How much debt do Western Connecticut State marketing graduates have?

The median federal loan balance is $23,535, which ranks 3rd lowest of 7 marketing bachelor's programs in Connecticut. That works out to about $250 a month over 10 years.

Is a marketing degree from Western Connecticut State worth it?

On the numbers, yes for most students. Debt equals 51% of first-year earnings, against a national median of 53%. If the highest possible early salary is the main goal, several Connecticut programs report higher pay, usually with more debt.

Western Connecticut State Marketing (Bachelor's): Tuition, Graduate Salary, and Debt

Q: Do Western Connecticut State marketing graduates stay in Connecticut?

Most do. 74% (40 of 54) were working in Connecticut one year after graduating.

Bachelor's in Marketing
Public university
Danbury, CT
About 46 graduates a year

College Scorecard June 2026 release · BLS wages May 2025

The short answer

Western Connecticut State marketing graduates earn about what marketing graduates earn nationally, $45,967 in their first year. The typical graduate leaves with $23,535 in federal loans, close to the national median of $24,250. Several Connecticut programs report higher pay.

First-year earnings$45,96758th percentile of 471 programs nationally

Earnings after 5 years$60,70532% more than year one

Median federal debt$23,5353rd lowest of 7 Connecticut programs

Debt-to-earnings51%Connecticut median 51%, national 53%

How it compares

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

	Western Connecticut State	Connecticut	National
Earnings, 1 year after graduating	$45,967	$52,059	$44,567
Earnings, 5 years after graduating	$60,705	$66,012	$64,125
Median federal debt at graduation	$23,535	$26,000	$24,250
Debt as share of first-year pay	51%	51%	53%
Programs compared		7	471

Five years out, Western Connecticut State graduates earn less than the national figure and about $5,307 less than the Connecticut median.

Debt and first-year pay at every Connecticut marketing program

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

Western Connecticut StateOther Connecticut 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 32% between the first and fifth year.

Western Connecticut State grads, year 1$45,967

Western Connecticut State grads, year 5$60,705

All Connecticut marketing grads, year 5$66,012

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 $2,541 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$45,409Median debt $25,000

Other graduates, year 1 earnings$47,950Median debt $20,000

Paying back the loans

On a standard 10-year plan, the median debt means a payment of about $250 a month, or 6.5% of a graduate's typical monthly pay in the first year.

Two years into repayment (43 borrowers)	Share
Paying down the balance	40–59%

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.

Where graduates work, and what the pay is worth

74% of graduates (40 of 54) were working in Connecticut one year after graduating. Prices in the Bridgeport area are about 7% above the national average, so a $45,967 salary here buys what about $43,014 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

$77,740

Median pay in Connecticut. 9,930 people work in this job in Connecticut. 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%: $46,280Top 10%: $138,980

Sales Managers

$162,110

Median pay in Connecticut. 8,560 people work in this job in Connecticut. 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%: $92,530Top 10%: $281,490

Marketing Managers

$169,240

Median pay in Connecticut. 5,800 people work in this job in Connecticut. 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%: $101,330Top 10%: $283,930

Web and Digital Interface Designers

$94,660

Median pay in Connecticut. 1,060 people work in this job in Connecticut. 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%: $53,240Top 10%: $131,470

About Western Connecticut State

In-state tuition and fees	$13,401 / year
Out-of-state tuition and fees	$16,901 / year
Average net price after aid	$17,604 / year
Admission rate	87%
Graduation rate (within 6 years)	52%
Undergraduate students	3,511

Marketing ranks 6th of 19 bachelor's programs at Western Connecticut State by first-year earnings. The top three are Nursing ($86,600), Computer and Information Science ($77,969), and Accounting ($58,144).

Other marketing bachelor's programs near Danbury

School	Distance	Year 1 pay	Debt
Western Connecticut StateDanbury, CT · public		$45,967	$23,535
Sacred Heart UniversityFairfield, CT · private nonprofit	16 mi	$40,891	$26,434
Fairfield UniversityFairfield, CT · private nonprofit	19 mi	$53,891	$27,000
Post UniversityWaterbury, CT · private for-profit	21 mi	$54,931	$28,524
Quinnipiac UniversityHamden, CT · private nonprofit	29 mi	$52,059	$26,000
Manhattanville UniversityPurchase, NY · private nonprofit	29 mi	$32,318	$22,250
Iona UniversityNew Rochelle, NY · private nonprofit	37 mi	$39,595	$24,000
Central Connecticut StateNew Britain, CT · public	40 mi	$39,477	$23,500
SUNY New PaltzNew Paltz, NY · public	41 mi	$37,946	$20,500

Common questions

The median graduate earns $45,967 one year after graduating and $60,705 five years after. The median across marketing bachelor's programs in Connecticut is $52,059.

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 Connecticut 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 Connecticut, ranked7 programs by pay and debt Marketing bachelor's programs in the US, ranked471 programs by pay and debt All Western Connecticut State programs, ranked19 programs by pay and debt