Bachelor's · Dekalb, Illinois
Is English Language and Literature, General at Northern Illinois University worth it?
Medium confidence Medium confidence: 40–99 graduates behind the earnings figures.
The verdict · all families, in-state, half paid with loans
Pays back slowly: graduates typically recover the cost in about 7.4 years.
- Earnings 1 year after graduating
- $45,440
- Treasury AY2020-21, AY2021-22 pooled earnings cohort measured in CY2022, CY2023, inflation adjusted to 2024 dollars
- Earnings 4 years after graduating
- $51,537
- Treasury AY2017-2018, AY2018-2019 pooled earnings cohort measured in CY2022, CY2023, inflation adjusted to 2024 dollars
- Typical federal debt at graduation
- $19,306
- NSLDS pooled AY2022-23, AY2023-24 cohort
- Net cost to graduate, all families
- $62k (likely $62k – $85k)
- AcadYr 2024-25, reported in IPEDS DCY2025-26
- Earnings bump, year 4
- $13k a year vs high-school graduates aged 25–34 in IL
- 2023 ACS 5-year pooled, adjusted to 2024 dollars
- Payback
- 7.4 years (likely 5.1–11.7)
- Bump vs net cost plus loan interest
- 10-year net return
- −$124k (likely −$207k – −$52k)
- Today's dollars
- 20-year net return
- $46k (likely −$99k – $206k)
- Today's dollars
- Odds of finishing (school-wide)
- 48%
- Fall 2019 or AcadYr 2019-20 cohort (differs by institutional calendar), reported in IPEDS DCY2025-26
- Borrowers making progress / in default, 2 years in
- not reported / ≤ 20%
- NSLDS AY2016-17, AY2017-18 pooled cohorts measured in 2018-19, 2019-20
Change income, residency or loans Compare English Language and Literature, General at other schools
🎬 Getting ready in high school
Students heading toward media & storytelling majors like this one often take these classes. Every school offers a different mix, so check with your counselor.
AP classes
- AP English Language and Composition
- AP English Literature and Composition
- AP Seminar
IB Higher Level
- Language A: Literature HL or Language and Literature HL
- Film HL
Build my roadmap 🗺️ Middle school to career, plus high schools near you that offer these classes.
Other majors at Northern Illinois University
- Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing (Master's)$120,765
- Business Administration, Management and Operations (Master's)$119,872
- Curriculum and Instruction (Doctoral)$117,352
- Mechanical Engineering (Master's)$107,338
- Accounting and Related Services (Master's)$101,106
- Educational Administration and Supervision (Doctoral)$98,991
- Electrical, Electronics, and Communications Engineering (Bachelor's)$93,962
- Computer Science (Bachelor's)$93,438
- Mechanical Engineering (Bachelor's)$86,999
- Finance and Financial Management Services (Bachelor's)$86,511
- Psychology, General (Doctoral)$85,719
- Accounting and Related Services (Bachelor's)$83,573
English Language and Literature, General at other schools in Illinois
- University of Chicago$78,169
- Northwestern University$62,147
- Lake Forest College$58,901
- Loyola University Chicago$56,289
- University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign$54,570
- Wheaton College$52,647
- DePaul University$52,608
- Illinois Wesleyan University$51,107
- Governors State University$50,426
- Northeastern Illinois University$49,141