College Azimuth

College research / Rankings

Best Dietetics/Dietitian Programs in Illinois (2026)

Updated

This page ranks the 6 Dietetics/Dietitian programs in Illinois by median earnings of Dietetics/Dietitian graduates four years after completing. Northern Illinois University leads the list with median earnings of $55,221 for its graduates four years after completing.

Across the listed schools, the figures range from $55,221 to $32,925, with a median of $53,280. The gap between the top two programs is $617.

83% of the programs are at public institutions, with 5 public and 1 private nonprofit school on the list. University of Illinois Chicago reports the lowest average net price at $10,974, while University of Illinois Chicago ranks 17th on Azimuth's composite ranking among nonprofit four-year institutions.

The ranked list

6 schools in list order
RankSchoolProgram EarningsAverage net priceNet price, families under $30KAdmission rate
1Northern Illinois University · Dekalb, IL$55,221$13,391$10,12669.8%
Northern Illinois University reports median earnings of $55,221 for its Dietetics/Dietitian graduates four years after completing, the highest on this list.
2Illinois State University · Normal, IL$54,604$19,398$11,56888.2%
Illinois State University admits 88% of applicants and its Dietetics/Dietitian graduates posted median earnings of $54,604 four years after completing.
3Western Illinois University · Macomb, IL$54,394$12,937$6,94171.2%
Graduates of Western Illinois University who borrowed left with a median of $25,251 in federal loans across all fields, and the school's Dietetics/Dietitian completers earned a median of $54,394 four years after completing.
4Southern Illinois University Edwardsville · Edwardsville, IL$52,166$14,889$8,48397.5%
Southern Illinois University Edwardsville ranks 4th on this list, with median earnings of $52,166 for its Dietetics/Dietitian graduates four years after completing.
5University of Illinois Chicago · Chicago, IL$49,393$10,974$7,52977.4%
University of Illinois Chicago carries an average net price of $10,974, the lowest among the listed schools, and its Dietetics/Dietitian graduates earned a median of $49,393 four years after completing.
6Dominican University · River Forest, IL$32,925$11,745$9,75990.3%
Dominican University, a private nonprofit university in River Forest, reports median earnings of $32,925 for its Dietetics/Dietitian graduates four years after completing.

How this list is ordered

Programs are ordered by the median earnings of their Dietetics/Dietitian graduates four years after completing, highest first. Only programs with a reported earnings cohort in Illinois appear. The figures are medians for federally aided completers of the program who were working and not enrolled, measured four years after completing. For 1 of the 6 listed programs the figure is the two-year completion median rather than the four-year one. The metric does not adjust for graduate school enrollment, cost, or who enrolls, and it is not a measure of teaching quality. The spread from Northern Illinois University to the bottom of the list is $22,296, with a gap of $617 between Northern Illinois University and Illinois State University.

Job market context in Illinois

The occupations linked to Dietetics/Dietitian in Illinois include roles such as Dietitians and Nutritionists and Dietetic Technicians. Across those occupations, the median annual wage is $64,977, and a quarter of workers in those occupations earn less than $55,669. Projections for 2024 to 2034 put employment in those occupations about 9.1% higher, with 290 projected openings a year, or about 173 openings a year for every hundred graduates, suggesting more projected openings than graduates. Wages and top occupations exclude management occupations; openings include them. The ranking above uses graduate earnings four years after completing, a different measure from the occupational wage figures reported here.

Related rankings