At a Glance
Marquette admits 81.3% of applicants.
What You'll Actually Pay
See what families at different income levels actually pay after aid.
Net price data temporarily unavailable. Visit each school's net price calculator directly.
Where the Sticker Price Goes
Sticker price
Not reported by this school
Debt at Graduation
51.3%
receive need-based grant aid
$33,897
average debt at graduation
Marquette graduates carry an average of $33,897 in debt.
Merit Aid
3,436
students received merit aid
$25,878
average merit award
Getting In
Marquette admits 81.3% of applicants.
SAT — Middle 50% of those who submitted · 14% of the class submitted
ACT — Middle 50% of those who submitted · 26% of the class submitted
32.4% were in the top 10% of their high school class.
What They Value
Academic
Nonacademic
Marquette University considers your essay Important — a strong essay can differentiate an otherwise average application. Demonstrated interest is Not Considered here — campus visits and emails to admissions won't affect your odds.
Student Life
36.9% of Marquette classes have fewer than 20 students.
Share of undergraduate class sections at each size, from CDS Section I-3. More red = more large lectures.
At Marquette, 36.9% of your classes will have fewer than 20 students.
Class size data reflects all undergraduate sections including labs, seminars, and lectures. Large research universities often have smaller upper-division and graduate-level sections that improve the overall distribution. First and second-year students typically experience larger classes than these averages suggest.
Source: Common Data Set 2024–25, Section I-3 (class sizes)
14:1
student:faculty ratio
Campus Life
From out of state (freshman class)
63.8%
Live on campus
57%
Who Attends
Racial and ethnic breakdown of enrolled undergraduates, as reported in each school's Common Data Set. "Unknown / Other" includes students who did not report or selected "other."
Marquette's student body is 64.4% white.
Popular Majors
Will They Graduate?
Marquette graduates 68.5% of students in 4 years.
Graduating late means paying for extra semesters. The 6-year rate tells you who eventually finishes — the 4-year rate tells you what it actually costs.
Marquette graduates 68.5% of students in 4 years.
What finishing late actually costs
Based on each school's published cost of attendance. Public school costs shown at in-state rates.
Marquette
68.5%
4-yr grad rate
Data pending
Graduation rate data from Common Data Set 2024–25, Fall 2018 cohort (most recent available). 4-year rate = students completing in 4 years or less. 6-year rate = students completing within 6 years.
83%
Overall 6-yr rate
76%
Pell recipient rate
There's a 7 point gap between overall and Pell Grant graduation rates. Worth asking the school about support resources.
Freshman Retention
91%
91% of first-year students return for sophomore year.
City & Culture
Beyond the data — what it's actually like to spend four years in Milwaukee.
Marquette's campus sits directly in downtown Milwaukee's Near West Side, built into the city grid a few blocks from Fiserv Forum and Milwaukee's financial district rather than set apart on its own greenspace. Lake Michigan's downtown lakefront and the Historic Third Ward are a short walk or rideshare away.
Notable Alumni
Patrick E. Haggerty
Co-founder, former president and chairman of Texas Instruments; graduated summa cum laude with a B.S. in electrical engineering from Marquette in 1936 and led TI's growth into a global semiconductor leader
Class of 1936
Chris Farley
Comedian and Saturday Night Live cast member; graduated from Marquette in 1986 with a double major in communications and theatre
Class of 1986
Dwyane Wade
NBA Hall of Famer and 3-time champion with the Miami Heat; led Marquette to the 2003 Final Four before leaving after his junior year for the 2003 NBA draft
Gail Collins
Longtime New York Times op-ed columnist and author; earned her B.A. from Marquette in 1976
Class of 1976
Alumni selected for name recognition and range of fields. Not from the Common Data Set.
The City
Major city
Milwaukee, WI
Best For
Traditions
National Marquette Day
A tradition for more than 30 years: alumni around the world gather at watch parties for a designated home men's basketball game each winter, paired with campus spirit events and Milwaukee-area pregame receptions.
St. Joan of Arc Chapel
A Gothic chapel dating to the early 15th century, moved from France and rebuilt at the center of campus. By far the oldest structure in Milwaukee, it remains in daily use for Mass, prayer and weddings.
Weekend Escapes
Within driving distance from Milwaukee
Chicago, Illinois
1 hour 30 minutesA straight shot down I-94 to a major city with its own museums and lakefront, the reciprocal trip Chicago-area students make north to Milwaukee.
Madison, Wisconsin
1 hour 20 minutesWisconsin's state capital and a classic Big Ten college town, built around the University of Wisconsin and the Capitol Square farmers market.
Door County, Wisconsin
2 hours 45 minutesA Lake Michigan peninsula of small harbor towns, cherry orchards and fish boils — Wisconsin's classic summer getaway.
Getting There & Game Days
Nearest airport
Milwaukee Mitchell International Airport (MKE)
15 minutes from campus
For international flights: Chicago O'Hare International Airport (ORD) — about 1 hour 45 minutes by car.
Pro sports nearby
- Milwaukee Bucks NBA
- Milwaukee Brewers MLB
- Green Bay Packers NFLAbout 2 hours 45 minutes to Lambeau Field away
Career Proximity
Marquette's campus borders downtown Milwaukee directly, putting the city's insurance, financial-services and manufacturing employers within walking or short rideshare distance — relevant given business and marketing is the school's single largest major.
Top Industries Nearby
Major Employers
- Northwestern Mutual
- Rockwell Automation
- GE HealthCare
- Fiserv
- Froedtert & the Medical College of Wisconsin
Downtown Milwaukee, adjoining campus
Who Thrives Here
Marquette admits 81.3% of applicants, a wide-open door that puts the fit question ahead of the admission question for most families. The campus sits directly in downtown Milwaukee, built into the city grid rather than set apart on its own quad, and at its physical and spiritual center is the St. Joan of Arc Chapel — a Gothic chapel built in early-15th-century France and moved stone by stone to Marquette's campus, still used daily for Mass and prayer as what the university calls "the heart of this Catholic, Jesuit university community." Business and marketing is the largest major at 23% of degrees conferred, with biological sciences (13%) and engineering (10%) rounding out the top three — a practical, career-oriented mix. 57% of undergraduates live on campus; Greek life participation isn't reported in Marquette's CDS filing. The trade-off to weigh: 91.0% of first-years return for sophomore year and 83.0% graduate within six years, but only 68.5% finish in four — worth planning a five-year budget as a real possibility. On cost, Marquette is more generous than its $53,270 sticker suggests: the school meets 85.6% of demonstrated need on average, and students who borrow graduate with $33,897 in average debt. Just over 4 in 10 undergraduates also receive merit aid averaging $25,878, on top of any need-based award.