Liberal Arts and Sciences, General Studies and Humanities at University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign

For a credential from a top-tier Illinois institution, first-year earnings around $42,000—drawn from comparable programs across the state—land squarely in the middle of what liberal arts graduates typically earn. This puts UIUC on par with the Illinois median but well below what some peer programs achieve. DePaul's liberal arts graduates, for instance, earn double this amount, while even regional schools like Chicago State report higher starting salaries. The estimation here means we can't know if UIUC's prestige and selectivity translate to better outcomes than these benchmarks suggest.

The estimated debt of $28,750 creates a manageable but not impressive ratio of 0.68—meaning graduates would owe about eight months of their first-year salary. That's workable for loan repayment, but it assumes the $42,000 estimate holds true for this specific program. Liberal arts degrees notoriously vary in value depending on what students do with them: some leverage the UIUC network into consulting or tech roles that far exceed these figures, while others struggle to break $35,000.

The fundamental challenge is that you're investing in the UIUC brand without concrete evidence it delivers better returns than state peers in this particular major. If your student has a clear plan for translating a liberal arts degree into career outcomes—graduate school, specific internships, or professional pivots—the university's resources could justify the cost. Without that plan, the estimated numbers suggest this program performs like an average Illinois liberal arts degree, not a premium one.