10-YEAR PAYOFF CURVECumulative economic payoff after graduation
−$174,370at year 10Net gainInvestment not yet recovered
NET GAIN$0UNRECOVERED
Chicago State University
⌖ Chicago, IL · 12 reportable field-and-credential outcomes
10-year estimate · Negative payoff
−$174,370 over 10 years
Modeled from observed year-5 institution earnings and the institution-wide average net price over four years.
With these assumptions, the added earnings do not recover the cost within ten years.
41.7 yrsModeled economic break-even
−76%Modeled 10-year ROI
$50,497Observed earnings · year 5
Not reachedMaximum annual price for positive 10-year payoff
What the numbers say about Chicago State University
What does Chicago State University cost?
Chicago State University reports an average annual net price of $12,335 after grants and scholarships. This is an institution-wide average, not an individual aid offer.
What do Chicago State University graduates earn?
The observed median earnings figure is $50,497 5 years after completion. It describes a federal cohort, not a guaranteed starting salary.
How much federal debt do Chicago State University graduates have?
Completer borrowers report median cumulative federal student debt of $30,625. Parent PLUS and private loans are not included.
Is every degree at Chicago State University worth the same?
No. DegreeVerdict currently shows 12 field-and-credential outcomes at Chicago State University; reported earnings and debt can differ substantially by program category.
ECONOMIC INVESTMENT → PAYBACK
Estimated payoff over ten years.
The scenario counts direct price and earnings forgone upfront, then applies the reported annual earnings premium.
FEDERAL COST DATA
Four ways to read college price.
Annual college-wide figures from the current College Scorecard release. Average net price covers full-time, first-time undergraduates receiving federal aid; public-college figures use in-state students. Program tuition and individual aid offers may differ.
PRICE SENSITIVITY
The price can change the verdict.
Hold observed earnings constant and see how the modeled ten-year payoff changes as annual price rises.
← Negative payoff$0Positive payoff →
$0Annual price−$125,030
$8,000Annual price−$157,030
$12,000Current college-wide context−$173,030
$16,000Annual price−$189,030
$24,000Annual price−$221,030
$32,000Annual price−$253,030
$40,000Annual price−$285,030
COLLEGE AT A GLANCE
Institution details
Current federal characteristics describing the college, not the outcomes of a specific program.
- Accreditor
- Higher Learning Commission
- Main award level
- Bachelor’s degrees
- Campus setting
- City
- Admissions
- Selective admission
- Delivery
- Campus or mixed delivery
- Federal designation
- No special designation reported
Cost, debt, completion and earnings context
$12,335Average net price / year
$29,764Cost of attendance
$30,625Median federal student debt · completer borrowers
$325/moPublished 10-year payment estimate
$50,497Median earnings · year 5 after completion
15.5%Completion rate
43.3%Admission rate
1,384Student size
Institution debt covers federal student-loan borrowers who completed. Parent PLUS and private loans are excluded; missing and privacy-suppressed values remain unavailable.
WHO PAYS, WHO FINISHES, WHO EARNS
Outcomes are not the same for every family.
These federal cohorts add context that a single college average can hide. Missing figures remain unreported rather than estimated.
Complete within 150% of the expected time
39% received a Pell Grant within eight yearsMedian Parent PLUS debt
152 parent borrowers in the reported cohortMedian federal student debt
25% making progress in repayment after three yearsStudent family incomeMedian earnings after 10 yearsObserved federal cohorts
Lower income$39,412Earnings are not a guarantee
Middle income$49,995Earnings are not a guarantee
Higher income$54,813Earnings are not a guarantee
Three-year repayment progress
Lower income23%
Middle income30%
Higher income33%
Source: College Scorecard, June 2026 release. Parent PLUS debt belongs to parents; student-debt measures exclude Parent PLUS and private loans. Cohort definitions differ by measure.
INDEPENDENT CENSUS EARNINGS VIEW
How earnings develop by field
Privacy-protected Census employment records follow graduate cohorts one, five and ten years after completion. This source is kept separate from College Scorecard because its population and methodology differ.
Field and credentialYear 1Year 5Year 10
Bilingual, Multilingual, and Multicultural Education.Master’s degree · Broad federal field 13
$70,625Year 1
$80,430Year 5
$97,773Year 10
Library Science and Administration.Master’s degree · Broad federal field 25
$88,299Year 1
$97,992Year 5
$93,908Year 10
English Language and Literature, General.Master’s degree · Broad federal field 23
$56,877Year 1
$64,402Year 5
$88,299Year 10
Advanced/Graduate Dentistry and Oral Sciences.Bachelor’s degree · Broad federal field 51
$49,855Year 1
$77,790Year 5
$83,287Year 10
Criminal Justice and Corrections.Master’s degree · Broad federal field 43
$56,877Year 1
$76,015Year 5
$82,300Year 10
Astronomy and Astrophysics.Bachelor’s degree · Broad federal field 40
$41,019Year 1
$65,986Year 5
$79,787Year 10
Applied Mathematics.Bachelor’s degree · Broad federal field 27
$43,047Year 1
$80,729Year 5
$77,901Year 10
Community Organization and Advocacy.Master’s degree · Broad federal field 44
$55,111Year 1
$65,634Year 5
$76,015Year 10
Median annual earnings in 2023 dollars. Each time point may use a different pooled graduation cohort. Coverage is limited to institutions participating in the Census Post-Secondary Employment Outcomes program.
NATIONAL CONTEXT
How this college compares
Percentiles compare this institution with currently operating colleges that report the same federal measure.
WHAT STANDS OUT
A faster read on this college
These summaries use only reportable field-and-credential records at this institution. They do not fill privacy-suppressed outcomes.
EARNINGS PATH
Reported earnings over time
$39,592Year 1
$56,486Year 4
$50,497Year 5
Separate federal cohorts may underlie different measurement years.
The college average is not the whole story.
Observed earnings vary substantially by field and credential at the same institution.
1Pharmacy, Pharmaceutical Sciences, and Administration · First Professional Degree$132,1772Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing · Bachelor's Degree$92,0243Rehabilitation and Therapeutic Professions · Master's Degree$79,2884Social Work · Master's Degree$65,6195Teacher Education and Professional Development, Specific Levels and Methods · Bachelor's Degree$59,2966Criminal Justice and Corrections · Bachelor's Degree$57,6917Business Administration, Management and Operations · Bachelor's Degree$53,1818Sociology · Bachelor's Degree$51,485Observed year-4 earnings · compare like fields and credentials before deciding
Programs that stand out against the same-degree benchmark
This view rewards performance relative to the same field and credential, not simply majors that pay more everywhere.
1Teacher Education and Professional Development, Specific Levels and MethodsBachelor's Degree · $59,296 reported+25%vs same-degree national median$53,774federal debt2Rehabilitation and Therapeutic ProfessionsMaster's Degree · $79,288 reported+11%vs same-degree national medianNot availablefederal debt3Criminal Justice and CorrectionsBachelor's Degree · $57,691 reported+4%vs same-degree national median$32,974federal debt4Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical NursingBachelor's Degree · $92,024 reported+4%vs same-degree national median$51,937federal debt5Social WorkMaster's Degree · $65,619 reported+1%vs same-degree national medianNot availablefederal debt6SociologyBachelor's Degree · $51,485 reported-2%vs same-degree national median$38,087federal debt
Comparable colleges in IL
Currently operating public institutions with the closest combination of annual net price and observed year-5 earnings. Similarity is descriptive, not a quality ranking.
Charleston, IL
Eastern Illinois University
- Annual net price
- $12,786
- Observed earnings · year 5
- $52,419
- Modeled 10-year ROI
- -68%
William Rainey Harper College
- Annual net price
- $11,607
- Observed earnings · year 5
- $53,657
- Modeled 10-year ROI
- -62%
Waubonsee Community College
- Annual net price
- $11,442
- Observed earnings · year 5
- $47,133
- Modeled 10-year ROI
- -91%
Illinois Central College
- Annual net price
- $12,961
- Observed earnings · year 5
- $46,821
- Modeled 10-year ROI
- -92%
Explore exact field-and-credential outcomes
| Federal field | Credential | Earnings, year 4 | Federal debt | 2023–24 awards |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Pharmacy, Pharmaceutical Sciences, and Administration | First Professional Degree | $132,177 | Not available | Not reported |
| Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing | Bachelor's Degree | $92,024 | $51,937 | Not reported |
| Rehabilitation and Therapeutic Professions | Master's Degree | $79,288 | Not available | Not reported |
| Social Work | Master's Degree | $65,619 | Not available | 0 |
| Teacher Education and Professional Development, Specific Levels and Methods | Bachelor's Degree | $59,296 | $53,774 | Not reported |
| Criminal Justice and Corrections | Bachelor's Degree | $57,691 | $32,974 | Not reported |
| Business Administration, Management and Operations | Bachelor's Degree | $53,181 | $42,394 | Not reported |
| Sociology | Bachelor's Degree | $51,485 | $38,087 | Not reported |
| Psychology, General | Bachelor's Degree | $47,168 | $39,075 | Not reported |
| Biology, General | Bachelor's Degree | $46,898 | $39,223 | Not reported |
| Radio, Television, and Digital Communication | Bachelor's Degree | Not available | $38,434 | Not reported |
| Liberal Arts and Sciences, General Studies and Humanities | Bachelor's Degree | Not available | $54,000 | Not reported |
Awards use first-major IPEDS completions aggregated to the same four-digit field and credential.
Earnings, price, completion and enrollment are observed federal measures. ROI, payoff and break-even are modeled scenarios built from those measures and fixed assumptions. College payoff is not the payoff of every degree at this school; use the program table for a more precise comparison.