College Azimuth

Career outcomes brief

University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign Career Outcomes & Earnings

Updated

How much do UIUC graduates earn?

The reported median is $79,628 four years after completion. The peer comparison uses $65,610 as its benchmark; the difference is $14,018 per year.

Four years after completing a degree, federally aided graduates who are working and not enrolled earn a median of $79,628, in the 88th percentile nationally. That is $14,018 above the $65,610 median for comparable institutions (same type and size).

Azimuth places the university at the 90th percentile for return among nonprofit four-year institutions. Graduates earn about $5,699 more than expects for similar students.

That places the gap at the 73rd percentile. The part the model attributes to the factors it measures adds $15,287. The part it attributes to a remainder it does not explain subtracts $9,588.

The earnings scenarios at University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign range from a downside of $56,542 to an upside of $131,532, a spread that reflects the breadth of the university's program mix. The typical earnings scenario sits at $79,628, and graduates earn about $5,699 more than the model expects for similar students.

Three of the largest programs illustrate the variation four years after completion. Computer Engineering completers earn a median of $159,855, while Research and Experimental Psychology graduates earn $60,168 and Economics graduates earn $86,860.

An estimated 30.0% 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
$79,628
Rank for difference from expectations
73rd percentile
Four-year median earnings against two benchmarks
UIUC reported median
$79,628
Peer schools comparable schools · $14,018 below UIUC
$65,610
Model expectation what similar students would be expected to earn · $5,699 below UIUC
$73,929

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 many UIUC students return and finish their degrees?

First-time, full-time bachelor’s cohorts · CDS 2025-26
Returned the following fall
95.3%
Completed within six years
86.3%
Pell recipients completed within six years
81.0%

Source: University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign Common Data Set 2025-26, B22 retention; B4–B11 six-year completion. Retention and completion follow different entering cohorts.

How could earnings differ from the median?

The planning scenarios range from $56,542 to $131,532, around the reported median of $79,628. Compare the lower scenario with UIUC 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
$56,542
Median · reported
$79,628
Higher estimate
$131,532

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 UIUC 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.

UIUC graduates’ reported earnings are $5,699 above that expectation, the 73rd 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 UIUC 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.
+$15,287
Unexplained remainder What remains after the model’s observed factors.
-$9,588
Total modeled value added The modeled difference from expected earnings.
+$5,699

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

Which fields at UIUC report the highest earnings?

University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign publishes four-year earnings for 71 bachelor's programs, and Azimuth ranks 65 of them nationally. The highest-earning program, Computer Science, shows a median of $181,981 four years after completion and ranks #16 in its field.

Computer Engineering follows at $159,855 with 318 degrees awarded and an Azimuth national rank of #6. Research and Experimental Psychology awarded 557 degrees and reports a median of $60,168, ranking #23 nationally.

Accounting reaches $101,098 on 353 degrees awarded and holds an Azimuth national rank of #21. Statistics shows a median of $105,978 with 333 degrees awarded, ranking #8 in its field.

The university has 65 programs with an Azimuth national rank. The largest by degrees awarded is Research and Experimental Psychology, with 557 degrees awarded, median earnings of $60,168 four years after completion, and a national rank of #23.

Economics follows with 387 degrees awarded, earnings of $86,860, and a national rank of #68. Accounting awards 353 degrees and earns $101,098, ranking #21 in its field.

Statistics is the highest-earning among the largest programs at $105,978, with a national rank of #8. Computer Engineering rounds out the top five with 318 degrees awarded, earnings of $159,855, and a national rank of #6.

Highest reported four-year program earnings
Computer Science
$181,981
Computer Engineering
$159,855
Mathematics and Computer Science
$155,503
Computer and Information Sciences, General
$146,946
Finance and Financial Management Services
$119,978
Management Information Systems and Services
$116,339
Nuclear Engineering
$116,047
Electrical, Electronics, and Communications Engineering
$111,783

Explore UIUC program cohorts and field ranks for more context.

Further analysis

Earnings scenarios grounded in the program mix show how earnings vary by field: the downside scenario is $56,542, the typical scenario is $79,628, and the upside scenario reaches $131,532. Among the largest programs, Computer Engineering reaches $159,855 at the high end, while Research and Experimental Psychology sits at $60,168 at the lower end.

Four years after completing a degree, federally aided graduates from University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign who are working and not enrolled earn a median of $79,628. That figure places the university in the 88th percentile among nonprofit four-year institutions, based on an earnings cohort of 7,283 completers.

Graduates earn about $5,699 more than the model expects for similar students. Earnings scenarios estimated from the program mix show a downside of $56,542 and an upside of $131,532.

An estimated 30.0% of graduates continue to graduate study, based on the program mix. The earnings scenarios describe paths for those who enter the workforce rather than continuing in school.

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.