How much debt do Austin Peay marketing graduates have?

The median federal loan balance is $23,291, which ranks 8th lowest of 9 marketing bachelor's programs in Tennessee. That works out to about $247 a month over 10 years.

Is a marketing degree from Austin Peay worth it?

It depends on your other options. Debt equals 74% of first-year earnings, against a national median of 53%. Compare the cost with other Tennessee programs before deciding.

Austin Peay Marketing (Bachelor's): Tuition, Graduate Salary, and Debt

Q: Do Austin Peay marketing graduates stay in Tennessee?

Most do. 81% (29 of 36) were working in Tennessee one year after graduating.

Bachelor's in Marketing
Public university
Clarksville, TN
About 62 graduates a year

College Scorecard June 2026 release · BLS wages May 2025

The short answer

Austin Peay marketing graduates earn less than graduates of most marketing programs nationally, $31,334 in their first year. The typical graduate leaves with $23,291 in federal loans, close to the national median of $24,250. Several Tennessee programs report higher pay.

First-year earnings$31,3344th percentile of 471 programs nationally

Median federal debt$23,2918th lowest of 9 Tennessee programs

Debt-to-earnings74%Tennessee median 50%, national 53%

How it compares

Each figure is the median for graduates of the program. The Tennessee and national columns are the medians across all marketing bachelor's programs that report the figure.

	Austin Peay	Tennessee	National
Earnings, 1 year after graduating	$31,334	$40,825	$44,567
Median federal debt at graduation	$23,291	$21,819	$24,250
Debt as share of first-year pay	74%	50%	53%
Programs compared		10	471

Debt and first-year pay at every Tennessee marketing program

Programs in the upper left give graduates higher pay for less debt. Dashed lines mark the Tennessee medians.

Austin PeayOther Tennessee programs

Hover over or tap a dot to see the school. Only programs that report both earnings and debt are shown.

Paying back the loans

On a standard 10-year plan, the median debt means a payment of about $247 a month, or 9.5% of a graduate's typical monthly pay in the first year.

Where graduates work, and what the pay is worth

81% of graduates (29 of 36) were working in Tennessee one year after graduating. Prices in the Clarksville area are about 9% below the national average, so a $31,334 salary here buys what about $34,453 buys in a typical US city.

Careers this field leads to

These are the jobs that the federal crosswalk from fields of study to occupations links to marketing, largest first. Pay is the median across all experience levels.

Market Research Analysts and Marketing Specialists

$69,790

Median pay in Tennessee. 13,040 people work in this job in Tennessee. Nationally, jobs are projected to grow 7% from 2025 to 2035, with about 82,000 openings a year. Typical education to start: bachelor's degree.

Bottom 10%: $39,480Top 10%: $134,740

Sales Managers

$128,040

Median pay in Tennessee. 12,270 people work in this job in Tennessee. Nationally, jobs are projected to grow 5% from 2025 to 2035, with about 47,300 openings a year. Typical education to start: bachelor's degree, plus less than 5 years of related work experience.

Bottom 10%: $67,220Top 10%: $231,830

Marketing Managers

$131,990

Median pay in Tennessee. 7,730 people work in this job in Tennessee. Nationally, jobs are projected to grow 7% from 2025 to 2035, with about 34,000 openings a year. Typical education to start: bachelor's degree, plus 5 years or more of related work experience.

Bottom 10%: $78,790Top 10%: $222,680

Web and Digital Interface Designers

$63,510

Median pay in Tennessee. 3,610 people work in this job in Tennessee. Nationally, jobs are projected to grow 6% from 2025 to 2035, with about 8,300 openings a year. Typical education to start: bachelor's degree.

Bottom 10%: $45,510Top 10%: $83,220

About Austin Peay

In-state tuition and fees	$9,006 / year
Out-of-state tuition and fees	$14,766 / year
Average net price after aid	$9,735 / year
Admission rate	96%
Graduation rate (within 6 years)	40%
Undergraduate students	7,560

Marketing ranks 23rd of 27 bachelor's programs at Austin Peay by first-year earnings. The top three are Medical Laboratory Science ($70,028), Nursing ($68,235), and Computer Systems Analysis ($65,084).

Other marketing bachelor's programs near Clarksville

School	Distance	Year 1 pay	Debt
Austin PeayClarksville, TN · public		$31,334	$23,291
Lipscomb UniversityNashville, TN · private nonprofit	43 mi	$41,660	$24,625
Murray StateMurray, KY · public	54 mi	$45,042	$21,997
Western Kentucky UniversityBowling Green, KY · public	59 mi	$42,478	$23,250

Common questions

The median graduate earns $31,334 one year after graduating. The median across marketing bachelor's programs in Tennessee is $40,825.

About this data

Earnings and debt only include students who received federal financial aid (grants or loans).
Earnings only count graduates who were working and not enrolled in more school. Graduates who went straight to further study are not included.
Debt only includes federal loans. Private loans and credit cards are not counted.
Some schools with several campuses report one combined figure for all of them. We count each of those schools once, and leave them out of Tennessee comparisons when their main campus is in another state.
Scorecard figures describe graduating classes from several years ago. BLS wages are from May 2025.
School-level numbers like tuition, admission rate, and graduation rate are for the whole school, not the marketing program.

Sources

U.S. Department of Education, College Scorecard, field of study and institution files, June 2026 release
Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025
Bureau of Labor Statistics, Employment Projections 2025 to 2035
Bureau of Economic Analysis, Regional Price Parities, 2024
NCES, CIP 2020 to SOC 2018 crosswalk, and IPEDS institution directory, 2024

Marketing bachelor's programs in Tennessee, ranked10 programs by pay and debt Marketing bachelor's programs in the US, ranked471 programs by pay and debt All Austin Peay programs, ranked28 programs by pay and debt