by our College Data Analytics Team
[Medicine](/majors/health-care-professions/medicine/) graduates earn very different salaries depending on where they study. The highest-paying schools turn a medicine degree into the strongest early-career earnings.
To produce this 2026 ranking, College Factual evaluated 6 schools on the early-career earnings of their medicine graduates.
What’s on this page:
If you want to know which schools send medicine graduates into the highest-paying careers, see the list below.
Leading the list is Southern Illinois University Carbondale, our #1 for medicine graduate salaries in Illinois. Located in the town of Carbondale, Southern Illinois University Carbondale is a public institution. Early-career medicine graduates from Southern Illinois University Carbondale make a median of around $206,035 per year.
University Of Illinois At Chicago came in at #2 on our 2026 list of the highest-paying medicine schools. Set in the city of Chicago, University Of Illinois At Chicago is a public institution. Students who complete the medicine program here go on to a median salary of roughly $161,284.
Loyola University Chicago produces some of the highest-paid graduates in medicine, landing the #3 spot this year. Set in the city of Chicago, Loyola University Chicago is a private not-for-profit institution. After graduating, medicine degree recipients from Loyola University Chicago typically earn about $158,574 annually.
Rush University came in at #4 on our 2026 list of the highest-paying medicine schools. Set in the city of Chicago, Rush University is a private not-for-profit institution. Early-career medicine graduates from Rush University make a median of around $151,344 per year.
University Of Chicago came in at #5 on our 2026 list of the highest-paying medicine schools. Located in the city of Chicago, University Of Chicago is a private not-for-profit institution. Early-career medicine graduates from University Of Chicago make a median of around $143,277 per year.
Northwestern University landed the #6 spot for medicine salaries this year. Located in the city of Evanston, Northwestern University is a private not-for-profit institution. Students who complete the medicine program here go on to a median salary of roughly $132,646.
This list is compiled by College Factual, 2026 edition. The methodology measures the salaries medicine graduates go on to earn early in their careers, drawn primarily from the U.S. Department of Education (College Scorecard field-of-study earnings and IPEDS).
Ranking method: College Major Earnings · 6 schools evaluated.
*Salary figures reflect median early-career earnings (about 5 years after graduation) and may vary by how long a person takes to complete their degree.
More about our data sources and methodologies.