10-YEAR PAYOFF CURVECumulative economic payoff after graduation
−$156,954at year 10Net gainInvestment not yet recovered
NET GAIN$0UNRECOVERED
Eastern Illinois University
⌖ Charleston, IL · 39 reportable field-and-credential outcomes
10-year estimate · Negative payoff
−$156,954 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.
31.2 yrsModeled economic break-even
−68%Modeled 10-year ROI
$52,419Observed earnings · year 5
Not reachedMaximum annual price for positive 10-year payoff
What the numbers say about Eastern Illinois University
What does Eastern Illinois University cost?
Eastern Illinois University reports an average annual net price of $12,786 after grants and scholarships. This is an institution-wide average, not an individual aid offer.
What do Eastern Illinois University graduates earn?
The observed median earnings figure is $52,419 5 years after completion. It describes a federal cohort, not a guaranteed starting salary.
How much federal debt do Eastern Illinois University graduates have?
Completer borrowers report median cumulative federal student debt of $21,500. Parent PLUS and private loans are not included.
Is every degree at Eastern Illinois University worth the same?
No. DegreeVerdict currently shows 39 field-and-credential outcomes at Eastern Illinois 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−$105,810
$8,000Annual price−$137,810
$13,000Current college-wide context−$157,810
$16,000Annual price−$169,810
$24,000Annual price−$201,810
$32,000Annual price−$233,810
$40,000Annual price−$265,810
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
- Town
- Admissions
- Selective admission
- Delivery
- Campus or mixed delivery
- Federal designation
- No special designation reported
Cost, debt, completion and earnings context
$12,786Average net price / year
$26,996Cost of attendance
$21,500Median federal student debt · completer borrowers
$228/moPublished 10-year payment estimate
$52,419Median earnings · year 5 after completion
47.4%Completion rate
65.3%Admission rate
4,188Student 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
56% received a Pell Grant within eight yearsMedian Parent PLUS debt
623 parent borrowers in the reported cohortMedian federal student debt
54% making progress in repayment after three yearsStudent family incomeMedian earnings after 10 yearsObserved federal cohorts
Lower income$43,619Earnings are not a guarantee
Middle income$52,237Earnings are not a guarantee
Higher income$57,759Earnings are not a guarantee
Three-year repayment progress
Lower income40%
Middle income60%
Higher income71%
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
Architectural Engineering Technologies/Technicians.Master’s degree · Broad federal field 15
$69,154Year 1
$101,012Year 5
$117,377Year 10
Accounting and Related Services.Master’s degree · Broad federal field 52
$64,628Year 1
$84,761Year 5
$113,677Year 10
Computer Programming.Bachelor’s degree · Broad federal field 11
$45,300Year 1
$77,273Year 5
$113,482Year 10
Anthropology.Master’s degree · Broad federal field 45
$48,791Year 1
$62,158Year 5
$106,266Year 10
Architectural Engineering Technologies/Technicians.Bachelor’s degree · Broad federal field 15
$49,659Year 1
$76,015Year 5
$92,587Year 10
Accounting and Related Services.Bachelor’s degree · Broad federal field 52
$45,684Year 1
$67,875Year 5
$88,685Year 10
Astronomy and Astrophysics.Bachelor’s degree · Broad federal field 40
$51,223Year 1
$68,626Year 5
$79,787Year 10
Biochemistry, Biophysics and Molecular Biology.Bachelor’s degree · Broad federal field 26
$33,034Year 1
$59,391Year 5
$78,072Year 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
$40,194Year 1
$53,620Year 4
$52,419Year 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.
1Business Administration, Management and Operations · Master's Degree$95,8802Industrial Production Technologies/Technicians · Bachelor's Degree$81,3623Industrial Production Technologies/Technicians · Master's Degree$76,0474Educational Administration and Supervision · Master's Degree$72,7585Computer and Information Sciences, General · Bachelor's Degree$72,2206Finance and Financial Management Services · Bachelor's Degree$70,7047Clinical, Counseling and Applied Psychology · Master's Degree$69,7728Accounting and Related Services · Bachelor's Degree$66,840Observed 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.
1Fine and Studio ArtsMaster's Degree · $58,301 reported+19%vs same-degree national medianNot availablefederal debt2MusicBachelor's Degree · $49,236 reported+15%vs same-degree national median$26,300federal debt3Clinical, Counseling and Applied PsychologyMaster's Degree · $69,772 reported+7%vs same-degree national medianNot availablefederal debt4Teacher Education and Professional Development, Specific Subject AreasBachelor's Degree · $54,548 reported+6%vs same-degree national median$28,866federal debt5Communication and Media StudiesBachelor's Degree · $57,887 reported+3%vs same-degree national median$26,000federal debt6Communication Disorders Sciences and ServicesBachelor's Degree · $60,473 reported+3%vs same-degree national median$19,500federal 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.
Chicago, IL
Chicago State University
- Annual net price
- $12,335
- Observed earnings · year 5
- $50,497
- Modeled 10-year ROI
- -76%
William Rainey Harper College
- Annual net price
- $11,607
- Observed earnings · year 5
- $53,657
- Modeled 10-year ROI
- -62%
Western Illinois University
- Annual net price
- $12,937
- Observed earnings · year 5
- $55,192
- Modeled 10-year ROI
- -56%
Governors State University
- Annual net price
- $12,329
- Observed earnings · year 5
- $55,584
- Modeled 10-year ROI
- -54%
Explore exact field-and-credential outcomes
| Federal field | Credential | Earnings, year 4 | Federal debt | 2023–24 awards |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Business Administration, Management and Operations | Master's Degree | $95,880 | Not available | Not reported |
| Industrial Production Technologies/Technicians | Bachelor's Degree | $81,362 | $23,000 | Not reported |
| Industrial Production Technologies/Technicians | Master's Degree | $76,047 | Not available | Not reported |
| Educational Administration and Supervision | Master's Degree | $72,758 | Not available | 19 |
| Computer and Information Sciences, General | Bachelor's Degree | $72,220 | $26,000 | Not reported |
| Finance and Financial Management Services | Bachelor's Degree | $70,704 | $22,468 | Not reported |
| Clinical, Counseling and Applied Psychology | Master's Degree | $69,772 | Not available | 10 |
| Accounting and Related Services | Bachelor's Degree | $66,840 | $23,974 | Not reported |
| Political Science and Government | Master's Degree | $63,359 | Not available | Not reported |
| Marketing | Bachelor's Degree | $62,994 | $24,250 | Not reported |
| Communication Disorders Sciences and Services | Master's Degree | $61,989 | Not available | Not reported |
| Political Science and Government | Bachelor's Degree | $61,519 | $24,739 | Not reported |
| Management Sciences and Quantitative Methods | Bachelor's Degree | $60,985 | $25,000 | Not reported |
| Communication Disorders Sciences and Services | Bachelor's Degree | $60,473 | $19,500 | Not reported |
| Public Relations, Advertising, and Applied Communication | Bachelor's Degree | $59,401 | $23,745 | Not reported |
| Dietetics and Clinical Nutrition Services | Master's Degree | $58,856 | Not available | Not reported |
| Sports, Kinesiology, and Physical Education/Fitness | Master's Degree | $58,533 | Not available | Not reported |
| Fine and Studio Arts | Master's Degree | $58,301 | Not available | Not reported |
| Communication and Media Studies | Bachelor's Degree | $57,887 | $26,000 | 12 |
| Family and Consumer Sciences/Human Sciences, General | Master's Degree | $56,435 | Not available | Not reported |
| Multi/Interdisciplinary Studies, Other | Bachelor's Degree | $54,791 | $22,033 | Not reported |
| Teacher Education and Professional Development, Specific Subject Areas | Bachelor's Degree | $54,548 | $28,866 | 0 |
| Journalism | Bachelor's Degree | $54,038 | Not available | Not reported |
| Biology, General | Bachelor's Degree | $53,725 | $24,000 | Not reported |
| Liberal Arts and Sciences, General Studies and Humanities | Bachelor's Degree | $52,078 | $24,250 | Not reported |
| Student Counseling and Personnel Services | Master's Degree | $51,527 | Not available | Not reported |
| Sports, Kinesiology, and Physical Education/Fitness | Bachelor's Degree | $50,502 | $25,000 | Not reported |
| Allied Health Diagnostic, Intervention, and Treatment Professions | Bachelor's Degree | $49,556 | $26,000 | Not reported |
| Psychology, General | Bachelor's Degree | $49,478 | $22,500 | Not reported |
| Parks, Recreation, and Leisure Facilities Management | Bachelor's Degree | $49,424 | $22,500 | Not reported |
| Music | Bachelor's Degree | $49,236 | $26,300 | Not reported |
| Family and Consumer Sciences/Human Sciences, General | Bachelor's Degree | $49,209 | $26,000 | Not reported |
| Sociology | Bachelor's Degree | $48,925 | $25,817 | Not reported |
| Special Education and Teaching | Bachelor's Degree | $47,566 | $26,046 | Not reported |
| English Language and Literature, General | Bachelor's Degree | $47,222 | $25,053 | Not reported |
| History | Master's Degree | $45,346 | Not available | Not reported |
| Teacher Education and Professional Development, Specific Levels and Methods | Bachelor's Degree | $43,190 | $22,075 | Not reported |
| History | Bachelor's Degree | $40,597 | $21,500 | Not reported |
| Fine and Studio Arts | Bachelor's Degree | $39,923 | $25,000 | 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.