How much debt do UM-Dearborn marketing graduates have?

The median federal loan balance is $23,625, which ranks 4th lowest of 18 marketing bachelor's programs in Michigan. That works out to about $250 a month over 10 years.

Is a marketing degree from UM-Dearborn worth it?

On the numbers, yes for most students. Debt equals 51% of first-year earnings, against a national median of 53%, and the share of borrowers in default two years into repayment is 20% or less. If the highest possible early salary is the main goal, several Michigan programs report higher pay, usually with more debt.

UM-Dearborn Marketing (Bachelor's): Tuition, Graduate Salary, and Debt

Q: Do UM-Dearborn marketing graduates stay in Michigan?

Most do. 91% (73 of 80) were working in Michigan one year after graduating.

Bachelor's in Marketing
Public university
Dearborn, MI
About 64 graduates a year

College Scorecard June 2026 release · BLS wages May 2025

The short answer

UM-Dearborn marketing graduates earn about what marketing graduates earn nationally, $46,664 in their first year. The typical graduate leaves with $23,625 in federal loans, close to the national median of $24,250. Several Michigan programs report higher pay.

First-year earnings$46,66461st percentile of 471 programs nationally

Earnings after 5 years$76,21063% more than year one

Median federal debt$23,6254th lowest of 18 Michigan programs

Debt-to-earnings51%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.

	UM-Dearborn	Michigan	National
Earnings, 1 year after graduating	$46,664	$44,596	$44,567
Earnings, 5 years after graduating	$76,210	$62,635	$64,125
Median federal debt at graduation	$23,625	$25,310	$24,250
Debt as share of first-year pay	51%	53%	53%
Programs compared		18	471

Five years out, UM-Dearborn graduates earn more than the national figure and about $13,575 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.

UM-DearbornOther 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 63% between the first and fifth year.

UM-Dearborn grads, year 1$46,664

UM-Dearborn grads, year 5$76,210

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 $5,918 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$45,100Median debt $26,470

Other graduates, year 1 earnings$51,018Median debt $20,576

Paying back the loans

On a standard 10-year plan, the median debt means a payment of about $250 a month, or 6.4% of a graduate's typical monthly pay in the first year.

Two years into repayment (67 borrowers)	Share
Paid off in full	20% or less
Paying down the balance	40–59%
Paused payments (forbearance)	20% or less
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, 19 parents took out Parent PLUS loans for these students, with a median of $12,650.

Where graduates work, and what the pay is worth

91% of graduates (73 of 80) were working in Michigan one year after graduating. Prices in the Detroit area are about the same as the national average.

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 UM-Dearborn

In-state tuition and fees	$15,640 / year
Out-of-state tuition and fees	$32,896 / year
Average net price after aid	$9,492 / year
Admission rate	56%
Graduation rate (within 6 years)	58%
Undergraduate students	5,952

Marketing ranks 13th of 23 bachelor's programs at UM-Dearborn by first-year earnings. The top three are Computer Programming ($80,830), Computer Engineering ($79,022), and Electrical Engineering ($78,942).

Other marketing bachelor's programs near Dearborn

School	Distance	Year 1 pay	Debt
UM-DearbornDearborn, MI · public		$46,664	$23,625
Wayne StateDetroit, MI · public	9 mi	$47,929	$24,382
Walsh CollegeTroy, MI · private nonprofit	18 mi	$40,882	$15,150
Eastern Michigan UniversityYpsilanti, MI · public	21 mi	$44,812	$27,000
Oakland UniversityRochester Hills, MI · public	25 mi	$50,087	$25,715
University of ToledoToledo, OH · public	49 mi	$51,006	$24,885
Adrian CollegeAdrian, MI · private nonprofit	51 mi	$44,122	$27,000
UM-FlintFlint, MI · public	54 mi	$44,379	$29,000

Common questions

The median graduate earns $46,664 one year after graduating and $76,210 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 UM-Dearborn programs, ranked23 programs by pay and debt