Agricultural Business and Management at Southern Illinois University-Carbondale

Southern Illinois-Carbondale's Agricultural Business program starts graduates at $40,194—notably below both the national median of $48,338 and Illinois's state median of $48,064. Among the five Illinois programs, this ranks in just the 25th percentile. To put that in perspective, University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign graduates start nearly $16,000 higher. The silver lining is a $15,000 debt load that's significantly lighter than the national median of $20,000, yielding a manageable 0.37 debt-to-earnings ratio. By year four, earnings climb 33% to $53,503, suggesting graduates do gain traction in their careers.

The real question is whether that initial earnings gap matters for your family's finances. If your child needs to start repaying loans immediately after graduation, that $40,000 starting salary in a state where peers typically earn $48,000 means less monthly cushion for loan payments and living expenses. The strong earnings growth is encouraging, but it takes time to materialize. For families who can't afford to subsidize those early years, the University of Illinois program—despite likely higher tuition—may deliver better immediate ROI. If you're receiving in-state tuition at SIU-Carbondale and can help cover early expenses, the low debt burden makes this workable, just not a standout value in Illinois's agricultural business landscape.