Marketing at McKendree University

McKendree's marketing program shows concerning returns that place it near the bottom nationally. Graduates earn $34,872 in their first year—about $10,000 below the Illinois median and in just the 5th percentile nationwide. While earnings do climb to $45,501 by year four, that's still roughly $25,000 less than what University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign marketing grads make and trails most major Illinois programs by several thousand dollars. The debt load of $25,949 isn't outrageous, but paired with below-average starting salaries, you're looking at new graduates carrying debt worth 74% of their first-year income.

The limited sample size (under 30 graduates) means these numbers could shift with more data, but the pattern is stark enough to warrant attention. Even among Illinois marketing programs—where McKendree ranks in just the 25th percentile—this represents weak performance for a private university education. For a parent weighing this investment, the math is straightforward: you'd be paying private school tuition for outcomes that lag behind most public alternatives in the state. Unless there are specific institutional factors that matter deeply to your family, Illinois' public universities deliver stronger marketing program returns at lower cost.