National Louis University

National Louis University's program mix is anchored in education and human services — a signature that reflects the university's long-standing focus on preparing teachers, counselors, and child development professionals for local labor markets. Education accounts for the largest share of degree output, with Education representing 27% of graduates, Business representing 19%, and Social Sciences representing 8%.

This concentration positions National Louis University closer to a specialized professional-preparation institution than a broad research university, with a program portfolio shaped around workforce needs in education, early childhood, and behavioral health. The highest aggregate-return program is Teacher Education, which combines meaningful cohort scale with competitive earnings four years after enrollment.

Among the most-enrolled programs, Teacher Education program graduates 215 students annually with median earnings of $46,398, and Azimuth ranks the program #91 for median earnings four years after enrollment among nonprofit four-year institutions. Management Sciences and Quantitative Methods and Human Development, Family Studies, and Related Services round out the largest fields by cohort size, with 77 and 69 graduates respectively, reflecting the institution's depth in applied human-services and education-adjacent pathways.

The highest-earning programs at National Louis University are led by Management Sciences and Quantitative Methods, where graduates earn median earnings of $74,144 four years after enrollment, and Azimuth ranks the program #43 for median earnings four years after enrollment among nonprofit four-year institutions. Health Administration and Criminology also deliver comparatively strong early-career pay within the institution's portfolio.

Many of these programs are local-labor pathways — fields like education, early childhood development, and counseling where graduates typically enter regional employment markets rather than high-mobility national career tracks. The [supply and demand for college graduates](/analysis/supply-demand-map-college-degrees/) provides useful context for how these program families align with broader labor-market demand.

National Louis University's published cost of attendance is $24,154. Need-based financial aid reshapes that figure across income levels: low-income families pay approximately $12,462, families in the lower-middle range pay around $11,567, middle-income families pay about $12,996, families in the upper-middle range pay approximately $15,447, and higher-income families pay around $17,956.

Azimuth ranks National Louis University #205 for post-graduation affordability among nonprofit four-year institutions. Net prices by income band are medians within those bands; individual aid packages vary, so some families in each band pay more and some less than the figures shown.

National Louis University participates in federal (Pell Grants, Direct Loans), state, and institutional aid programs. The institution's aid structure is need-based, and families apply using the FAFSA.

Financial aid savings relative to the published cost of attendance average approximately $11,513 across all aid recipients, reflecting the gap between sticker price and what families actually pay after institutional aid is applied. Median federal student loan debt at graduation is $19,750, and families using Parent PLUS borrow a median of $17,284; private or institutional loans may add further borrowing that falls outside these federal-only figures — see the [Parent PLUS risk framework](/analysis/ou-what-happens-when-parents-borrow-too/) for how household context shapes PLUS decisions.

For a graduate at the institution's median four-year earnings of $63,065, median federal debt of $19,750 projects to a monthly payment of about $223 under standard ten-year repayment. For personalized projections across earnings scenarios — including Parent PLUS planning — use [Azimuth's Financial GPS tool](/analysis/financial-gps-framework/).

Graduates of National Louis University earn median 4-year earnings of $63,065, placing National Louis University in the 63.2 percentile for median earnings four years after enrollment among nonprofit four-year institutions. Graduates earn about $17,390 more than similar students at comparable institutions, placing National Louis University in the 94.1 percentile for [earnings beyond expectations](/analysis/a-value-added-approach-to-college-outcomes/) among nonprofit four-year institutions.

Azimuth ranks National Louis University #379 for return on investment among nonprofit four-year institutions. Those figures represent lifetime returns relative to IL's no-degree-equivalent earnings baseline of $32,990 — the state median earnings of working adults with only a high school credential.

The program mix at National Louis University is anchored heavily in Education, which shapes both the scale and the character of graduate outcomes. Teacher Education is the largest program, graduating 215 students with median earnings of $46,398 four years after enrollment; Azimuth ranks Teacher Education #91 for median earnings four years after enrollment among nonprofit four-year institutions [per the program-ranking methodology](/analysis/college-program-rankings-how-to-actually-evaluate-programs/).

Management Sciences and Quantitative Methods follows with 77 graduates earning $74,144, and Azimuth ranks Management Sciences and Quantitative Methods #43 for median earnings four years after enrollment among nonprofit four-year institutions. Human Development, Family Studies, and Related Services and Interdisciplinary Studies round out the core program lineup, each contributing to the institution's concentration in Education — which accounts for 27% of degree output — alongside Business at 19% and Social Sciences at 8%.