How much debt do University of Minnesota-Duluth marketing graduates have?

The median federal loan balance is $25,000, which ranks 8th lowest of 17 marketing bachelor's programs in Minnesota. That works out to about $265 a month over 10 years.

Is a marketing degree from University of Minnesota-Duluth worth it?

On the numbers, yes for most students. Debt equals 46% of first-year earnings, against a national median of 53%, and the share of borrowers in default two years into repayment is 10% or less. If the highest possible early salary is the main goal, several Minnesota programs report higher pay.

University of Minnesota-Duluth Marketing (Bachelor's): Tuition, Graduate Salary, and Debt

Q: Do University of Minnesota-Duluth marketing graduates stay in Minnesota?

Most do. 83% (142 of 172) were working in Minnesota one year after graduating.

Bachelor's in Marketing
Public university
Duluth, MN
About 102 graduates a year

College Scorecard June 2026 release · BLS wages May 2025

The short answer

University of Minnesota-Duluth marketing graduates earn more than graduates of most marketing programs nationally, $53,800 in their first year. The typical graduate leaves with $25,000 in federal loans, close to the national median of $24,250. It is one of the higher-paying marketing degrees in Minnesota.

First-year earnings$53,80088th percentile of 471 programs nationally

Earnings after 5 years$74,48638% more than year one

Median federal debt$25,0008th lowest of 17 Minnesota programs

Debt-to-earnings46%Minnesota median 51%, national 53%

How it compares

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

	University of Minnesota-Duluth	Minnesota	National
Earnings, 1 year after graduating	$53,800	$49,439	$44,567
Earnings, 5 years after graduating	$74,486	$65,966	$64,125
Median federal debt at graduation	$25,000	$25,000	$24,250
Debt as share of first-year pay	46%	51%	53%
Programs compared		17	471

Five years out, University of Minnesota-Duluth graduates earn more than the national figure and about $8,521 more than the Minnesota median.

Debt and first-year pay at every Minnesota marketing program

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

University of Minnesota-DuluthOther Minnesota 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 38% between the first and fifth year.

University of Minnesota-Duluth grads, year 1$53,800

University of Minnesota-Duluth grads, year 5$74,486

All Minnesota marketing grads, year 5$65,966

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 $3,619 less in their first year than other graduates. Students who expect to rely on grants should weigh this gap.

Pell Grant recipients, year 1 earnings$51,725Median debt $24,500

Other graduates, year 1 earnings$55,344Median debt $25,000

Paying back the loans

On a standard 10-year plan, the median debt means a payment of about $265 a month, or 5.9% of a graduate's typical monthly pay in the first year.

Two years into repayment (143 borrowers)	Share
Paid off in full	10–19%
Paying down the balance	50–59%
Paused payments (forbearance)	10% or less
In default	10% 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, 41 parents took out Parent PLUS loans for these students, with a median of $12,248.

Where graduates work, and what the pay is worth

83% of graduates (142 of 172) were working in Minnesota one year after graduating. Prices in the Duluth area are about 11% below the national average, so a $53,800 salary here buys what about $60,607 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

$87,510

Median pay in Minnesota. 21,280 people work in this job in Minnesota. 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%: $50,400Top 10%: $143,180

Sales Managers

$151,670

Median pay in Minnesota. 11,240 people work in this job in Minnesota. 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%: $79,900Top 10%: $258,460

Marketing Managers

$173,300

Median pay in Minnesota. 8,500 people work in this job in Minnesota. 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%: $103,160Top 10%: $303,350

Web and Digital Interface Designers

$82,650

Median pay in Minnesota. 1,520 people work in this job in Minnesota. 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%: $47,190Top 10%: $133,710

About University of Minnesota-Duluth

In-state tuition and fees	$14,610 / year
Out-of-state tuition and fees	$20,130 / year
Average net price after aid	$18,743 / year
Admission rate	89%
Graduation rate (within 6 years)	65%
Undergraduate students	7,336

Marketing ranks 10th of 41 bachelor's programs at University of Minnesota-Duluth by first-year earnings. The top three are Industrial Engineering ($77,781), Electrical Engineering ($74,197), and Computer Science ($73,224).

Other marketing bachelor's programs near Duluth

School	Distance	Year 1 pay	Debt
University of Minnesota-DuluthDuluth, MN · public		$53,800	$25,000
College of Saint ScholasticaDuluth, MN · private nonprofit	1 mi	$52,732	$25,000

Common questions

The median graduate earns $53,800 one year after graduating and $74,486 five years after. The median across marketing bachelor's programs in Minnesota is $49,439.

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 Minnesota 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 Minnesota, ranked17 programs by pay and debt Marketing bachelor's programs in the US, ranked471 programs by pay and debt All University of Minnesota-Duluth programs, ranked41 programs by pay and debt