U.S. median for this major: $64,798.
College Scorecard field of study; 137 graduates with earnings reported
Median for graduates who received federal aid.
College Scorecard field of study
About 48% of median earnings 4 years out. U.S. median $25,808.
College Scorecard field of study (federal loans)
Average after grants for all families receiving federal aid. Pick your income above.
Sticker price $51,889. College Scorecard.
Columbia College Chicago Business Administration: pay against the field, and payback
Same major, other colleges
Median earnings 4 years after graduating; state and U.S. figures are the median of each covered college's graduates in this major. College Scorecard; calculated by EducationGuide.
Business Administration nationally: jobs, pay at ages 25-34, every state →
Cost to finish and years to pay back, by income
Uses Columbia College Chicago's school-wide net price (no college reports it by major) and this major's graduate earnings.
| Family income | Net price / yr | Cost to finish | Years to pay back |
|---|---|---|---|
| $0–30k | $20,924 | $90,810 | 4.4 years |
| $30–48k | $21,423 | $92,976 | 4.5 years |
| $48–75k | $25,590 | $111,061 | 5.4 years |
| $75–110k | $31,677 | $137,478 | 6.6 years |
| $110k+ | $36,436 | $158,132 | 7.6 years |
Cost to finish = yearly price × 4.3 years, the average time graduates took (39% finished in 4 years; students who entered fall 2017, IPEDS). Years to pay back = cost to finish ÷ the earnings gain: median earnings of Business Administration graduates 4 years after graduating ($56,482) minus $35,797 for high school graduates ages 25-34 in IL (Census ACS 2020-2024), a gain of $20,685 a year. Before taxes, loan interest and earnings given up while in school. Method
College Scorecard; IPEDS Graduation Rates; U.S. Census Bureau ACS. Calculated by EducationGuide.
Business Administration at Illinois colleges
Every Illinois college we cover that reports Business Administration graduate earnings, highest first. Net price is the school-wide average after grants.
| Rank | College | Earnings, 4 yrs | Median debt | Avg. net price | Graduation |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign | $107,904 | $19,175 | $14,355 | 85% |
| 2 | Loyola University Chicago | $89,745 | $25,000 | $36,079 | 73% |
| 3 | Augustana College | $81,562 | $27,000 | $22,736 | 73% |
| 4 | Southern Illinois University-Carbondale | $78,040 | $27,500 | $13,297 | 62% |
| 5 | Elmhurst University | $76,678 | $19,750 | $24,185 | 70% |
| 6 | DePaul University | $74,847 | $26,333 | $30,902 | 68% |
| 7 | Northern Illinois University | $73,176 | $22,500 | $13,391 | 49% |
| 8 | Bradley University | $73,110 | $25,586 | $22,719 | 76% |
| 9 | Lewis University | $71,987 | $26,000 | $17,028 | 67% |
| 10 | Millikin University | $71,489 | $27,000 | $21,989 | 55% |
| 11 | Illinois Wesleyan University | $71,088 | $27,000 | $28,199 | 75% |
| 12 | Western Illinois University | $70,021 | $27,000 | $12,937 | 45% |
| 13 | Northeastern Illinois University | $69,226 | $20,250 | $14,109 | 22% |
| 14 | University of Illinois Chicago | $68,109 | $20,832 | $10,974 | 62% |
| 15 | Dominican University | $66,871 | $26,000 | $11,745 | 55% |
| 16 | Illinois State University | $66,660 | $17,500 | $19,398 | 65% |
| 17 | North Central College | $65,992 | $24,900 | $21,044 | 64% |
| 18 | Monmouth College | $65,916 | $26,018 | $17,133 | 65% |
| 19 | Benedictine University | $65,665 | $25,000 | $22,313 | 50% |
| 20 | Southern Illinois University Edwardsville | $65,403 | $22,500 | $14,889 | 57% |
| 21 | Aurora University | $64,446 | $25,000 | $18,838 | 60% |
| 22 | Rockford University | $63,331 | $24,000 | $22,436 | 47% |
| 23 | Judson University | $63,153 | $27,000 | $18,558 | 60% |
| 24 | North Park University | $61,958 | $27,000 | $16,948 | 58% |
| 25 | University of Illinois Springfield | $61,499 | $25,000 | $9,833 | 53% |
| 26 | McKendree University | $61,173 | $25,312 | $24,717 | 53% |
| 27 | Governors State University | $59,562 | $20,207 | $12,329 | 22% |
| 28 | Greenville University | $59,241 | $28,250 | $19,533 | 40% |
| 29 | Roosevelt University | $59,180 | $28,600 | $20,194 | 35% |
| 30 | Eureka College | $57,983 | $26,000 | $17,349 | 42% |
| 31 | Olivet Nazarene University | $57,973 | $25,000 | $20,729 | 61% |
| 32 | Illinois Institute of Technology | $57,960 | $25,197 | $18,425 | 75% |
| 33 | Illinois College | $57,739 | $27,000 | $18,298 | 64% |
| 34 | Columbia College Chicago | $56,482 | $27,000 | $26,598 | 52% |
| 35 | Concordia University-Chicago | $54,533 | $24,000 | $18,436 | 36% |
| 36 | Chicago State University | $53,181 | $42,394 | $12,335 | 15% |
| 37 | East-West University | $48,943 | — | $21,697 | 16% |
| 38 | Blackburn College | $46,283 | $26,000 | $18,460 | 57% |
8 more Illinois colleges offer Business Administration but have too few graduates to report earnings.
Careers for Business Administration graduates
Management analyst
Median annual wage, all workers. U.S. jobs +10.1% by 2035. Typical entry: bachelor's degree.
General and Operations Managers
Median annual wage, all workers. U.S. jobs +5.0% by 2035. Typical entry: bachelor's degree.
Project Management Specialists
Median annual wage, all workers. U.S. jobs +6.7% by 2035. Typical entry: bachelor's degree.
BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025; Employment Projections 2025-35. Careers from the federal major-to-occupation crosswalk.
What families pay at Columbia College Chicago, by income
School-wide average after grants for students receiving federal aid. Tap your band.
College Scorecard
About Columbia College Chicago
- Acceptance rate: 89% · admissions
- Graduation rate: 52% within 6 years
- Median earnings, all majors, 10 years after starting: $42,195
- Full cost breakdown · all 26 majors · overview
Related majors at Columbia College Chicago
- Marketing$65,686
Columbia College Chicago Business Administration questions
How much do Columbia College Chicago Business Administration graduates earn?
Business Administration graduates of Columbia College Chicago earn a median $56,482 four years after graduating and $34,798 one year after. The U.S. median for Business Administration graduates across 1104 colleges is $64,798.
How much debt do Columbia College Chicago Business Administration graduates have?
The median federal loan debt for Business Administration graduates of Columbia College Chicago is $27,000, about 48% of their median earnings four years out. Nationally the median is $25,808.
Is Columbia College Chicago a good school for Business Administration in Illinois?
On pay, Business Administration graduates of Columbia College Chicago earn $56,482 four years out, $9,052 below the median for the same major across 38 Illinois colleges ($65,534) and $8,316 below the U.S. median ($64,798). Medians of each college's graduates; EducationGuide calculation from College Scorecard.
Where does Columbia College Chicago rank for Business Administration in Illinois?
Of 38 Illinois colleges reporting Business Administration graduate earnings, Columbia College Chicago ranks 34th. The highest is University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign at $107,904.
What jobs do Business Administration graduates get?
A common career is management analyst, with a median wage of $105,090 in the Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN area and $101,860 nationally. Others include general and operations managers and project management specialists.
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Sources: U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard (field of study: median earnings and federal loan debt of graduates who received federal aid); BLS. How we score
Data: JSON · Markdown · all datasets
Cite this: “Columbia College Chicago Business Administration: earnings, debt and careers,” EducationGuide.com, https://educationguide.com/colleges/columbia-college-chicago/majors/business-administration (College Scorecard and BLS data).