Marquette University

Marquette is a Jesuit Catholic university with roughly 8,200 undergrads. Its campus in downtown Milwaukee, the largest city in Wisconsin, sits on the western shore of Lake Michigan.

The university has 11 schools and colleges, and it offers more than 80 majors for students to choose from. Nursing, biomedical sciences, finance and psychology are the most popular degree programs. Grads go on to earn comparatively high salaries, with median earnings topping $80,000 four years after earning a degree. Its 82% six-year graduation rate is in the top quarter of all the schools Money analyzed, and the university shines in Money’s outcomes bucket, scoring well in typical alumni salaries compared to similar schools.

About 22% of its students are the first in their families to attend college. At the beginning of each semester, they can learn about campus organizations at the popular Organization Fest (or “O-Fest”). Marquette is widely known for its athletics, too, with 17 Division I varsity sports and more than 30 club ones.

The school's Jesuit affiliation makes its mark on campus life: The 600-year-old St. Joan of Arc Chapel, which has been at Marquette for six decades, is the heart of campus. (It’s one of 17 worship spaces on campus.) Mission Week is an annual opportunity for students to reflect on spirituality.