10-YEAR PAYOFF CURVECumulative economic payoff after graduation
−$119,686at year 10Net gainInvestment not yet recovered
NET GAIN$0UNRECOVERED
Northeastern Illinois University
⌖ Chicago, IL · 36 reportable field-and-credential outcomes
10-year estimate · Negative payoff
−$119,686 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.
20.3 yrsModeled economic break-even
−51%Modeled 10-year ROI
$56,675Observed earnings · year 5
Not reachedMaximum annual price for positive 10-year payoff
What the numbers say about Northeastern Illinois University
What does Northeastern Illinois University cost?
Northeastern Illinois University reports an average annual net price of $14,109 after grants and scholarships. This is an institution-wide average, not an individual aid offer.
What do Northeastern Illinois University graduates earn?
The observed median earnings figure is $56,675 5 years after completion. It describes a federal cohort, not a guaranteed starting salary.
How much federal debt do Northeastern Illinois University graduates have?
Completer borrowers report median cumulative federal student debt of $14,600. Parent PLUS and private loans are not included.
Is every degree at Northeastern Illinois University worth the same?
No. DegreeVerdict currently shows 36 field-and-credential outcomes at Northeastern 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−$63,250
$8,000Annual price−$95,250
$14,000Current college-wide context−$119,250
$16,000Annual price−$127,250
$24,000Annual price−$159,250
$32,000Annual price−$191,250
$40,000Annual price−$223,250
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
$14,109Average net price / year
$26,960Cost of attendance
$14,600Median federal student debt · completer borrowers
$155/moPublished 10-year payment estimate
$56,675Median earnings · year 5 after completion
21.6%Completion rate
74.6%Admission rate
3,982Student 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
45% received a Pell Grant within eight yearsMedian Parent PLUS debt
132 parent borrowers in the reported cohortMedian federal student debt
55% making progress in repayment after three yearsStudent family incomeMedian earnings after 10 yearsObserved federal cohorts
Lower income$50,529Earnings are not a guarantee
Middle income$53,981Earnings are not a guarantee
Higher income$56,460Earnings are not a guarantee
Three-year repayment progress
Lower income51%
Middle income63%
Higher income64%
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
Computer Programming.Master’s degree · Broad federal field 11
$78,110Year 1
$110,768Year 5
$125,110Year 10
Computer Programming.Bachelor’s degree · Broad federal field 11
$59,105Year 1
$90,888Year 5
$118,204Year 10
English Language and Literature, General.Master’s degree · Broad federal field 23
$80,540Year 1
$91,987Year 5
$114,734Year 10
Applied Mathematics.Master’s degree · Broad federal field 27
$69,154Year 1
$84,083Year 5
$105,332Year 10
Astronomy and Astrophysics.Bachelor’s degree · Broad federal field 40
$40,342Year 1
$60,927Year 5
$105,099Year 10
Bilingual, Multilingual, and Multicultural Education.Master’s degree · Broad federal field 13
$76,721Year 1
$85,682Year 5
$99,088Year 10
Accounting and Related Services.Master’s degree · Broad federal field 52
$67,987Year 1
$84,529Year 5
$98,232Year 10
Biochemistry, Biophysics and Molecular Biology.Master’s degree · Broad federal field 26
$61,036Year 1
$75,158Year 5
$86,367Year 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
$45,487Year 1
$60,607Year 4
$56,675Year 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.
1Educational Administration and Supervision · Master's Degree$92,3702Computer Science · Bachelor's Degree$88,9173Teacher Education and Professional Development, Specific Subject Areas · Master's Degree$87,8434Accounting and Related Services · Master's Degree$85,3195Student Counseling and Personnel Services · Master's Degree$69,5296Business Administration, Management and Operations · Bachelor's Degree$69,2267Marketing · Bachelor's Degree$69,0118Accounting and Related Services · Bachelor's Degree$68,328Observed 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 Subject AreasMaster's Degree · $87,843 reported+38%vs same-degree national medianNot availablefederal debt2Educational Administration and SupervisionMaster's Degree · $92,370 reported+29%vs same-degree national medianNot availablefederal debt3Student Counseling and Personnel ServicesMaster's Degree · $69,529 reported+16%vs same-degree national medianNot availablefederal debt4Teacher Education and Professional Development, Specific Levels and MethodsBachelor's Degree · $52,176 reported+10%vs same-degree national median$15,612federal debt5Fine and Studio ArtsBachelor's Degree · $44,312 reported+7%vs same-degree national median$20,319federal debt6Psychology, GeneralBachelor's Degree · $54,301 reported+7%vs same-degree national median$16,157federal 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.
Carbondale, IL
Southern Illinois University-Carbondale
- Annual net price
- $13,297
- Observed earnings · year 5
- $55,667
- Modeled 10-year ROI
- -54%
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%
Northern Illinois University
- Annual net price
- $13,391
- Observed earnings · year 5
- $61,432
- Modeled 10-year ROI
- -30%
Explore exact field-and-credential outcomes
| Federal field | Credential | Earnings, year 4 | Federal debt | 2023–24 awards |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Educational Administration and Supervision | Master's Degree | $92,370 | Not available | Not reported |
| Computer Science | Bachelor's Degree | $88,917 | $15,750 | Not reported |
| Teacher Education and Professional Development, Specific Subject Areas | Master's Degree | $87,843 | Not available | Not reported |
| Accounting and Related Services | Master's Degree | $85,319 | Not available | Not reported |
| Student Counseling and Personnel Services | Master's Degree | $69,529 | Not available | Not reported |
| Business Administration, Management and Operations | Bachelor's Degree | $69,226 | $20,250 | Not reported |
| Marketing | Bachelor's Degree | $69,011 | $15,000 | Not reported |
| Accounting and Related Services | Bachelor's Degree | $68,328 | $15,000 | Not reported |
| Mathematics | Bachelor's Degree | $66,269 | $14,781 | Not reported |
| Special Education and Teaching | Master's Degree | $65,769 | Not available | Not reported |
| Finance and Financial Management Services | Bachelor's Degree | $64,022 | $12,502 | Not reported |
| Human Resources Management and Services | Bachelor's Degree | $63,276 | $15,365 | Not reported |
| Teacher Education and Professional Development, Specific Levels and Methods | Master's Degree | $63,215 | Not available | Not reported |
| Mental and Social Health Services and Allied Professions | Master's Degree | $60,768 | Not available | Not reported |
| Political Science and Government | Bachelor's Degree | $60,545 | $17,550 | Not reported |
| Business/Commerce, General | Bachelor's Degree | $59,853 | $17,788 | Not reported |
| Social Work | Master's Degree | $59,663 | Not available | Not reported |
| Economics | Bachelor's Degree | $58,252 | Not available | Not reported |
| Liberal Arts and Sciences, General Studies and Humanities | Bachelor's Degree | $55,569 | $17,000 | Not reported |
| Ethnic, Cultural Minority, Gender, and Group Studies | Master's Degree | $54,322 | Not available | Not reported |
| Psychology, General | Bachelor's Degree | $54,301 | $16,157 | Not reported |
| History | Bachelor's Degree | $54,071 | $19,176 | Not reported |
| Social Work | Bachelor's Degree | $53,848 | $17,500 | Not reported |
| Sociology | Bachelor's Degree | $53,747 | $17,457 | Not reported |
| Biology, General | Bachelor's Degree | $53,567 | $14,031 | Not reported |
| Criminal Justice and Corrections | Bachelor's Degree | $53,121 | $13,625 | Not reported |
| Teaching English or French as a Second or Foreign Language | Master's Degree | $53,068 | Not available | Not reported |
| Teacher Education and Professional Development, Specific Levels and Methods | Bachelor's Degree | $52,176 | $15,612 | Not reported |
| English Language and Literature, General | Bachelor's Degree | $49,141 | $19,000 | Not reported |
| Communication and Media Studies | Bachelor's Degree | $48,247 | $15,630 | Not reported |
| Natural Resources Conservation and Research | Bachelor's Degree | $46,565 | $20,927 | Not reported |
| Fine and Studio Arts | Bachelor's Degree | $44,312 | $20,319 | Not reported |
| Mental and Social Health Services and Allied Professions | Bachelor's Degree | $39,894 | Not available | Not reported |
| Ethnic, Cultural Minority, Gender, and Group Studies | Bachelor's Degree | Not available | $30,614 | Not reported |
| Teacher Education and Professional Development, Specific Subject Areas | Bachelor's Degree | Not available | $25,250 | Not reported |
| Chemistry | Bachelor's Degree | Not available | $16,111 | 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.