# University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign: Economics (bachelor's)

Champaign, IL. IPEDS 145637, CIP 45.06. Page: https://educationguide.com/colleges/university-of-illinois-urbana-champaign/majors/economics

## Graduate outcomes
- Median earnings 1 year after graduating: $58,921
- Median earnings 4 years after graduating: $86,860 (U.S. median for this major: $79,489 across 368 colleges)
- Median federal loan debt: $21,228 (U.S. median $22,907)
- Rank in IL: 4 of 12 colleges by 4-year earnings
- Versus the IL median for this major (12 colleges, $74,714): +$12,146
- Versus the U.S. median: +$7,371

## Cost to finish and years to pay back (EducationGuide calculation)
School-wide net price x 4.15 years (average time graduates took). Earnings gain = $86,860 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 | $2,038 | $8,458 | under 1 year |
| 30-48k | $5,373 | $22,298 | under 1 year |
| 48-75k | $7,982 | $33,125 | under 1 year |
| 75-110k | $15,152 | $62,881 | 1.2 years |
| 110k+ | $28,761 | $119,358 | 2.3 years |

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

## Economics at IL colleges
| College | Earnings 4 yrs | Median debt | Avg. net price | Graduation |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| University of Chicago | $159,578 | $13,197 | $14,860 | 96% |
| Northwestern University | $126,006 | $16,227 | $29,167 | 95% |
| DePaul University | $100,185 | $22,433 | $30,902 | 68% |
| University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign | $86,860 | $21,228 | $14,355 | 85% |
| Wheaton College | $84,829 | $21,000 | $26,975 | 85% |
| North Central College | $80,494 | $26,801 | $21,044 | 64% |
| Olivet Nazarene University | $68,935 | $27,000 | $20,729 | 61% |
| Northern Illinois University | $66,760 | $25,879 | $13,391 | 49% |
| University of Illinois Chicago | $63,429 | $19,002 | $10,974 | 62% |
| Knox College | $62,144 | $25,000 | $24,595 | 68% |
| Southern Illinois University-Carbondale | $60,612 | $25,049 | $13,297 | 62% |
| Northeastern Illinois University | $58,252 | not reported | $14,109 | 22% |

## Careers
- Secondary School Teachers, Except Special and Career/Technical Education (SOC 25-2031): median wage $61,480 Champaign-Urbana, IL, $79,990 IL, $72,040 U.S.; U.S. jobs -0.2% by 2035
- Market Research Analysts and Marketing Specialists (SOC 13-1161): median wage $65,840 Champaign-Urbana, IL, $79,120 IL, $78,760 U.S.; U.S. jobs 7% by 2035
- Data Scientists (SOC 15-2051): median wage $91,760 Champaign-Urbana, IL, $106,560 IL, $120,230 U.S.; U.S. jobs 34.6% 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).