Best Marketing Programs in Illinois (2026)
Updated
Part of Best Business Colleges in Illinois
This page ranks the 25 Marketing programs in Illinois by the median earnings of Marketing graduates four years after completing. University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign leads the list at $90,744, followed by Loyola University Chicago at $86,662 and DePaul University at $78,164.
Across the listed schools, median earnings range from $90,744 to $37,748, with a median of $68,306.
The list includes 8 public and 17 private nonprofit institutions. Saint Xavier University reports the lowest average net price at $10,970.
University of Illinois Chicago ranks 17th on Azimuth's composite ranking among nonprofit four-year institutions.
The ranked list
| Rank | School | Program Earnings | Average net price | Net price, families under $30K | Admission rate |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign · Champaign, IL | $90,744 | $14,355 | $2,038 | 42.4% |
| University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign reports $90,744 in median earnings of Marketing graduates four years after completing and admits 42% of applicants. | |||||
| 2 | Loyola University Chicago · Chicago, IL | $86,662 | $36,079 | $28,992 | 81.6% |
| Loyola University Chicago, a private nonprofit university in Chicago, posts median earnings of $86,662 for its Marketing graduates four years after completing. | |||||
| 3 | DePaul University · Chicago, IL | $78,164 | $30,902 | $27,359 | 75.9% |
| DePaul University ranks 3rd on this list, with a median federal debt of $23,000 among Marketing completers who borrowed. | |||||
| 4 | Illinois State University · Normal, IL | $77,956 | $19,398 | $11,568 | 88.2% |
| Illinois State University shows an average net price of $19,398 and a 243-graduate earnings cohort. | |||||
| 5 | Northern Illinois University · Dekalb, IL | $76,373 | $13,391 | $10,126 | 69.8% |
| Northern Illinois University ranks 116th on Azimuth's composite ranking among nonprofit four-year institutions and reports median earnings of $76,373 for its Marketing graduates four years after completing. | |||||
| 6 | Bradley University · Peoria, IL | $76,255 | $22,719 | $17,269 | 76.8% |
| Bradley University has an admission rate of 77% and a median federal debt of $24,017 among Marketing completers who borrowed. | |||||
| 7 | Elmhurst University · Elmhurst, IL | $72,286 | $24,185 | $17,892 | 73.6% |
| Elmhurst University posts median earnings of $72,286 for its Marketing graduates four years after completing, with a 29-graduate earnings cohort. | |||||
| 8 | Millikin University · Decatur, IL | $71,399 | $21,989 | $18,659 | 66.7% |
| Millikin University reports an average net price of $21,989 and a median federal debt of $27,000 across all of the school's borrowers who completed. | |||||
| 9 | University of Illinois Chicago · Chicago, IL | $71,293 | $10,974 | $7,529 | 77.4% |
| University of Illinois Chicago ranks 9th on this list and reports median earnings of $71,293 for its Marketing graduates four years after completing. | |||||
| 10 | North Central College · Naperville, IL | $71,123 | $21,044 | $12,507 | 77.3% |
| North Central College shows median earnings of $71,123 for its Marketing graduates four years after completing and an admission rate of 77%. | |||||
| 11 | Benedictine University · Lisle, IL | $70,129 | $22,313 | $20,168 | 95.2% |
| Benedictine University admits 95% of applicants and reports a median federal debt of $20,201 among Marketing completers who borrowed. | |||||
| 12 | Northeastern Illinois University · Chicago, IL | $69,011 | $14,109 | $13,709 | 74.6% |
| Northeastern Illinois University posts median earnings of $69,011 for its Marketing graduates four years after completing, alongside an average net price of $14,109. | |||||
| 13 | Western Illinois University · Macomb, IL | $68,306 | $12,937 | $6,941 | 71.2% |
| Western Illinois University reports median earnings of $68,306 for its Marketing graduates four years after completing, alongside an average net price of $12,937. | |||||
| 14 | Lewis University · Romeoville, IL | $65,895 | $17,028 | $10,382 | 71.3% |
| Lewis University shows median federal debt of $20,325 among Marketing completers who borrowed, and its graduates four years after completing earned a median of $65,895. | |||||
| 15 | McKendree University · Lebanon, IL | $65,696 | $24,717 | $21,928 | 71.7% |
| McKendree University ranks 1052nd on Azimuth's composite ranking among nonprofit four-year institutions, with median earnings of $65,696 for its Marketing graduates four years after completing. | |||||
| 16 | Columbia College Chicago · Chicago, IL | $65,686 | $26,598 | $20,924 | 89.5% |
| Columbia College Chicago shows an average net price of $20,924 for families earning under $30,000 and a median of $25,250 in federal debt among Marketing completers who borrowed. | |||||
| 17 | Saint Xavier University · Chicago, IL | $65,330 | $10,970 | $7,572 | 84.3% |
| Saint Xavier University ranks 17th on this list and reports median earnings of $65,330 for its Marketing graduates four years after completing. | |||||
| 18 | Aurora University · Aurora, IL | $64,813 | $18,838 | $14,525 | 80.9% |
| Aurora University reports median federal debt of $19,500 among Marketing completers who borrowed, and its graduates four years after completing earned a median of $64,813. | |||||
| 19 | Eastern Illinois University · Charleston, IL | $62,994 | $12,786 | $9,828 | 65.4% |
| Eastern Illinois University, a public university in Charleston, reports median earnings of $62,994 for its Marketing graduates four years after completing. | |||||
| 20 | Trinity Christian College · Palos Heights, IL | $62,334 | $19,125 | $12,891 | 84.9% |
| Trinity Christian College shows an average net price of $19,125 and a median of $25,009 in federal debt across all of the school's borrowers who completed. | |||||
| 21 | University of St Francis · Joliet, IL | $61,119 | $13,006 | $8,547 | 65.3% |
| University of St Francis ranks 331st on Azimuth's composite ranking among nonprofit four-year institutions, with median earnings of $61,119 for its Marketing graduates four years after completing. | |||||
| 22 | Southern Illinois University-Carbondale · Carbondale, IL | $58,934 | $13,297 | $9,415 | 86.9% |
| Southern Illinois University-Carbondale reports median federal debt of $23,625 among Marketing completers who borrowed, and its graduates four years after completing earned a median of $58,934. | |||||
| 23 | Roosevelt University · Chicago, IL | $57,573 | $20,194 | $18,018 | 97.2% |
| Roosevelt University reports median earnings of $57,573 for its Marketing graduates four years after completing, alongside an average net price of $18,018 for families earning under $30,000. | |||||
| 24 | Olivet Nazarene University · Bourbonnais, IL | $56,787 | $20,729 | $17,232 | 55.9% |
| Olivet Nazarene University ranks 24th on this list and posts an admission rate of 56%. | |||||
| 25 | Concordia University-Chicago · River Forest, IL | $37,748 | $18,436 | $16,795 | 92.8% |
| Concordia University-Chicago, a private nonprofit university in River Forest, reports $37,748 in median earnings for its Marketing graduates four years after completing, with 8 graduates in the earnings cohort. | |||||
How this list is ordered
Programs are ordered by the median earnings of their Marketing graduates four years after completing, highest first. Only programs with a reported earnings cohort in Illinois appear. The figure captures federally aided completers who were working and not enrolled four years after finishing. For 1 of the 25 listed programs the figure is the two-year completion median rather than the four-year one. The metric does not adjust for graduate school enrollment, cost, or who enrolls, and it is not a measure of teaching quality. The range from University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign at $90,744 to the lowest listed program at $37,748 spans $52,996, and the gap between University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign and Loyola University Chicago is $4,082.
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