Free tool · federal data
What does this major pay at different colleges?
Pick a major, a degree level and a state. You get what graduates of each college's program earned four years after graduating and what they borrowed in federal loans, from the U.S. Department of Education's College Scorecard, with the national median for the same program as the yardstick.
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English & Literature, bachelor's programs in Illinois
Among 14 Illinois bachelor's programs in English & Literature with federal earnings data, University of Chicago graduates earn the highest median, $78,169 four years after graduating. Northwestern University follows at $62,147. The national median for bachelor's graduates in the same program is $48,590. (2017-19 graduates, measured 2022-23, College Scorecard.)
- Programs with data
- 14
- Highest median
- $78,169
- National median
- $48,590
| College | Median earnings, 4 yrs after | vs national median | Debt borrowed at this college (median) |
|---|---|---|---|
| University of Chicago | $78,169 | +61% | — |
| Northwestern University | $62,147 | +28% | $15,450 |
| Lake Forest College | $58,901 | +21% | $25,707 |
| Loyola University Chicago | $56,289 | +16% | $25,000 |
| University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign | $54,570 | +12% | $19,500 |
| DePaul University | $52,608 | +8% | $22,956 |
| Northeastern Illinois University | $49,141 | about the same | $15,820 |
| University of Illinois Chicago | $48,442 | about the same | $17,500 |
| University of Illinois Springfield | $48,196 | about the same | $29,145 |
| Northern Illinois University | $47,981 | about the same | $22,500 |
| Illinois State University | $47,445 | about the same | $20,750 |
| Eastern Illinois University | $47,222 | −3% | $24,348 |
| Southern Illinois University-Edwardsville | $41,310 | −15% | $24,250 |
| Southern Illinois University-Carbondale | $37,786 | −22% | $26,250 |
Ordered by median earnings four years after graduating: one federal measure, not a ranking of program quality.
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What these numbers are
Earnings: graduates of 2017-18 and 2018-19, earnings measured in 2022 and 2023, in 2024 dollars. Only programs with at least 30 graduates in the earnings cohort are listed, and a multi-state system whose figure pools campuses in several states is left out of state lists. Median earnings of graduates who received federal student aid, worked, and were not enrolled in school; debt is the median federal loans borrowed at this college by graduates who borrowed (Direct Subsidized, Unsubsidized and Grad PLUS; not Parent PLUS, private loans or interest). Programs with too few graduates are suppressed by the Department of Education. Federal program group: English Language and Literature, General. Earnings reflect who enrolls and where graduates work as well as the program itself.
Source: U.S. Department of Education, College Scorecard, field-of-study data, 10 June 2026. Download every program (CSV).