How much debt do Davenport University marketing graduates have?

The median federal loan balance is $25,000, which ranks 7th lowest of 18 marketing bachelor's programs in Michigan. That works out to about $265 a month over 10 years.

Is a marketing degree from Davenport University worth it?

It depends on your other options. Debt equals 58% of first-year earnings, against a national median of 53%. Compare the cost with other Michigan programs before deciding.

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

Q: Do Davenport University marketing graduates stay in Michigan?

Most do. 84% (75 of 89) were working in Michigan one year after graduating.

Bachelor's in Marketing
Private nonprofit university
Grand Rapids, MI
About 69 graduates a year

College Scorecard June 2026 release · BLS wages May 2025

The short answer

Davenport University marketing graduates earn about what marketing graduates earn nationally, $43,093 in their first year. The typical graduate leaves with $25,000 in federal loans, close to the national median of $24,250. Several Michigan programs report higher pay.

First-year earnings$43,09339th percentile of 471 programs nationally

Earnings after 5 years$57,63434% more than year one

Median federal debt$25,0007th lowest of 18 Michigan programs

Debt-to-earnings58%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.

	Davenport University	Michigan	National
Earnings, 1 year after graduating	$43,093	$44,596	$44,567
Earnings, 5 years after graduating	$57,634	$62,635	$64,125
Median federal debt at graduation	$25,000	$25,310	$24,250
Debt as share of first-year pay	58%	53%	53%
Programs compared		18	471

Five years out, Davenport University graduates earn less than the national figure and about $5,001 less than the Michigan median. Several Michigan programs with higher debt show higher pay by the five-year mark.

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.

Davenport 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 34% between the first and fifth year.

Davenport University grads, year 1$43,093

Davenport University grads, year 5$57,634

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 $4,244 less in their first year than other graduates. They also borrowed more. Students who expect to rely on grants should weigh this gap.

Pell Grant recipients, year 1 earnings$38,469Median debt $29,750

Other graduates, year 1 earnings$42,713Median debt $22,750

Paying back the loans

On a standard 10-year plan, the median debt means a payment of about $265 a month, or 7.4% of a graduate's typical monthly pay in the first year.

Two years into repayment (91 borrowers)	Share
Paid off in full	20% or less
Paying down the balance	20–39%
Paused payments (forbearance)	20–39%
In default	20% 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, 32 parents took out Parent PLUS loans for these students, with a median of $21,426.

Where graduates work, and what the pay is worth

84% of graduates (75 of 89) were working in Michigan one year after graduating. Prices in the Grand Rapids area are about 4% below the national average, so a $43,093 salary here buys what about $45,102 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 Davenport University

Tuition and fees	$24,466 / year
Average net price after aid	$17,707 / year
Admission rate	98%
Graduation rate (within 6 years)	57%
Undergraduate students	3,134

Marketing ranks 11th of 13 bachelor's programs at Davenport University by first-year earnings. The top three are Nursing ($72,486), Computer Science ($60,031), and Computer Networking ($57,502).

Other marketing bachelor's programs near Grand Rapids

School	Distance	Year 1 pay	Debt
Davenport UniversityGrand Rapids, MI · private nonprofit		$43,093	$25,000
Cornerstone UniversityGrand Rapids, MI · private nonprofit	10 mi	$42,627	$21,488
Grand Valley StateAllendale, MI · public	20 mi	$46,022	$25,000
Western Michigan UniversityKalamazoo, MI · public	39 mi	$53,081	$25,750
Michigan StateEast Lansing, MI · public	54 mi	$57,275	$23,896
Ferris StateBig Rapids, MI · public	58 mi	$39,668	$25,450

Common questions

The median graduate earns $43,093 one year after graduating and $57,634 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 Davenport University programs, ranked17 programs by pay and debt