# Northern Illinois University: Accounting (bachelor's)

Dekalb, IL. IPEDS 147703, CIP 52.03. Page: https://educationguide.com/colleges/northern-illinois-university/majors/accounting

## Graduate outcomes
- Median earnings 1 year after graduating: $63,743
- Median earnings 4 years after graduating: $83,573 (U.S. median for this major: $74,373 across 741 colleges)
- Median federal loan debt: $18,500 (U.S. median $24,903)
- Rank in IL: 8 of 32 colleges by 4-year earnings
- Versus the IL median for this major (32 colleges, $74,922): +$8,651
- Versus the U.S. median: +$9,200

## Cost to finish and years to pay back (EducationGuide calculation)
School-wide net price x 4.39 years (average time graduates took). Earnings gain = $83,573 minus $35,797 for high school graduates ages 25-34 in IL (Census ACS 2020-2024).

| Family income | Net price / yr | Cost to finish | Years to pay back |
|---|---|---|---|
| 0-30k | $10,126 | $44,453 | under 1 year |
| 30-48k | $9,854 | $43,259 | under 1 year |
| 48-75k | $12,797 | $56,179 | 1.2 years |
| 75-110k | $17,612 | $77,317 | 1.6 years |
| 110k+ | $21,834 | $95,851 | 2.0 years |

Method: https://educationguide.com/how-we-score#value

## Accounting at IL colleges
| College | Earnings 4 yrs | Median debt | Avg. net price | Graduation |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign | $101,098 | $20,500 | $14,355 | 85% |
| Loyola University Chicago | $97,667 | $22,125 | $36,079 | 73% |
| Illinois Wesleyan University | $97,022 | $27,000 | $28,199 | 75% |
| DePaul University | $93,592 | $24,500 | $30,902 | 68% |
| Augustana College | $91,143 | $27,000 | $22,736 | 73% |
| University of Illinois Chicago | $86,088 | $18,750 | $10,974 | 62% |
| Illinois State University | $84,458 | $22,482 | $19,398 | 65% |
| Northern Illinois University | $83,573 | $18,500 | $13,391 | 49% |
| Bradley University | $80,877 | $26,925 | $22,719 | 76% |
| Benedictine University | $79,917 | $23,325 | $22,313 | 50% |
| Elmhurst University | $79,654 | $18,125 | $24,185 | 70% |
| North Central College | $78,125 | $26,667 | $21,044 | 64% |
| Dominican University | $77,878 | $26,000 | $11,745 | 55% |
| Olivet Nazarene University | $77,132 | $27,000 | $20,729 | 61% |
| University of St Francis | $76,680 | $20,500 | $13,006 | 67% |
| Saint Xavier University | $75,023 | $23,326 | $10,970 | 57% |
| Aurora University | $74,820 | $23,452 | $18,838 | 60% |
| Lewis University | $72,812 | $23,162 | $17,028 | 67% |
| Western Illinois University | $71,059 | $30,023 | $12,937 | 45% |
| Southern Illinois University-Carbondale | $70,478 | $23,251 | $13,297 | 62% |
| Southern Illinois University Edwardsville | $69,610 | $20,500 | $14,889 | 57% |
| Northeastern Illinois University | $68,328 | $15,000 | $14,109 | 22% |
| Illinois College | $67,982 | $27,000 | $18,298 | 64% |
| Eastern Illinois University | $66,840 | $23,974 | $12,786 | 47% |
| Monmouth College | $66,326 | not reported | $17,133 | 65% |
| Roosevelt University | $65,839 | $26,667 | $20,194 | 35% |
| Eureka College | $64,726 | not reported | $17,349 | 42% |
| University of Illinois Springfield | $64,048 | $24,117 | $9,833 | 53% |
| McKendree University | $61,361 | $21,500 | $24,717 | 53% |
| Governors State University | $61,223 | $22,000 | $12,329 | 22% |
| Millikin University | $60,804 | $28,320 | $21,989 | 55% |
| Quincy University | $55,610 | not reported | $20,359 | 45% |

## Careers
- Accountant / auditor (SOC 13-2010): median wage $82,360 Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN, $80,230 IL, $83,680 U.S.; U.S. jobs 5% by 2035
- Financial Managers (SOC 11-3031): median wage $168,810 Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN, $165,880 IL, $166,570 U.S.; U.S. jobs 9.7% by 2035
- Financial and Investment Analysts (SOC 13-2051): median wage $101,750 Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN, $101,180 IL, $102,740 U.S.; U.S. jobs 7.2% by 2035

## Sources and years
- Earnings (4 yr): Treasury AY2017-2018, AY2018-2019 pooled earnings cohort measured in CY2022, CY2023, inflation adjusted to 2024 dollars; debt: NSLDS pooled AY2018-19, AY2019-20 cohort

Free to reuse with attribution: cite "EducationGuide.com" with a link to the page URL. Most figures are U.S. government data (public domain); loan default rates and athletics come from the Urban Institute Education Data Portal (ODC-By 1.0, attribution required) and founding years from Wikidata (CC0).