University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign Electrical Engineering: earnings, debt & careers

Electrical Engineering graduates of University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign earn a median $111,783 four years after graduating ($86,483 after one year), with median federal loan debt of $21,600. That is $13,086 above the U.S. median for Electrical Engineering graduates ($98,697 across 257 colleges), and ranks 1st of 7 Illinois colleges.

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Earnings, 4 years after graduating
$111,783

U.S. median for this major: $98,697.

College Scorecard field of study; 135 graduates with earnings reported

Earnings, 1 year after
$86,483

Median for graduates who received federal aid.

College Scorecard field of study

Median debt at graduation
$21,600

About 19% of median earnings 4 years out. U.S. median $25,000.

College Scorecard field of study (federal loans)

What your family pays
$14,355 /yr

Average after grants for all families receiving federal aid. Pick your income above.

Sticker price $33,642. College Scorecard.

UIUC Electrical Engineering: pay against the field, and payback

Same major, other colleges

UIUC graduates$111,783
Illinois median (7 colleges)$98,743 (+$13,040)
U.S. median (257 colleges)$98,697 (+$13,086)

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.

Electrical Engineering nationally: jobs, pay at ages 25-34, every state →

Cost to finish and years to pay back, by income

Uses UIUC's school-wide net price (no college reports it by major) and this major's graduate earnings.

Family incomeNet price / yrCost to finishYears to pay back
$0–30k$2,038$8,458under 1 year
$30–48k$5,373$22,298under 1 year
$48–75k$7,982$33,125under 1 year
$75–110k$15,152$62,881under 1 year
$110k+$28,761$119,3581.6 years

Cost to finish = yearly price × 4.2 years, the average time graduates took (73% finished in 4 years; students who entered fall 2017, IPEDS). Years to pay back = cost to finish ÷ the earnings gain: median earnings of Electrical Engineering graduates 4 years after graduating ($111,783) minus $35,797 for high school graduates ages 25-34 in IL (Census ACS 2020-2024), a gain of $75,986 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.

Electrical Engineering at Illinois colleges

Every Illinois college we cover that reports Electrical Engineering graduate earnings, highest first. Net price is the school-wide average after grants.

RankCollegeEarnings, 4 yrsMedian debtAvg. net priceGraduation
1University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign$111,783$21,600$14,35585%
2Bradley University$100,391$27,000$22,71976%
3Southern Illinois University Edwardsville$99,325$25,113$14,88957%
4Illinois Institute of Technology$98,743$25,500$18,42575%
5Northern Illinois University$93,962$25,000$13,39149%
6University of Illinois Chicago$92,002$23,500$10,97462%
7Southern Illinois University-Carbondale$83,853$19,750$13,29762%

6 more Illinois colleges offer Electrical Engineering but have too few graduates to report earnings.

Careers for Electrical Engineering graduates

Electrical engineer

Champaign area$95,790
Illinois$107,860
U.S.$120,630

Median annual wage, all workers. U.S. jobs +9.9% by 2035. Typical entry: bachelor's degree.

Architectural and Engineering Managers

Champaign area$148,250
Illinois$163,610
U.S.$171,270

Median annual wage, all workers. U.S. jobs +5.5% by 2035. Typical entry: bachelor's degree.

Computer Hardware Engineers

Illinois$133,220
U.S.$161,740

Median annual wage, all workers. U.S. jobs +9.1% 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 UIUC, by income

School-wide average after grants for students receiving federal aid. Tap your band.

College Scorecard

About UIUC

Related majors at UIUC

UIUC Electrical Engineering questions

How much do UIUC Electrical Engineering graduates earn?

Electrical Engineering graduates of University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign earn a median $111,783 four years after graduating and $86,483 one year after. The U.S. median for Electrical Engineering graduates across 257 colleges is $98,697.

How much debt do UIUC Electrical Engineering graduates have?

The median federal loan debt for Electrical Engineering graduates of University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign is $21,600, about 19% of their median earnings four years out. Nationally the median is $25,000.

Is UIUC a good school for Electrical Engineering in Illinois?

On pay, Electrical Engineering graduates of University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign earn $111,783 four years out, $13,040 above the median for the same major across 7 Illinois colleges ($98,743) and $13,086 above the U.S. median ($98,697). Medians of each college's graduates; EducationGuide calculation from College Scorecard.

Where does UIUC rank for Electrical Engineering in Illinois?

Of 7 Illinois colleges reporting Electrical Engineering graduate earnings, University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign ranks 1st, the highest.

What jobs do Electrical Engineering graduates get?

A common career is electrical engineer, with a median wage of $95,790 in the Champaign-Urbana, IL area and $120,630 nationally. Others include architectural and engineering managers and computer hardware engineers.

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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
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Cite this: “University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign Electrical Engineering: earnings, debt and careers,” EducationGuide.com, https://educationguide.com/colleges/university-of-illinois-urbana-champaign/majors/electrical-engineering (College Scorecard and BLS data).