Marketing at Hastings College

Hastings College marketing graduates earn nearly $9,000 less than the typical Nebraska marketing grad—ranking in just the 25th percentile statewide. When your competitors include University of Nebraska-Lincoln ($51,354) and even Bellevue University ($45,095), that's a significant gap for roughly the same debt load. The positive side? At $19,500, the debt burden sits well below both state and national averages, creating a manageable 0.50 debt-to-earnings ratio that allows graduates to pay off loans relatively quickly.

Here's the practical concern: first-year earnings of $39,319 translate to about $3,275 per month before taxes—tight for managing student loans and living expenses even in Nebraska's lower cost-of-living environment. You're paying private college tuition for earnings closer to what regional state schools deliver, without the salary premium that typically justifies that choice.

The small sample size (under 30 graduates) means these numbers could shift dramatically year to year, but the pattern matters. For a marketing degree specifically, this program doesn't appear to offer competitive preparation compared to other Nebraska options. If Hastings is attractive for other reasons—campus fit, specific opportunities, scholarships that reduce the sticker price—factor those in heavily. Otherwise, the in-state public universities deliver measurably stronger earning outcomes in this field.