,586 | $52,2276% above | $25,000 |
| Dietetics and Clinical Nutrition Services | 15 | $31,702 | $55,221 | $55,8931% below | $29,575 |
| Communication and Media Studies | 62 | $48,258 | $55,109 | $53,8252% above | $21,236 |
| Anthropology | 5 | N/A | $54,890 | $45,83320% above | N/A |
| Natural Resources Conservation and Research | 27 | $39,491 | $54,666 | $54,6270% above | $16,798 |
| Sports, Kinesiology, and Physical Education/Fitness | 102 | $43,124 | $54,207 | $53,0242% above | $21,375 |
| Political Science and Government | 53 | $37,301 | $54,039 | $61,61312% below | $19,899 |
| Teacher Education and Professional Development, Specific Subject Areas | 46 | $48,841 | $53,672 | $50,8276% above | $21,500 |
| Special Education and Teaching | 63 | $49,400 | $53,148 | $51,2584% above | $20,909 |
| Biology, General | 65 | $40,191 | $52,086 | $57,55810% below | $20,500 |
| Romance Languages, Literatures, and Linguistics | 15 | $44,047 | $51,151 | $56,0479% below | $22,500 |
| Journalism | 13 | $37,867 | $50,658 | $54,3787% below | $21,500 |
| Teacher Education and Professional Development, Specific Levels and Methods | 132 | $45,553 | $50,385 | $47,7306% above | $19,100 |
| Psychology, General | 214 | $41,028 | $49,669 | $50,0661% below | $19,000 |
| Communication Disorders Sciences and Services | 27 | $27,810 | $49,653 | $58,49115% below | $16,220 |
| Human Services, General | 7 | $39,533 | $49,514 | $48,7991% above | N/A |
| Atmospheric Sciences and Meteorology | 11 | N/A | $49,198 | $59,76018% below | N/A |
| Human Development, Family Studies, and Related Services | 56 | $37,729 | $49,147 | $47,2694% above | $22,635 |
| English Language and Literature, General | 49 | $42,304 | $47,981 | $48,7732% below | $19,306 |
| Geography and Cartography | 11 | N/A | $47,738 | $57,58617% below | N/A |
| History | 40 | $37,315 | $46,086 | $50,3879% below | $19,281 |
| Fine and Studio Arts | 78 | $29,916 | $44,202 | $41,5506% above | $19,375 |
| Music | 24 | $39,404 | $40,398 | $43,3877% below | $22,498 |
| Drama/Theatre Arts and Stagecraft | 22 | $31,741 | $36,777 | $40,0538% below | $25,000 |
| Program | Graduates | Earnings 1 yr | Earnings 4 yr | Field median | Median debt |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing | 35 | $107,337 | $120,765 | $120,3380% above | $29,958 |
| Business Administration, Management and Operations | 155 | $101,869 | $119,872 | $95,12726% above | $36,973 |
| Mechanical Engineering | 18 | $105,074 | $107,338 | $115,3767% below | N/A |
| Accounting and Related Services | 26 | $76,481 | $101,106 | $93,2288% above | N/A |
| Public Administration | 31 | $71,299 | $82,907 | $77,1757% above | $34,463 |
| Management Sciences and Quantitative Methods | 89 | $79,769 | N/A | $91,54813% below | $21,328 |
| Educational/Instructional Media Design | 20 | $68,749 | $79,429 | $70,16613% above | N/A |
| Public Health | 32 | $61,283 | $74,989 | $78,9985% below | $43,000 |
| Educational Administration and Supervision | 47 | $60,279 | $72,883 | $69,9444% above | $24,750 |
| Curriculum and Instruction | 19 | $70,651 | N/A | $57,17424% above | N/A |
| Computer and Information Sciences, General | 144 | $69,034 | N/A | $100,07931% below | N/A |
| Dietetics and Clinical Nutrition Services | 16 | $56,623 | $66,367 | $63,7984% above | N/A |
| Rehabilitation and Therapeutic Professions | 2 | N/A | $65,500 | $71,2628% below | N/A |
| Sports, Kinesiology, and Physical Education/Fitness | 19 | $55,895 | $65,493 | $60,5538% above | N/A |
| Teacher Education and Professional Development, Specific Subject Areas | 54 | $60,718 | $65,145 | $62,4504% above | $27,858 |
| Communication Disorders Sciences and Services | 23 | $63,166 | $63,768 | $65,7863% below | $45,197 |
| Marketing | 33 | $62,222 | N/A | $67,7368% below | $41,000 |
| Special Education and Teaching | 49 | $57,030 | $62,066 | $63,0582% below | $27,121 |
| Student Counseling and Personnel Services | 23 | $54,530 | $59,834 | $58,9981% above | $30,750 |
| Education, General | 35 | $49,205 | $59,110 | $63,7547% below | N/A |
| Human Development, Family Studies, and Related Services | 15 | N/A | $56,678 | $60,4796% below | $30,925 |
| Fine and Studio Arts | 12 | N/A | $53,301 | $49,0539% above | N/A |
| English Language and Literature, General | 15 | N/A | $50,510 | $61,26918% below | N/A |
| Drama/Theatre Arts and Stagecraft | 2 | N/A | $42,708 | $52,93019% below | N/A |
| Music | 36 | N/A | $41,850 | $47,35712% below | N/A |
| Program | Graduates | Earnings 1 yr | Earnings 4 yr | Field median | Median debt |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Curriculum and Instruction | 7 | N/A | $117,352 | $83,54440% above | N/A |
| Educational Administration and Supervision | 42 | $98,991 | N/A | $96,4573% above | $31,900 |
| Psychology, General | 17 | $73,405 | $85,719 | $104,42818% below | N/A |
| Rehabilitation and Therapeutic Professions | Not available | $77,324 | $80,885 | $82,6332% below | $70,014 |
| Program | Graduates | Earnings 1 yr | Earnings 4 yr | Field median | Median debt |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Law | 94 | $61,696 | $78,459 | $100,93222% below | $83,496 |
Careers linked to the programs Northern Illinois University reports, highest national median pay first. Pay and outlook are BLS figures for the whole occupation, not for this college's graduates.
Healthcare practitioners
Master's degree
Via Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing
Management
Bachelor's degree
Via Public Administration, Business Administration, Management and Operations and 2 more
Management
Bachelor's degree
Via Public Administration, Business Administration, Management and Operations and 2 more
Science
Master's degree
Via Psychology, General, Clinical, Counseling and Applied Psychology
Management
Bachelor's degree
Via Computer and Information Sciences, General, Computer Science and 1 more
Science
Doctoral or professional degree
Via Physics, Public Health
Verified facts
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Bars show profile closeness out of 100: how near each college's graduation rate, size, admit rate, net price, Carnegie class, and control are to Northern Illinois University. The order also uses CollegesRef matching tiers, so a later card can score higher.
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