Statistics at Marquette University

Similar statistics programs in Wisconsin, led by UW-Madison at $64,684, suggest first-year earnings closer to the mid-60s rather than the $59,718 national estimate used here. That $5,000 gap matters when you're paying off debt, though Marquette's estimated $16,875 in loans sits well below both the state median ($26,000) and national median ($20,150) for statistics degrees. The 0.28 debt-to-earnings ratio indicates roughly three months of pre-tax income needed to cover the debt—manageable by most standards.

What's harder to assess is whether Marquette's particular approach to statistics—at a Jesuit university with an 87% admission rate and a relatively affluent student body (only 19% receive Pell grants)—translates into the kind of employer connections and curriculum rigor that justify choosing it over the flagship state program. The suppressed data here means we're flying blind on actual graduate outcomes, which is especially frustrating given that only three Wisconsin schools offer this major.

If your child is choosing Marquette for its campus culture or location in Milwaukee, the estimated numbers suggest the statistics degree won't become a financial burden. But if the decision hinges purely on career preparation in data science or analytics, you're making that call without knowing how Marquette's specific graduates actually fare in the job market.