Best Marketing Degrees in the US by ROI
Top colleges ranked by estimated 20-year net return on investment across all active states. Data from the U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard.
Programs Analyzed
32
Colleges with salary data
Average 20-Yr Net ROI
+$573,424
Across all programs
Average Annual Cost
$48,577
Cost of attendance
| # | College | State | 20-Yr Net ROI | Median Salary | Annual Cost | Avg Debt | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 |
University of Pennsylvania
Grad rate: 96.5% |
PA | +$2,544,244 | $177,786 | $85,738 | N/A | Full ROI → |
| 2 |
University of Southern California
Grad rate: 92.2% |
CA | +$1,883,524 | $144,644 | $84,678 | N/A | Full ROI → |
| 3 |
University of Wisconsin-Madison
Grad rate: 89.3% |
WI | +$1,711,600 | $130,357 | $27,770 | N/A | Full ROI → |
| 4 |
Vanderbilt University
Grad rate: 92.7% |
TN | +$1,426,256 | $121,754 | $84,412 | N/A | Full ROI → |
| 5 |
Southern Methodist University
Grad rate: 82.8% |
TX | +$1,140,976 | $107,302 | $82,532 | N/A | Full ROI → |
| 6 |
Boston University
Grad rate: 89.5% |
MA | +$958,692 | $98,204 | $82,694 | N/A | Full ROI → |
| 7 |
University of Georgia
Grad rate: 87.6% |
GA | +$929,488 | $91,218 | $27,436 | N/A | Full ROI → |
| 8 |
University of Colorado Denver/Anschutz Medical Campus
Grad rate: 45.6% |
CO | +$804,942 | $84,584 | $23,369 | N/A | Full ROI → |
| 9 |
Johns Hopkins University
Grad rate: 94.3% |
MD | +$737,460 | $87,003 | $81,300 | N/A | Full ROI → |
| 10 |
The University of Texas at Dallas
Grad rate: 70.2% |
TX | +$685,280 | $79,085 | $28,210 | N/A | Full ROI → |
| 11 |
University of Redlands
Grad rate: 69.0% |
CA | +$680,834 | $83,065 | $70,233 | N/A | Full ROI → |
| 12 |
Bentley University
Grad rate: 88.1% |
MA | +$672,876 | $83,352 | $77,082 | N/A | Full ROI → |
| 13 |
Suffolk University
Grad rate: 60.1% |
MA | +$659,716 | $81,268 | $62,822 | N/A | Full ROI → |
| 14 |
Texas A&M University-College Station
Grad rate: 83.7% |
TX | +$651,270 | $77,772 | $32,085 | N/A | Full ROI → |
| 15 |
Michigan State University
Grad rate: 81.9% |
MI | +$594,424 | $74,774 | $30,528 | N/A | Full ROI → |
| 16 | Florida Institute of Technology-Online | FL | +$357,210 | $62,732 | $28,715 | N/A | Full ROI → |
| 17 |
University of Denver
Grad rate: 77.7% |
CO | +$342,200 | $66,612 | $75,020 | N/A | Full ROI → |
| 18 |
University of Cincinnati-Main Campus
Grad rate: 71.8% |
OH | +$333,014 | $61,529 | $28,783 | N/A | Full ROI → |
| 19 |
Florida Institute of Technology
Grad rate: 66.3% |
FL | +$293,866 | $62,732 | $60,387 | N/A | Full ROI → |
| 20 |
Georgia State University
Grad rate: 54.3% |
GA | +$274,770 | $58,392 | $26,535 | N/A | Full ROI → |
| 21 |
Southern New Hampshire University
Grad rate: 43.2% |
NH | +$257,012 | $58,603 | $37,524 | N/A | Full ROI → |
| 22 |
Emerson College
Grad rate: 78.2% |
MA | +$190,814 | $59,256 | $77,153 | N/A | Full ROI → |
| 23 |
The University of Alabama
Grad rate: 73.2% |
AL | +$164,092 | $53,407 | $32,024 | N/A | Full ROI → |
| 24 |
University of Toledo
Grad rate: 55.2% |
OH | +$156,860 | $52,462 | $26,190 | N/A | Full ROI → |
| 25 |
LIM College
Grad rate: 52.4% |
NY | +$121,658 | $53,130 | $50,471 | N/A | Full ROI → |
| 26 |
Franklin University
Grad rate: 37.4% |
OH | +$73,634 | $48,625 | $29,433 | N/A | Full ROI → |
| 27 | Capella University | MN | +$68,502 | $47,628 | $22,029 | N/A | Full ROI → |
| 28 |
University of Phoenix-California
Grad rate: 21.4% |
CA | +$8,000 | $42,400 | N/A | N/A | Full ROI → |
| 29 |
University of Phoenix-Nevada
Grad rate: 12.5% |
NV | +$8,000 | $42,400 | N/A | N/A | Full ROI → |
| 30 |
University of Phoenix-Texas
Grad rate: 12.2% |
TX | +$8,000 | $42,400 | N/A | N/A | Full ROI → |
| 31 |
University of Phoenix-Arizona
Grad rate: 18.7% |
AZ | -$30,898 | $42,400 | $19,449 | N/A | Full ROI → |
| 32 |
Universidad Ana G. Mendez-Cupey Campus
Grad rate: 32.6% |
PR | -$358,748 | $25,478 | $14,154 | N/A | Full ROI → |
How ROI is calculated
20-Year Net ROI = Gross Earnings (salary × 20) − Total Degree Cost − Debt Payoff (×1.35) − Baseline Opportunity Cost ($42,000 × 20). Data from the U.S. College Scorecard.
Find Best Marketing Degrees by State
Browse Marketing programs ranked by 20-year ROI in every state that offers this degree.