Best Music Programs in Illinois by Earnings (2026)
Updated
This page ranks the 16 Music programs in Illinois by the median earnings of Music graduates four years after completing, highest first. Illinois State University leads the list with median earnings of $54,767 for its Music graduates four years after completing.
Across the listed schools, the figure ranges from $54,767 to $23,351, with a median of $42,061. For 2 of the 16 programs the earnings figure is the two-year completion median rather than the four-year one.
The list includes 7 public and 9 private nonprofit institutions. Eastern Illinois University posts the lowest average net price on the page at $12,786.
University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign ranks 35th on Azimuth's composite ranking among nonprofit four-year institutions.
The ranked list
| Rank | School | Program Earnings | Average net price | Net price, families under $30K | Admission rate |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Illinois State University · Normal, IL | $54,767 | $19,398 | $11,568 | 88.2% |
| Illinois State University ranks 1st on this list, reporting $54,767 in median earnings of Music graduates four years after completing from a cohort of 33 graduates. | |||||
| 2 | Northwestern University · Evanston, IL | $53,875 | $29,167 | $1,764 | 7.7% |
| Northwestern University admits 8% of applicants and posts $53,875 in median earnings for its Music graduates four years after completing. | |||||
| 3 | University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign · Champaign, IL | $50,544 | $14,355 | $2,038 | 42.4% |
| University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign holds an Azimuth composite rank of 35th among nonprofit four-year institutions alongside median earnings of $50,544 for its Music graduates four years after completing. | |||||
| 4 | Eastern Illinois University · Charleston, IL | $49,236 | $12,786 | $9,828 | 65.4% |
| Eastern Illinois University carries an average net price of $12,786 and reports $49,236 in median earnings for its Music graduates four years after completing. | |||||
| 5 | North Central College · Naperville, IL | $46,744 | $21,044 | $12,507 | 77.3% |
| Graduates across all fields who borrowed at North Central College left with a median of $24,500 in federal loans, while its Music graduates earned a median of $46,744 four years after completing. | |||||
| 6 | Southern Illinois University Edwardsville · Edwardsville, IL | $46,196 | $14,889 | $8,483 | 97.5% |
| Southern Illinois University Edwardsville ranks 6th on this list and shows an average net price of $8,483 for families earning under $30,000. | |||||
| 7 | DePaul University · Chicago, IL | $44,756 | $30,902 | $27,359 | 75.9% |
| DePaul University reports $44,756 in median earnings for its Music graduates four years after completing, with a cohort of 39 graduates. | |||||
| 8 | Millikin University · Decatur, IL | $43,388 | $21,989 | $18,659 | 66.7% |
| Millikin University admits 67% of applicants and carries an average net price of $21,989. | |||||
| 9 | Columbia College Chicago · Chicago, IL | $40,734 | $26,598 | $20,924 | 89.5% |
| Columbia College Chicago ranks 9th on this list, with median earnings of $40,734 for its Music graduates four years after completing. | |||||
| 10 | Northern Illinois University · Dekalb, IL | $40,398 | $13,391 | $10,126 | 69.8% |
| Northern Illinois University holds an Azimuth composite rank of 116th among nonprofit four-year institutions and reports an average net price of $13,391. | |||||
| 11 | Wheaton College · Wheaton, IL | $40,329 | $26,975 | $20,001 | 87.4% |
| Wheaton College posts median earnings of $40,329 for its Music graduates four years after completing, alongside an average net price of $20,001 for families earning under $30,000. | |||||
| 12 | Western Illinois University · Macomb, IL | $39,609 | $12,937 | $6,941 | 71.2% |
| Western Illinois University reports $39,609 in median earnings for its Music graduates four years after completing from a cohort of 19 graduates. | |||||
| 13 | Elmhurst University · Elmhurst, IL | $32,448 | $24,185 | $17,892 | 73.6% |
| Elmhurst University, a private nonprofit university in Elmhurst, reports median earnings of $32,448 for its Music graduates four years after completing, with a cohort of 17. | |||||
| 14 | Illinois Wesleyan University · Bloomington, IL | $27,439 | $28,199 | $17,732 | 39.3% |
| Illinois Wesleyan University admits 39% of applicants and shows an average net price of $28,199 alongside median earnings of $27,439 for its Music graduates four years after completing. | |||||
| 15 | Roosevelt University · Chicago, IL | $24,232 | $20,194 | $18,018 | 97.2% |
| Roosevelt University ranks 15th on this list and carries a median federal debt of $27,000 among Music completers who borrowed, while its graduates four years after completing earn a median of $24,232. | |||||
| 16 | Southern Illinois University-Carbondale · Carbondale, IL | $23,351 | $13,297 | $9,415 | 86.9% |
| Southern Illinois University-Carbondale posts an average net price of $13,297 and an admission rate of 87%, with its Music graduates earning a median of $23,351 four years after completing. | |||||
How this list is ordered
Programs are ordered by the median earnings of their Music graduates four years after completing, highest first. Only programs with a reported earnings cohort in Illinois appear. The figure is the median for federally aided completers of the program who were working and not enrolled. For 2 of the 16 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 gap between Illinois State University and Northwestern University is $892, while the spread from the top of the list to the bottom reaches $31,416.
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