Bachelor's · Champaign, Illinois

Is Information Science/Studies at University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign worth it?

Low confidence Low confidence: fewer than 40 graduates behind the earnings figures.

The verdict · all families, in-state, half paid with loans

Pays back fast: graduates typically recover the cost in about 1.4 years.

Earnings 1 year after graduating: $89,741; Treasury AY2020-21, AY2021-22 pooled earnings cohort measured in CY2022, CY2023, inflation adjusted to 2024 dollars
Earnings 4 years after graduating: Not enough graduates to report; Treasury AY2017-2018, AY2018-2019 pooled earnings cohort measured in CY2022, CY2023, inflation adjusted to 2024 dollars
Typical federal debt at graduation: $16,625; NSLDS pooled AY2022-23, AY2023-24 cohort
Net cost to graduate, all families: $55k (likely $55k – $65k); AcadYr 2024-25, reported in IPEDS DCY2025-26
Earnings bump, year 4: $55k a year vs high-school graduates aged 25–34 in IL; 2023 ACS 5-year pooled, adjusted to 2024 dollars
Payback: 1.4 years (likely 1.1–1.9); Bump vs net cost plus loan interest
10-year net return: $331k (likely $178k – $486k); Today's dollars
20-year net return: $922k (likely $616k – $1.24M); Today's dollars
Odds of finishing (school-wide): 86%; Fall 2019 or AcadYr 2019-20 cohort (differs by institutional calendar), reported in IPEDS DCY2025-26

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💻 Getting ready in high school

Students heading toward computers & coding majors like this one often take these classes. Every school offers a different mix, so check with your counselor.

AP classes

AP Computer Science Principles
AP Computer Science A
AP Precalculus
AP Calculus AB or BC

IB Higher Level

Computer Science HL
Mathematics: Analysis and Approaches HL

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