How much debt do Central Michigan University marketing graduates have?

The median federal loan balance is $27,000, which ranks 14th lowest of 18 marketing bachelor's programs in Michigan. That works out to about $286 a month over 10 years.

Is a marketing degree from Central Michigan University worth it?

On the numbers, yes for most students. Debt equals 49% of first-year earnings, against a national median of 53%, and the share of borrowers in default two years into repayment is 5% or less.

Central Michigan University Marketing (Bachelor's): Tuition, Graduate Salary, and Debt

Q: Do Central Michigan University marketing graduates stay in Michigan?

Most do. 76% (250 of 328) were working in Michigan one year after graduating.

Bachelor's in Marketing
Public university
Mount Pleasant, MI
About 80 graduates a year

College Scorecard June 2026 release · BLS wages May 2025

The short answer

Central Michigan University marketing graduates earn more than graduates of most marketing programs nationally, $55,296 in their first year. Debt is high. The typical graduate leaves with $27,000 in federal loans, more than at 79% of marketing programs in the country. It is one of the higher-paying marketing degrees in Michigan.

First-year earnings$55,29691st percentile of 471 programs nationally

Earnings after 5 years$80,06945% more than year one

Median federal debt$27,00014th lowest of 18 Michigan programs

Debt-to-earnings49%Michigan median 53%, national 53%

How it compares

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

	Central Michigan University	Michigan	National
Earnings, 1 year after graduating	$55,296	$44,596	$44,567
Earnings, 5 years after graduating	$80,069	$62,635	$64,125
Median federal debt at graduation	$27,000	$25,310	$24,250
Debt as share of first-year pay	49%	53%	53%
Programs compared		18	471

Five years out, Central Michigan University graduates earn more than the national figure and about $17,434 more than the Michigan median.

Debt and first-year pay at every Michigan marketing program

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

Central Michigan UniversityOther Michigan programs

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

What graduates earn over time

Pay rises about 45% between the first and fifth year.

Central Michigan University grads, year 1$55,296

Central Michigan University grads, year 5$80,069

All Michigan marketing grads, year 5$62,635

Year 1 and year 5 figures come from different graduating classes, so the growth rate is an estimate.

Does family income change the outcome?

Graduates who received Pell Grants, which go to students from lower-income families, earned about the same in their first year as other graduates, but borrowed more: a median of $29,000 against $26,003.

Pell Grant recipients, year 1 earnings$54,435Median debt $29,000

Other graduates, year 1 earnings$56,102Median debt $26,003

Paying back the loans

On a standard 10-year plan, the median debt means a payment of about $286 a month, or 6.2% of a graduate's typical monthly pay in the first year.

Two years into repayment (242 borrowers)	Share
Paid off in full	10–14%
Paying down the balance	50–54%
Paused payments (forbearance)	5% or less
In default	5% or less

The government publishes these as ranges to protect privacy. They were measured in 2018 to 2020, partly during the pandemic pause on federal loan payments, so the forbearance share may be higher than usual. Separately, 125 parents took out Parent PLUS loans for these students, with a median of $27,666.

Where graduates work, and what the pay is worth

76% of graduates (250 of 328) were working in Michigan one year after graduating. Prices in the parts of Michigan outside metro areas are about 11% below the national average, so a $55,296 salary here buys what about $62,150 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

$66,780

Median pay in Michigan. 24,220 people work in this job in Michigan. 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%: $40,930Top 10%: $127,190

Sales Managers

$136,870

Median pay in Michigan. 17,950 people work in this job in Michigan. 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%: $69,790Top 10%: $230,070

Marketing Managers

$138,510

Median pay in Michigan. 6,620 people work in this job in Michigan. 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%: $80,260Top 10%: $222,910

Web and Digital Interface Designers

$81,010

Median pay in Michigan. 1,750 people work in this job in Michigan. 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%: $42,660Top 10%: $140,830

About Central Michigan University

Tuition and fees	$14,760 / year
Average net price after aid	$17,597 / year
Admission rate	90%
Graduation rate (within 6 years)	59%
Undergraduate students	10,035

Marketing ranks 10th of 53 bachelor's programs at Central Michigan University by first-year earnings. The top three are Computer Science ($74,135), Electrical Engineering ($71,457), and Mechanical Engineering ($69,862).

Other marketing bachelor's programs near Mount Pleasant

School	Distance	Year 1 pay	Debt
Central Michigan UniversityMount Pleasant, MI · public		$55,296	$27,000
Northwood UniversityMidland, MI · private nonprofit	25 mi	$40,297	$25,169
Ferris StateBig Rapids, MI · public	36 mi	$39,668	$25,450
Saginaw Valley StateUniversity Center, MI · public	41 mi	$44,376	$26,000
Baker CollegeOwosso, MI · private nonprofit	52 mi	$45,136	$36,504
Cornerstone UniversityGrand Rapids, MI · private nonprofit	59 mi	$42,627	$21,488

Common questions

The median graduate earns $55,296 one year after graduating and $80,069 five years after. The median across marketing bachelor's programs in Michigan is $44,596.

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 Michigan 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 Michigan, ranked18 programs by pay and debt Marketing bachelor's programs in the US, ranked471 programs by pay and debt All Central Michigan University programs, ranked53 programs by pay and debt