Health and Physical Education/Fitness at Northern Illinois University

Northern Illinois University's Health and Physical Education program starts modestly at $32,000 but shows impressive momentum, with earnings jumping 34% to $43,000 by year four. That's a stronger growth trajectory than you'll find at most competitor schools in Illinois, though the first year puts graduates slightly behind programs at Aurora ($37,256) and Benedictine ($36,344). Still, ranking in the 60th percentile both nationally and statewide means this program outperforms more than half of similar options, which is solid ground for a state school serving a substantial population of Pell grant recipients.

The debt picture is particularly encouraging—at $27,418, it's remarkably low compared to national peers (5th percentile for debt), creating a manageable 0.85 debt-to-earnings ratio in year one. For context, that's less than a year's starting salary, which is a threshold many financial advisors consider reasonable. As earnings climb past $43,000, that burden becomes even more manageable.

The tradeoff here is clear: your child won't land the highest starting salary among Illinois PE programs, but they'll graduate with less debt than almost anywhere else and see steady income growth in those critical early career years. For families watching both the sticker price and long-term return, that's a practical combination worth considering.