Bachelor's · Chicago, Illinois
Is English Language and Literature, General at University of Illinois Chicago worth it?
High confidence High confidence: 100+ graduates behind the earnings figures.
The verdict · all families, in-state, half paid with loans
Pays back in time: graduates typically recover the cost in about 6.5 years.
- Earnings 1 year after graduating
- $35,582
- Treasury AY2020-21, AY2021-22 pooled earnings cohort measured in CY2022, CY2023, inflation adjusted to 2024 dollars
- Earnings 4 years after graduating
- $52,033
- Treasury AY2017-2018, AY2018-2019 pooled earnings cohort measured in CY2022, CY2023, inflation adjusted to 2024 dollars
- Typical federal debt at graduation
- $14,000
- NSLDS pooled AY2022-23, AY2023-24 cohort
- Net cost to graduate, all families
- $40k (likely $40k – $54k)
- 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
- 6.5 years (likely 4.9–8.9)
- Bump vs net cost plus loan interest
- 10-year net return
- −$105k (likely −$169k – −$53k)
- Today's dollars
- 20-year net return
- $69k (likely −$52k – $187k)
- Today's dollars
- Odds of finishing (school-wide)
- 61%
- 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 / ≤ 10%
- 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 University of Illinois Chicago
- Advanced/Graduate Dentistry and Oral Sciences (Graduate certificate)$286,071
- Advanced/Graduate Dentistry and Oral Sciences (Master's)$281,546
- Computer Science (Master's)$145,430
- Pharmacy, Pharmaceutical Sciences, and Administration (First professional)$143,853
- Educational Administration and Supervision (Doctoral)$139,542
- Public Health (Doctoral)$130,813
- Dentistry (First professional)$129,773
- Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing (First professional)$126,442
- Management Sciences and Quantitative Methods (Master's)$125,094
- Computer Science (Bachelor's)$120,470
- Business Administration, Management and Operations (Master's)$118,750
- Medicine (First professional)$116,861
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