Finance and Financial Management Services at Illinois College

Illinois College's finance graduates outperform the Illinois median by about $3,400 annually, landing in the 60th percentile statewide—a respectable showing for a small liberal arts college with a 75% admission rate. More importantly, the $27,000 debt burden is remarkably low, putting graduates in the 5th percentile nationally for debt. With a debt-to-earnings ratio of 0.49, these students owe roughly half their first-year salary, which is manageable territory for a business degree.

The caveat here is sample size: with fewer than 30 recent graduates in the dataset, these numbers could swing considerably year to year. A few graduates landing high-paying corporate roles or, conversely, taking nonprofit positions could dramatically shift the median. The modest 4% earnings growth to year four suggests early-career stability rather than rapid advancement, but again, with small cohorts, tracking patterns is difficult.

For families seeking affordable finance education without the sticker shock of Illinois' powerhouse programs (which earn $10,000-$20,000 more but likely come with steeper debt loads), this represents a solid value play. Just recognize you're betting on limited data—ask the school for multi-year employment outcomes to get a fuller picture before committing.