College Azimuth

Career outcomes brief

Northern Illinois University Career Outcomes & Earnings

Updated

How much do NIU graduates earn?

The reported median is $64,583 four years after completion. The peer comparison uses $65,610 as its benchmark; the difference is -$1,027 per year.

Graduates of Northern Illinois University earn about $5,199 more than expects for similar students. That result is in the 72nd percentile among nonprofit four-year institutions.

The part the model attributes to the factors it measures (field of study, enrollment and the local labor market) adds $7,704. The part it attributes to a remainder it does not explain subtracts $2,505.

Within the measured factors, the STEM component adds $1,655. Four years after completion, the median earnings for the university sit at $64,583, which lands in the 64th percentile nationally.

That figure is below the peer median of $65,610 for comparable institutions (same type and size), a gap of $1,027. Azimuth places the return in the 65th percentile, a position that shows earnings above the model's expectation alongside a median that trails the peer group.

Earnings at Northern Illinois University vary widely with the program a student chooses. The earnings scenarios, estimated from the university's program mix, range from $47,579 on the downside to $84,667 on the upside, with a typical scenario of $64,583.

The highest-earning programs exceed even the upside scenario. Electrical Engineering graduates earn a median of $93,962 four years after completion, from 35 degrees awarded a year. Computer Science is close behind at $93,438, with 132 degrees awarded.

An estimated 27.7% of graduates continue to graduate study, a figure derived from the university's program mix rather than observed enrollment. Because four-year earnings figures capture only those working and not enrolled, the median earnings understate the eventual earnings of the sizable share of completers who pursue advanced degrees.

Median earnings · four years after completion
$64,583
Rank for difference from expectations
72nd percentile
Four-year median earnings against two benchmarks
NIU reported median
$64,583
Peer schools comparable schools · $1,027 above NIU
$65,610
Model expectation what similar students would be expected to earn · $5,199 below NIU
$59,384

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 $47,579 to $84,667, around the reported median of $64,583. Compare the lower scenario with NIU 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
$47,579
Median · reported
$64,583
Higher estimate
$84,667

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 NIU 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.

NIU graduates’ reported earnings are $5,199 above that expectation, the 72nd 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 NIU 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.
+$7,704
Unexplained remainder What remains after the model’s observed factors.
-$2,505
Total modeled value added The modeled difference from expected earnings.
+$5,199

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

Which fields at NIU report the highest earnings?

Northern Illinois University's largest programs show a wide spread in earnings four years after completion. Computer Science, with 132 degrees awarded, leads the group at a median of $93,438 and an Azimuth national rank of #120.

Business Administration and Management follows at $73,176 on 149 degrees awarded, ranking #129 nationally. On the moderate-earning side, Psychology, the largest program with 193 degrees awarded, has a median of $49,669 and ranks #201 nationally.

Teacher Education reaches $50,385 on 127 degrees awarded, ranking #102. This spread illustrates the range of earnings across fields at the university.

Northern Illinois University has 34 bachelor's programs that carry an Azimuth national rank, with earnings data published for 43 fields. Its strongest-ranked field is Engineering Technologies/Technicians, which sits at #5 nationally and #1 in Illinois while awarding 58 degrees.

Completers earn a median of $81,554 four years after completion. Health/Medical Preparatory Programs also ranks in the top ten at #9 nationally and #1 in Illinois, with 153 degrees awarded.

Its completers earn a median of $55,778 four years after completion. Computer Science, one of the biggest fields by volume, ranks #120 nationally and #10 in Illinois, with 132 degrees awarded. Its completers earn a median of $93,438 four years after completion.

Highest reported four-year program earnings
Electrical, Electronics, and Communications Engineering
$93,962
Computer Science
$93,438
Mechanical Engineering
$86,999
Finance and Financial Management Services
$86,511
Accounting and Related Services
$83,573
Industrial Engineering
$82,584
Engineering Technologies/Technicians, General
$81,554
Clinical/Medical Laboratory Science/Research and Allied Professions
$76,856

Explore NIU program cohorts and field ranks for more context.

Further analysis

Earnings at Northern Illinois University depend heavily on field of study, a spread captured by three earnings scenarios anchored in the university's program mix. The downside earnings scenario is $47,579, the typical scenario $64,583, and the upside scenario $84,667.

That range is visible in the largest programs with published earnings: Computer Science graduates earn a median of $93,438 four years after completion, while Psychology graduates earn $49,669.

Graduates of Northern Illinois University earn about $5,199 more than the model expects for similar students, a result that places the university in the 72nd percentile among nonprofit four-year institutions. The median earnings four years after completion stand at $64,583, which is below the peer median of $65,610 for comparable institutions (same type and size) by $1,027.

The earnings cohort includes 4,500 completers. Earnings scenarios anchored on the university's program mix show a downside scenario of $47,579 and an upside scenario reaching $84,667.

An estimated 27.7% of graduates continue to graduate study, a figure estimated from the program mix. The median earnings sit in the 64th percentile nationally.

The return picture is mixed: graduates beat the model's expectations but the median sits below the peer median.

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.