Liberal Arts and Sciences, General Studies and Humanities at Illinois Institute of Technology

Illinois Tech charges a premium price—an estimated $31,000 in debt—for a liberal arts degree in a city where the field's outcomes vary dramatically. While similar programs in Illinois suggest first-year earnings around $42,000, that figure masks enormous disparities: DePaul's liberal arts grads start near $84,000, while this estimate sits closer to the state median. For a school with a 1296 average SAT and a selective STEM reputation, these projected returns raise questions about whether liberal arts students receive the same employer recognition as their engineering peers.

The 0.74 debt-to-earnings ratio looks manageable on paper, but context matters. Illinois Tech isn't pricing itself as a mid-tier liberal arts option—it's an expensive private university where most programs lead to technical careers. Borrowing $31,000 for earnings that peer programs suggest will barely exceed the national benchmark ($36,340) means students are paying Illinois Tech tuition without necessarily capturing Illinois Tech outcomes. The school's strong STEM network may not extend equally to humanities graduates entering competitive fields like communications, nonprofit work, or education.

The essential question: are you paying for the Illinois Tech credential or just accumulating debt at a STEM school while pursuing a generalist degree? Without reported data specific to this program, families should investigate where recent liberal arts graduates actually land—and whether that $31,000 investment opens doors that cheaper in-state options wouldn't.