Health and Medical Administrative Services at Western Illinois University

Western Illinois University's health administration program sits at the 40th percentile among Illinois options—meaning six out of ten similar programs in the state produce better outcomes. With first-year earnings of $40,261 and debt of $39,688, graduates essentially face a dollar-for-dollar trade between what they owe and what they earn, well behind the Illinois median of $46,203. That's a $6,000 annual gap that compounds over time, especially when top Illinois programs like University of St. Francis and Loyola Chicago produce graduates earning $80,000+.

The modest 4% earnings growth over four years offers little relief. By year four, graduates earn $41,807—still trailing both state and national benchmarks by several thousand dollars. Meanwhile, peer institutions like Illinois State achieve $49,000 median earnings with lower typical debt loads. The debt burden here also exceeds the state median by over $11,000, creating a particularly challenging financial starting point.

The small sample size (under 30 graduates) means individual circumstances heavily influence these figures, but the pattern is hard to ignore. For families weighing in-state options, this program underperforms most Illinois alternatives in both earnings potential and debt management. Unless there are compelling non-financial reasons to attend WIU specifically, prospective students should closely examine higher-performing Illinois programs that offer better returns on their tuition investment.