HEAD-TO-HEAD · 30-YEAR ROI

University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign vs University of Illinois Chicago

University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign clears +$2.31M in 30-year net value, University of Illinois Chicago +$1.37M — both pay off, University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign by +$938K.

Two Illinois public flagships, priced the way an in-state student actually pays. Same state, same residency — so the only thing moving the number is the school.

IPEDS 2023 tuition · FREOPP 2021 earnings · BEA 2023 cost-of-living · resident (in-state) pricing · same model as /worth-it · both schools NPV-positive.

University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign · Champaign, IL

clears more

30-year net value
+$2.31M
Total cost of attendance
$127,992
Median earnings · 10 yrs out
$69,545
Breaks even by age
35

University of Illinois Chicago · Chicago, IL

30-year net value
+$1.37M
Total cost of attendance
$121,664
Median earnings · 10 yrs out
$59,043
Breaks even by age
45
How this is computed (and what it isn’t)

Each school runs through the /worth-it model at its resident tuition rate, with the same loan assumptions, the same 30-year horizon, and each state’s own cost-of-living. The “30-year net value” is the projected accumulated value of the degree over that horizon, in real dollars — the same figure the calculator headlines.

We only publish pairs where both schools clear positive net value, so the comparison is “both pay off, one clears more,” never “this school is a bad bet.” Earnings are rolled up from at least three FREOPP programs per school (ADR-0032), so a single high-earning major can’t distort the number.

Cite this:

LE TEEN (2026). “University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign vs University of Illinois Chicago: 30-year ROI head-to-head.” Data: IPEDS 2023 · FREOPP 2021 · BEA 2023. https://le-teen.com/compare/illinois-vs-uic

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Questions

Is University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign or University of Illinois Chicago a better return on investment?
On a 30-year net-value basis at resident (in-state) pricing, University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign clears +$2.31M and University of Illinois Chicago +$1.37M — both are solidly positive, so neither is a bad bet; University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign comes out ahead by +$938K. Figures from IPEDS 2023 tuition, FREOPP 2021 earnings, and BEA 2023 cost-of-living, run through the same model as the LE TEEN calculator.
How much more does University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign pay off than University of Illinois Chicago?
About +$938K over a 30-year horizon (+$2.31M vs +$1.37M in projected net value). That gap reflects each school's net price and its graduates' median earnings — not a judgment that either degree fails to pay off, since both clear positive.
What is the 30-year net value of a degree from University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign?
+$2.31M at resident (in-state) pricing — total cost of attendance $127,992, median earnings ten years out $69,545, breaking even around age 35. Run your own assumptions on the /worth-it calculator.