Bachelor's+6% vs national median874 grads tracked
Journalism at University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign
Ranked 18th of 127 bachelor's programs in Journalism by 5-year earnings.
Median · 1 year out
$38,590
middle 50%: $29,297 – $50,030
Median · 5 years out
$62,297
middle 50%: $48,149 – $81,671
Median · 10 years out
$92,600
middle 50%: $65,679 – $129,339
Salary trajectory
Median earnings vs the national median for Journalism (bachelor's) graduates.
This program (median)National median, same major & degreeMiddle 50% of graduates
Journalism bachelor's graduates begin with a $39k median salary. Earnings climb to $93k by the tenth year.
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
6.8 yrs
≈ $8,192 total interest
Same major at other universities
University of Colorado Boulder
$65,149 · 5 yrs out
Indiana University - Bloomington
$64,832 · 5 yrs out
CUNY Bernard M. Baruch College
$64,533 · 5 yrs out
Arizona State University
$62,956 · 5 yrs out
Texas A&M University
$62,781 · 5 yrs out
Miami University
$62,777 · 5 yrs out
University of Oklahoma
$61,417 · 5 yrs out
Pennsylvania State University (The)
$61,364 · 5 yrs out
Utah State University
$60,067 · 5 yrs out
University of Georgia
$59,859 · 5 yrs out
Bethel University
$59,848 · 5 yrs out
University of North Texas
$59,826 · 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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