Data verified Nov 2026 · CollegesRef 2026–27 edition
Photo: IlliniGradResearch, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons
Western Illinois University has 57 programs with reported graduate earnings. The highest is Educational Administration and Supervision (doctoral), where graduates earn a median $159,820 four years after finishing, against $101,194 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
$57,175
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 Western Illinois University. The field median is the middle value for the same field and credential across every college that reports it. 58 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Computer and Information Sciences, General | 32 | $50,274 | $92,824 | $85,0009% above | $24,875 |
| Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing | 39 | $76,577 | $86,694 | $86,0201% above | $24,598 |
| Construction Management | 7 | $63,363 | $85,974 | $93,1568% below | N/A |
| Mechanical Engineering | 13 | $80,011 | N/A | $75,7506% above | N/A |
| Engineering Technologies/Technicians, General | 13 | N/A | $75,922 | $78,8014% below | N/A |
| Accounting and Related Services | 35 | $44,264 | $71,059 | $73,0543% below | $24,249 |
| Human Resources Management and Services | 7 | $53,790 | $70,157 | $67,0255% above | N/A |
| Business Administration, Management and Operations | 56 | $59,131 | $70,021 | $64,5908% above | $20,168 |
| Finance and Financial Management Services | 18 | $47,557 | $69,716 | $77,31210% below | N/A |
| Fire Protection | 14 | $50,432 | $68,753 | $80,49715% below | N/A |
| Marketing | 15 | $48,716 | $68,306 | $66,5423% above | N/A |
| Chemistry | 16 | N/A | $68,249 | $66,3663% above | N/A |
| Criminal Justice and Corrections | 166 | $46,564 | $63,125 | $54,46916% above | $22,250 |
| Agriculture, General | 62 | $46,132 | $58,333 | $52,67611% above | $15,001 |
| Health and Medical Administrative Services | 5 | $45,764 | $56,771 | $58,5183% below | N/A |
| Liberal Arts and Sciences, General Studies and Humanities | 135 | $44,604 | $55,944 | $52,0208% above | $24,639 |
| Dietetics and Clinical Nutrition Services | 5 | N/A | $54,394 | $55,8933% below | N/A |
| Social Work | 22 | $36,996 | $54,063 | $51,8594% above | $29,686 |
| Family and Consumer Sciences/Human Sciences, General | 1 | N/A | $54,059 | $46,13617% above | N/A |
| Sports, Kinesiology, and Physical Education/Fitness | 15 | $32,920 | $53,576 | $53,0241% above | $29,590 |
| Linguistic, Comparative, and Related Language Studies and Services | 7 | N/A | $53,453 | $51,1714% above | N/A |
| Teacher Education and Professional Development, Specific Subject Areas | 10 | $44,326 | $51,255 | $50,8271% above | N/A |
| Communication and Media Studies | 43 | $42,576 | $51,203 | $53,8255% below | $20,000 |
| Political Science and Government | 14 | $44,170 | $50,963 | $61,61317% below | N/A |
| Biology, General | 36 | $36,282 | $50,855 | $57,55812% below | $21,000 |
| Graphic Communications | Not available | N/A | $50,751 | $43,05818% above | N/A |
| Sociology | 24 | N/A | $50,080 | $52,1054% below | N/A |
| Allied Health Diagnostic, Intervention, and Treatment Professions | Not available | N/A | $49,431 | $67,67627% below | N/A |
| Homeland Security, Law Enforcement, Firefighting and Related Protective Services, Other | 7 | N/A | $48,039 | $63,05224% below | N/A |
| History | 13 | $37,292 | $47,084 | $50,3877% below | N/A |
| Radio, Television, and Digital Communication | Not available | N/A | $46,966 | $48,4843% below | N/A |
| Parks, Recreation, and Leisure Facilities Management | 13 | $41,172 | $46,363 | $49,4246% below | N/A |
| Special Education and Teaching | 8 | N/A | $45,395 | $51,25811% below | N/A |
| Psychology, General | 76 | $37,871 | $44,683 | $50,06611% below | $24,296 |
| Teacher Education and Professional Development, Specific Levels and Methods | 53 | $39,157 | $43,279 | $47,7309% below | $16,624 |
| English Language and Literature, General | 10 | $37,323 | $41,984 | $48,77314% below | N/A |
| Music | 32 | $40,566 | $39,609 | $43,3879% below | $21,500 |
| Fine and Studio Arts | 22 | $30,666 | $35,703 | $41,55014% below | $22,847 |
| Communication, Journalism, and Related Programs, Other | 20 | $35,140 | N/A | $39,10210% below | N/A |
| Visual and Performing Arts, Other | 6 | $17,898 | N/A | $36,29251% below | N/A |
| Program | Graduates | Earnings 1 yr | Earnings 4 yr | Field median | Median debt |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Accounting and Related Services | 8 | N/A | $87,182 | $93,2286% below | N/A |
| Educational Administration and Supervision | 15 | $75,591 | $85,383 | $69,94422% above | N/A |
| Business Administration, Management and Operations | 73 | $82,675 | $85,221 | $95,12710% below | $25,371 |
| Criminal Justice and Corrections | 29 | $51,791 | $78,861 | $66,26619% above | N/A |
| Education, General | 12 | $64,654 | N/A | $58,52010% above | N/A |
| Educational/Instructional Media Design | 13 | $55,939 | $63,099 | $70,16610% below | N/A |
| Teacher Education and Professional Development, Specific Subject Areas | 13 | $55,270 | $60,627 | $62,4503% below | N/A |
| Biology, General | 11 | N/A | $57,753 | $71,90520% below | N/A |
| Communication Disorders Sciences and Services | 17 | $55,784 | $56,934 | $65,78613% below | $40,442 |
| Psychology, General | 9 | N/A | $56,378 | $67,14316% below | N/A |
| English Language and Literature, General | 7 | N/A | $55,987 | $61,2699% below | N/A |
| Teacher Education and Professional Development, Specific Levels and Methods | 67 | $55,152 | $54,990 | $58,8457% below | $29,895 |
| Sports, Kinesiology, and Physical Education/Fitness | 22 | $46,983 | $54,783 | $60,55310% below | N/A |
| Parks, Recreation, and Leisure Facilities Management | 7 | $59,825 | $52,028 | $58,45511% below | N/A |
| Student Counseling and Personnel Services | 21 | $47,537 | $51,103 | $58,99813% below | $49,051 |
| Museology/Museum Studies | 8 | $36,378 | $43,387 | $51,77516% below | N/A |
| Program | Graduates | Earnings 1 yr | Earnings 4 yr | Field median | Median debt |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Educational Administration and Supervision | 11 | N/A | $159,820 | $101,19458% above | N/A |
Careers linked to the programs Western 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 Business Administration, Management and Operations, Finance and Financial Management Services and 1 more
Management
Bachelor's degree
Via Business Administration, Management and Operations, Finance and Financial Management Services and 1 more
Science
Master's degree
Via Psychology, General, Clinical, Counseling and Applied Psychology
Management
Bachelor's degree
Via Computer and Information Sciences, General, Computer/Information Technology Administration and Management 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 Western Illinois University. The order also uses CollegesRef matching tiers, so a later card can score higher.
Eastern Illinois University
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Graduation rate 50%, close to 49%
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Edwardsville, IL
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Profile closeness73/100
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Carbondale, IL
Average net price $12,554, close to $10,018
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Chicago, IL
Average net price $9,540, close to $10,018
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University Park, IL
Same Carnegie classification
Profile closeness61/100
Illinois State University
Normal, IL
Same control type (public)
Profile closeness51/100
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