Share Tweet Share Email

NIU education grads shine on latest PayScale rankings

August 27, 2015

Stack of money next to rulerNIU ranks fifth on PayScale’s new list of “Best Schools by Salary Potential for Education Majors,” released Wednesday.

The report ranks more than 1,000 colleges and universities by median alumni salaries.

According to PayScale, the median salary for NIU education alumni with zero to five years of experience is $34,700; that median climbs to $58,300 for those alumni with 10 or more years of experience.

“Earning potential is just one piece of information that college applicants should consider when evaluating school and major choice, but it’s certainly not the only factor that matters,” said Lydia Frank, senior editorial director at PayScale.

“However, we want to see fewer college graduates struggling with student debt after graduation. Part of the solution is financial literacy and helping students understand their ability to pay back student debt. And, part of the solution lies with schools and policymakers to ensure that education is not out of reach for a large percentage of the nation’s youth.”

Other universities in the Top 10 include Illinois State (No. 4) and Mid-American Conference compatriots Western Michigan (No. 2), Bowling Green (No. 7) and Ohio (No. 9).