by our College Data Analytics Team
[Marketing](/majors/business-management-marketing-sales/marketing/) programs reward a close look at where graduates go on to earn the most. The highest-paying schools turn a marketing degree into the strongest early-career earnings.
To produce this 2026 ranking, College Factual evaluated 25 schools on the early-career earnings of their marketing graduates.
What’s on this page:
Below are the schools whose marketing graduates go on to earn the most.
For graduate earnings in marketing, no school beat University Of Illinois At Urbana Champaign this year. University Of Illinois At Urbana Champaign is a public school located in the city of Champaign. Students who complete the marketing program here go on to a median salary of roughly $89,257.
Strong graduate earnings at Millikin University earned it the #2 place for marketing. Set in the city of Decatur, Millikin University is a private not-for-profit institution. Marketing graduates of Millikin University earn a median of about $72,026 a year early in their careers.
Strong graduate earnings at Loyola University Chicago earned it the #3 place for marketing. Loyola University Chicago is a private not-for-profit school located in the city of Chicago. Early-career marketing graduates from Loyola University Chicago make a median of around $85,371 per year.
Strong graduate earnings at Concordia University Chicago earned it the #4 place for marketing. Set in the suburb of River Forest, Concordia University Chicago is a private not-for-profit institution. Marketing graduates of Concordia University Chicago earn a median of about $63,871 a year early in their careers.
Students chasing top earnings in marketing will find them at Illinois State University, which ranked #5. Illinois State University is a public school located in the suburb of Normal. After graduating, marketing degree recipients from Illinois State University typically earn about $76,346 annually.
Depaul University placed #6 among the highest-paying schools for marketing. Set in the city of Chicago, Depaul University is a private not-for-profit institution. Students who complete the marketing program here go on to a median salary of roughly $78,633.
Bradley University ranked #7 on our 2026 list of the highest-paying marketing schools. Bradley University is a private not-for-profit school located in the city of Peoria. Early-career marketing graduates from Bradley University make a median of around $72,856 per year.
Northern Illinois University landed the #8 spot for marketing salaries this year. Set in the suburb of Dekalb, Northern Illinois University is a public institution. Students who complete the marketing program here go on to a median salary of roughly $68,194.
Elmhurst College came in at #9 for marketing graduate earnings this year. Set in the suburb of Elmhurst, Elmhurst College is a private not-for-profit institution. Early-career marketing graduates from Elmhurst College make a median of around $81,964 per year.
Illinois Wesleyan University earned the #10 position for marketing graduate earnings this year. Set in the city of Bloomington, Illinois Wesleyan University is a private not-for-profit institution. Early-career marketing graduates from Illinois Wesleyan University make a median of around $56,684 per year.
Rasmussen College Illinois landed the #11 spot for marketing salaries this year. Located in the city of Rockford, Rasmussen College Illinois is a private for-profit institution. After graduating, marketing degree recipients from Rasmussen College Illinois typically earn about $48,894 annually.
Roosevelt University earned the #12 position for marketing graduate earnings this year. Set in the city of Chicago, Roosevelt University is a private not-for-profit institution. After graduating, marketing degree recipients from Roosevelt University typically earn about $72,354 annually.
Eastern Illinois University ranked #13 on our 2026 list of the highest-paying marketing schools. Located in the town of Charleston, Eastern Illinois University is a public institution. After graduating, marketing degree recipients from Eastern Illinois University typically earn about $63,447 annually.
University Of Illinois At Chicago earned the #14 position for marketing graduate earnings this year. Located in the city of Chicago, University Of Illinois At Chicago is a public institution. After graduating, marketing degree recipients from University Of Illinois At Chicago typically earn about $66,987 annually.
North Central College came in at #15 for marketing graduate earnings this year. Located in the city of Naperville, North Central College is a private not-for-profit institution. Early-career marketing graduates from North Central College make a median of around $62,422 per year.
Saint Xavier University earned the #16 position for marketing graduate earnings this year. Saint Xavier University is a private not-for-profit school located in the city of Chicago. Early-career marketing graduates from Saint Xavier University make a median of around $64,164 per year.
Lewis University landed the #17 spot for marketing salaries this year. Located in the suburb of Romeoville, Lewis University is a private not-for-profit institution. Early-career marketing graduates from Lewis University make a median of around $61,979 per year.
Western Illinois University placed #18 among the highest-paying schools for marketing. Western Illinois University is a public school located in the town of Macomb. Students who complete the marketing program here go on to a median salary of roughly $66,612.
Benedictine University ranked #19 on our 2026 list of the highest-paying marketing schools. Benedictine University is a private not-for-profit school located in the suburb of Lisle. After graduating, marketing degree recipients from Benedictine University typically earn about $59,654 annually.
Southern Illinois University Carbondale landed the #20 spot for marketing salaries this year. Southern Illinois University Carbondale is a public school located in the town of Carbondale. Early-career marketing graduates from Southern Illinois University Carbondale make a median of around $63,690 per year.
Aurora University placed #21 among the highest-paying schools for marketing. Set in the suburb of Aurora, Aurora University is a private not-for-profit institution. Marketing graduates of Aurora University earn a median of about $64,060 a year early in their careers.
Northeastern Illinois University earned the #22 position for marketing graduate earnings this year. Northeastern Illinois University is a public school located in the city of Chicago. Early-career marketing graduates from Northeastern Illinois University make a median of around $57,544 per year.
Olivet Nazarene University earned the #23 position for marketing graduate earnings this year. Olivet Nazarene University is a private not-for-profit school located in the suburb of Bourbonnais. Early-career marketing graduates from Olivet Nazarene University make a median of around $57,866 per year.
Columbia College Chicago placed #24 among the highest-paying schools for marketing. Located in the city of Chicago, Columbia College Chicago is a private not-for-profit institution. Students who complete the marketing program here go on to a median salary of roughly $62,207.
Mckendree University placed #25 among the highest-paying schools for marketing. Mckendree University is a private not-for-profit school located in the suburb of Lebanon. After graduating, marketing degree recipients from Mckendree University typically earn about $52,669 annually.
The ranking above is published by College Factual, 2026 edition. The methodology measures the salaries marketing graduates go on to earn early in their careers, drawn primarily from the U.S. Department of Education (College Scorecard field-of-study earnings and IPEDS).
Ranking method: College Major Earnings · 25 schools evaluated.
*Salary figures reflect median early-career earnings (about 5 years after graduation) and may vary by how long a person takes to complete their degree.
More about our data sources and methodologies.