Economics at DePaul University

DePaul's economics program starts graduates at $37,000—well below both Illinois and national averages for the degree. That first-year figure places it in just the 5th percentile nationally and 25th percentile statewide, which is particularly striking given Chicago's strong finance and business sectors. For comparison, nearby University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign economics grads start 59% higher at nearly $59,000, while Northwestern and University of Chicago economics programs place students at double DePaul's initial earnings.

The trajectory improves substantially, with earnings jumping 63% to about $60,500 by year four—surpassing both state and national medians eventually. The $22,400 debt load is reasonable and less than typical Illinois economics programs. However, the critical caution here is sample size: with fewer than 30 graduates tracked, these figures could shift dramatically with just a few outliers. A couple of graduates pursuing unpaid internships or graduate school could artificially depress that first-year number.

If your child is set on economics at DePaul, understand they'll likely face a tougher initial job market than peers at competitive state schools, even though outcomes catch up later. The small sample makes this data unreliable for confident decision-making—you'd want to dig deeper into career services placement rates and where recent grads actually landed before committing.