ROI Major

Mathematics at Aurora University

IL · Bachelor's Degree · CIP 27.01

Data: 2026 release

Executive Summary

Graduates with a Mathematics degree from Aurora University earn a median salary of $60,021 within five years of graduation. Adjusted for the cost of living in IL, this represents a national purchasing power equivalent of $65,382. The degree typically pays for itself in 8.3 years.

Quick Insights

Slow Burn / High Debt Risk

How this degree looks at a glance

A fast read on salary range, break-even speed, living-cost impact, and where bachelor's graduates from this school usually land.

Salary Ranges

Starting Range

$49,171

Typical Career

$60,021

Top Performers

$73,157

Estimated break-even: 8.3 years.

Debt-to-Income Check

$400

Estimated comfortable monthly loan payment

Typical monthly pay is approximately $5,002. Most students can comfortably afford about a $400 monthly loan payment with this degree.

Comparison Bench

This degree earns 1.5x more than the average US high school graduate and 0.8x more than the average college graduate.

Purchasing Power Context

A dollar in Illinois buys what costs $0.92 nationally.

Industry Breadcrumbs

Top industries for bachelor's graduates from this school: Health Care & Social Assistance, Educational Services, Finance & Insurance.

Where Bachelor's Graduates from This School Work

Health Care & Social Assistance 31.1%
Educational Services 18.8%
Finance & Insurance 6.4%

Institution-wide industry mix for bachelor's graduates, 5 years after graduation. This is not major-specific. Source: Census PSEO Flows.

5-Year Median Salary — National Purchasing Power Equivalent

$65,382

Nominal: $60,021 in Illinois (COL 91.8% of national avg) · 8.9% higher purchasing power

10-Year Earnings Curve

Break-Even Timeline

How long until cumulative earnings advantage exceeds total college investment (tuition + opportunity cost vs. entering workforce directly after high school).

8.3 years to break even
Graduation 15 years

Total Investment

$155,168

4yr tuition + 4yr opportunity cost

HS Graduate Baseline

$38,792/yr

BLS 2023 median, HS diploma

View Raw Data: Median Earnings by Year
Timeframe 25th Pct. Median (50th) 75th Pct.
1 Year After Graduation $37,420 $44,939 $53,343
5 Years After Graduation $49,171 $60,021 $73,157
10 Years After Graduation $54,993 $72,204 $97,476

Source: US Census Bureau Post-Secondary Employment Outcomes (PSEO), 2025 release. Earnings shown for Bachelor's degree graduates (all cohorts combined).

How We Calculate Purchasing Power

The median salary of $60,021 is reported by the US Census Bureau's Post-Secondary Employment Outcomes (PSEO) dataset for graduates working in IL, which has a cost-of-living index of 91.8% of the national average.

Formula: Adjusted Salary = Nominal × (1.0 ÷ COL Index)
= $60,021 × (1.0 ÷ 0.9180) = $65,382 National Average equivalent.

COL index source: BLS Regional Consumer Price Index & MIT Living Wage Project, 2023. Full methodology →

Career Verdict

Graduates with a Mathematics degree from Aurora University experience a positive earnings trajectory over time. The median earnings one year after graduation stand at $44,939, which increases to $60,021 after five years and reaches $72,204 after a decade. When adjusted for purchasing power, the five-year salary aligns with a national equivalent of $65,382.35, indicating that graduates maintain a competitive edge in the job market despite the cost of living in Illinois being slightly lower than the national average.

The top industries for Mathematics graduates include Health Care & Social Assistance (31.1%), Educational Services (18.8%), and Finance & Insurance (6.4%). This distribution suggests a diverse range of career opportunities, particularly in sectors that are essential and growing. With an estimated break-even point of approximately 8.3 years compared to a high-school-only path, the return on investment for pursuing a Mathematics degree at Aurora University appears favorable, supporting long-term financial benefits for graduates.

AI-assisted editorial analysis based on Census PSEO data. Fact-checked against source data.

Compare with Another School

See how the Mathematics degree at Aurora University stacks up against another institution side-by-side.

Data sources: US Census Bureau Post-Secondary Employment Outcomes (PSEO). Cost-of-living index: BLS Regional CPI & MIT Living Wage Project. Cost of attendance: IPEDS. For informational use only; data may be suppressed for small cohort sizes.

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