Rehabilitation and Therapeutic Professions at University of Illinois Chicago

UIC's rehabilitation program sits squarely in the middle—40th percentile among Illinois programs and 39th nationally—with graduates earning $33,530 their first year. That's about $4,000 below what other Illinois students in this field typically make, and $2,400 below the national median. The saving grace here is remarkably low debt: at $16,666, it's less than half what rehabilitation students typically carry ($26,250 nationally) and among the lowest debt loads you'll find for this degree anywhere.

That 0.50 debt-to-earnings ratio translates to something concrete: your graduate could reasonably pay off their loans within 2-3 years while building a career. Compare this to Aurora University, where rehabilitation grads earn $41,000 but likely carry more debt, or to the many programs nationwide where students graduate owing $25,000+ for similar or even lower earnings. The question becomes whether the earnings gap bothers you enough to look elsewhere, especially since UIC serves a heavily Pell-eligible student body (50%) and maintains relatively broad admission access.

For families prioritizing financial safety over maximum earning potential, this program delivers a manageable entry point into rehabilitation careers. Just understand you're trading some earning power for debt protection—your graduate will start behind peers from higher-performing Illinois programs, though the lighter debt burden makes that tradeoff less painful than it might seem.