WhatGradsMake
Bachelor's+22% vs national median692 grads tracked

Design and Applied Arts at University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign

Ranked 7th of 135 bachelor's programs in Design and Applied Arts by 5-year earnings.

Median · 1 year out
$47,574
middle 50%: $34,685 – $59,981
Median · 5 years out
$71,422
middle 50%: $55,046 – $93,352
Median · 10 years out
$96,791
middle 50%: $67,388 – $135,951

Salary trajectory

Median earnings vs the national median for Design and Applied Arts (bachelor's) graduates.

This program (median)National median, same major & degreeMiddle 50% of graduates

Graduates of University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign's bachelor's program in Design and Applied Arts earn a median $47,574 one year after graduating, rising to $96,791 by year ten. Five years out, earnings run 22% above the national median of $58,393 for this field, ranking 7th of 135 reporting programs.

Source: U.S. Census Bureau PSEO, release V4.13.0 2025Q4. Earnings are for graduates working in covered states; figures are medians in nominal dollars.

Will the degree pay for itself?

Drag the sliders — payback uses this program's actual salary curve.

Assumes a 6.5% APR loan and this program's median salary trajectory (interpolated between years 1, 5 and 10).

Paid off in
5.9 yrs
≈ $6,840 total interest

Same major at other universities

University of Utah
$83,557 · 5 yrs out
Georgia Institute of Technology
$77,671 · 5 yrs out
University of Texas at Austin
$75,893 · 5 yrs out
University of Cincinnati
$75,335 · 5 yrs out
Quinnipiac University
$73,546 · 5 yrs out
Pennsylvania State University (The)
$73,157 · 5 yrs out
Virginia Polytechnic Institute & State University
$71,408 · 5 yrs out
Fashion Institute of Technology
$70,659 · 5 yrs out
Ohio State University (The)
$70,561 · 5 yrs out
University of Oklahoma
$69,498 · 5 yrs out
Miami University
$68,857 · 5 yrs out
University of Oregon
$68,723 · 5 yrs out

Other majors at University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign

Computer and Information Sciences and Support Services (Doctorate)
$226,077 · 5 yrs out
Computer and Information Sciences and Support Services (Master's)
$206,093 · 5 yrs out
Computer Science (Bachelor's)
$177,207 · 5 yrs out
Computer and Information Sciences and Support Services (Bachelor's)
$176,681 · 5 yrs out
Business, Management, Marketing, and Related Support Services (Doctorate)
$173,815 · 5 yrs out
Computer and Information Sciences, General (Bachelor's)
$164,239 · 5 yrs out
Mathematics and Computer Science (Bachelor's)
$159,201 · 5 yrs out
Computer Engineering (Bachelor's)
$152,834 · 5 yrs out
Engineering (Doctorate)
$151,479 · 5 yrs out
Physical Sciences (Doctorate)
$126,011 · 5 yrs out
Legal Professions and Studies (Doctorate)
$125,106 · 5 yrs out
Law (Doctorate)
$125,106 · 5 yrs out

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