COLLEGES · 30-YEAR ROI · CHICAGO, IL

Is Northeastern Illinois University worth the money?

Yes — at resident pricing. A Northeastern Illinois University degree clears +$1.02M in 30-year projected net value over skipping college and investing the difference.

A public four-year school in Chicago, Illinois, priced as a Illinois resident — earnings rolled up from 28 FREOPP-reported programs.

IPEDS 2023 cost · FREOPP 2021 earnings · BEA 2023 cost-of-living · same model as /worth-it · this school clears positive net value.

Northeastern Illinois University · Chicago, IL

30-year net value · resident pricing
+$1.02M
30-year net value · non-resident
+$672K
Median earnings · 10 yrs after entry
$52,746
Breaks even by age
—
Annual tuition · Illinois resident
$12,383
Annual tuition · out-of-state
$22,726
Total cost of attendance (4 years, sticker)
$92,500
Total cost of attendance · out-of-state
$133,872
FREOPP program coverage
28 programs

The out-of-state tax in Illinois, ranked

How this is computed (and what it isn’t)

Northeastern Illinois University runs through the /worth-it model at its resident tuition rate, with the standard loan assumptions, a 30-year horizon, and Illinois’s own cost-of-living on the skip-college path. The “30-year net value” is the projected accumulated value of going vs. skipping and investing the difference, in real dollars.

What it isn’t: a verdict on every major. The school-level number averages across 28 FREOPP-reported programs — the field you pick swings it by over a million dollars on its own. We only publish school pages that clear positive net value at resident pricing; earnings roll up from at least three FREOPP programs (ADR-0032), so a single high-earning major can’t fake the number.

Questions

Is Northeastern Illinois University worth the money?
At resident pricing, yes: Northeastern Illinois University clears +$1.02M in 30-year projected net value versus skipping college and investing the difference. That is computed from a total cost of attendance of $92,500 and median earnings of $52,746 ten years after entry (IPEDS 2023 cost, FREOPP 2021 earnings, BEA 2023 cost-of-living — the same model as the LE TEEN calculator).
How much is tuition at Northeastern Illinois University?
Northeastern Illinois University's annual sticker tuition is $12,383 for Illinois residents and $22,726 for out-of-state students, before financial aid. Total cost of attendance over 4 years — tuition plus fees, housing, and living costs — is $92,500 (IPEDS 2023).
What is the total cost of Northeastern Illinois University?
Over 4 years, Northeastern Illinois University's sticker cost of attendance is $92,500 at resident pricing, or $133,872 out-of-state — tuition, fees, housing, and living costs at Illinois prices, before financial aid. Median earnings ten years after entry are $52,746.
What is out-of-state tuition at Northeastern Illinois University?
Non-resident annual sticker tuition at Northeastern Illinois University is $22,726, versus $12,383 for Illinois residents — a premium of $10,343 a year. Even at the non-resident rate, Northeastern Illinois University clears positive 30-year net value.
How long until a Northeastern Illinois University degree pays for itself?
Under our defaults the degree path finishes +$1.02M ahead at the 30-year horizon; the year-by-year crossover depends on your loan share and time horizon — run your own assumptions on the calculator.
What could change the number for Northeastern Illinois University?
Two levers dominate. Residency: this page prices Northeastern Illinois University as a Illinois resident; at non-resident tuition it still clears +$672K, but the gap is real money (see the out-of-state tax in Illinois). And the major: the field you pick swings lifetime ROI by over a million dollars on its own (see the majors pages).

Keep going

Cite this:

LE TEEN (2026). “Is Northeastern Illinois University worth the money? 30-year ROI.” Data: IPEDS 2023 · FREOPP 2021 · BEA 2023. https://le-teen.com/colleges/northeastern-illinois-university