DeKALB – The tens of thousands of dollars it costs to get a degree at Northern Illinois University is a better investment compared to the costs of other state colleges and similar institutions, according to a recent report.

PayScale, an organization that analyzes salary and career data released a report that shows the return on investment for students who earn a bachelor’s degree at NIU is better than almost all of the state’s 12 public, four-year universities, ranking behind only University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign and University of Illinois at Chicago.

The typical starting salary after graduation for an NIU graduate is $42,600.