College Azimuth

Career outcomes brief

Eastern Illinois University Career Outcomes & Earnings

Updated

How much do Eastern Illinois University graduates earn?

The reported median is $53,620 four years after completion. The peer comparison uses $57,301 as its benchmark; the difference is -$3,681 per year.

At Eastern Illinois University, median earnings are $53,620 four years after completion, placing those earnings in the 28th percentile among nonprofit four-year institutions. Against the peer median, the middle value for comparable institutions (same type and size), of $57,301, the university is $3,681 below.

The return registers in the 24th percentile of nonprofit four-year institutions. Graduates earn about $8,394 less than expects for similar students.

Earnings beyond expectations, the gap between what graduates earn and what the model expects for similar students, sits in the 24th percentile. The part the model attributes to the factors it measures (field of study, enrollment and the local labor market) adds $1,424.

The part it attributes to a remainder it does not explain subtracts $9,818. The peer comparison and model result point in the same direction.

Earnings vary across fields at Eastern Illinois University, where earnings scenarios run from $45,526 in the downside scenario to $64,506 in the upside scenario, four years after completion. The typical earnings scenario is $53,620.

At the higher end, Computer and Information Sciences completers have median earnings of $72,220 four years after completion; Finance reaches $70,704, and Accounting reaches $66,840. Those field-level figures show why the modeled range extends well above the typical scenario.

An estimated 29.9% of graduates continue to graduate study, a figure estimated from the program mix. Four-year earnings cover completers who are working and not enrolled, so this estimate matters when reading the earnings figure: some graduates are outside that snapshot while continuing their education.

Median earnings · four years after completion
$53,620
Rank for difference from expectations
24th percentile
Four-year median earnings against two benchmarks
Eastern Illinois University reported median
$53,620
Peer schools comparable schools · $3,681 above Eastern Illinois University
$57,301
Model expectation what similar students would be expected to earn · $8,394 above Eastern Illinois University
$62,014

School and program earnings use pooled 2017–18 and 2018–19 completion cohorts, measured in 2022 and 2023 and expressed in 2024 dollars. How the model works.

How could earnings differ from the median?

The planning scenarios range from $45,526 to $64,506, around the reported median of $53,620. Compare the lower scenario with Eastern Illinois University borrowing and monthly payments to see how a smaller income could change your plan.

Modeled from the school’s program mix; not salary percentiles or a forecast for one graduate.

Earnings four years after completion
Planning rangeReported median
Lower estimate
$45,526
Median · reported
$53,620
Higher estimate
$64,506

Downside shows a lower-earning scenario based on the college’s mix of programs; upside shows a higher-earning scenario. Typical is the school’s reported median four years after completion. These are planning scenarios, not a forecast of your salary or percentiles of individual graduates.

Why the downside matters explores the risk hidden by medians, using older ten-year entrant data. Read about the move to four-year earnings.

Do Eastern Illinois University graduates earn more than expected?

Azimuth models what we would expect graduates to earn based on who the college enrolls, how selective it is and its local economy. The difference between that expectation and reported earnings is what Azimuth calls value added.

Eastern Illinois University graduates’ reported earnings are $8,394 below that expectation, the 24th percentile for this measure. Unlike a peer comparison, it adjusts for who enrolls.

The breakdown separates the contribution attributed to observed factors from the remaining difference. Neither component establishes how much attending Eastern Illinois University caused a student to earn. Read how expected earnings are estimated.

What explains value-added earnings?
Program & institutional factors The part attributed to observed institutional characteristics.
+$1,424
Unexplained remainder What remains after the model’s observed factors.
-$9,818
Total modeled value added The modeled difference from expected earnings.
-$8,394

These are statistical model components, not proven causal effects; the remainder is not a direct measure of teaching quality.

Which fields at Eastern Illinois University report the highest earnings?

Field choice makes a clear difference in the earnings picture at Eastern Illinois University. Computer and Information Sciences recorded median earnings of $72,220 four years after completion, with 7 degrees awarded in one academic year.

Finance also sits among the higher-earning fields described here, at $70,704 and 22 degrees awarded. Accounting had median earnings of $66,840 four years after completion and 21 degrees awarded.

In a larger, more moderate-earning field, Teacher Education recorded $43,190 alongside 84 degrees awarded. The contrast between these fields shows that the school’s four-year earnings figures vary considerably by field.

Published earnings across 26 fields show a wide range by program, so the schoolwide figure does not describe every academic path. The amounts below are median earnings four years after completion, and the award totals are degrees awarded in an academic year.

Computer and Information Sciences has the highest listed median, at $72,220, with 7 degrees awarded. Finance follows at $70,704 and 22 degrees awarded.

Accounting shows $66,840 with 21 degrees awarded. Marketing records $62,994 and 31 degrees awarded, while Political Science records $61,519 with 15 degrees awarded.

These program medians provide more detail than a single institutional earnings figure.

Highest reported four-year program earnings
Computer and Information Sciences, General
$72,220
Finance and Financial Management Services
$70,704
Accounting and Related Services
$66,840
Marketing
$62,994
Political Science and Government
$61,519
Management Sciences and Quantitative Methods
$60,985
Communication Disorders Sciences and Services
$60,473
Public Relations, Advertising, and Applied Communication
$59,401

Explore Eastern Illinois University program cohorts and field ranks for more context.

Further analysis

Field choice is associated with a broad range in earnings scenarios based on the program mix: $45,526 in the downside scenario, $53,620 in the typical scenario, and $64,506 in the upside scenario. Computer and Information Sciences reaches $72,220 four years after completion, while Teacher Education posts $43,190.

Eastern Illinois University shows a restrained earnings picture four years after completion: federally aided completers who are working and not enrolled have median earnings of $53,620. Azimuth places that earnings figure in the 28th percentile among nonprofit four-year institutions, based on an earnings cohort of 1,708 completers.

Earnings scenarios tied to the program mix show how outcomes can differ across fields. Graduates earn about $8,394 less than the model expects for similar students.

An estimated 29.9% of graduates continue to graduate study, a figure estimated from the program mix. The low earnings standing and lower-than-expected result point in the same direction.

Data & methodology

Sources and reporting periods: methodology.

Analysis and methodology by Daniel Rogers, founder of College Azimuth.

Explanatory text is AI-assisted drafting checked against those figures; it is not an additional data source.

Figure notes link to sources and limitations. About College Azimuth.