The cost of college in Illinois — and what it pays back
Across the 116 Illinois institutions we profile, the median net price — what students actually pay after grants and scholarships — is $13,750/yr, $3,152 below the $16,902 national median. Graduates earn a median $44,966 ten years after entry (above the $43,549 national median), and 48 of the 116 schools clear their full cost on institution-wide earnings. (Scorecard, 2026 · our math.)
How Illinois's 116 colleges split by ROI verdict
Verdicts: payback under 5 / 10 / 20 / over 20 years (or none).
| College | Net price/yr | Earnings 10y | Payback |
|---|---|---|---|
| University of Chicago | $14,860 | $91,885 | 1.4 yrs |
| University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign | $14,355 | $81,054 | 1.8 yrs |
| Illinois Institute of Technology | $18,425 | $82,592 | 2.2 yrs |
| University of Illinois Chicago | $10,974 | $68,740 | 2.2 yrs |
| Northwestern University | $29,167 | $89,363 | 2.8 yrs |
| College | Net price/yr | Earnings 10y | Payback |
|---|---|---|---|
| Joliet Junior College | $1,672 | $42,889 | no payback |
| Illinois Valley Community College | $2,232 | $40,810 | no payback |
| Lake Land College | $2,254 | $38,877 | no payback |
| Moraine Valley Community College | $2,829 | $43,892 | no payback |
| South Suburban College | $3,242 | $33,680 | no payback |
How many Illinois colleges actually pay for themselves?
48 of 116 — 41% of the Illinois institutions we profile clear their full net cost on institution-wide earnings above the $48,360 high-school baseline. The rest need a high-paying major to pay off; the school average alone does not do it.
Do Illinois graduates out-earn the national median?
Illinois graduates report a median $44,966 ten years after entry, $1,417 above the $43,549 national median. Earnings track the local labour market and the mix of fields the state's colleges graduate, not the state border itself.