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2026 Highest Paid Public Policy Grads in Illinois

[Public Policy](/majors/social-services-public-administration/public-policy/) programs reward a close look at where graduates go on to earn the most. The highest-paying schools turn a public policy degree into the strongest early-career earnings.

College Factual analyzed 3 schools to build this 2026 ranking of the highest-paying public policy schools.

What’s on this page:

• Highest Paid Public Policy Grads in Illinois

2026 Highest Paid Public Policy Grads in Illinois

Below are the schools whose public policy graduates go on to earn the most.

Highest Paid Public Policy Graduates

1

University Of Chicago
Chicago, IL

$99,986 Average Early-Career Salary

Leading the list is University Of Chicago, our #1 for public policy graduate salaries in Illinois. Set in the city of Chicago, University Of Chicago is a private not-for-profit institution. After graduating, public policy degree recipients from University Of Chicago typically earn about $99,986 annually.

2

Northwestern University
Evanston, IL

$61,965 Average Early-Career Salary

Northwestern University produces some of the highest-paid graduates in public policy, landing the #2 spot this year. Located in the city of Evanston, Northwestern University is a private not-for-profit institution. After graduating, public policy degree recipients from Northwestern University typically earn about $61,965 annually.

3

University Of Illinois At Chicago
Chicago, IL

$35,205 Average Early-Career Salary

Strong graduate earnings at University Of Illinois At Chicago earned it the #3 place for public policy. Located in the city of Chicago, University Of Illinois At Chicago is a public institution. Early-career public policy graduates from University Of Illinois At Chicago make a median of around $35,205 per year.

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Notes and References

This list is compiled by College Factual, 2026 edition. The methodology measures the salaries public policy 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 · 3 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.

• The Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System (IPEDS) from the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES), a branch of the U.S. Department of Education (DOE), serves as the core of our data about colleges.
• Graduate earnings data comes from the U.S. Department of Education’s (College Scorecard) field-of-study earnings.

More about our data sources and methodologies.