Marquette University
Milwaukee, WI
U.S. News 2026 National Universities rank: #88
Marquette is a Jesuit Catholic university in downtown Milwaukee, founded in 1881 and named for the French Jesuit explorer Jacques Marquette. Its campus sits about a mile from Lake Michigan and blends into the city grid, with the Milwaukee Art Museum, Fiserv Forum, and the downtown business district all within walking distance. Marquette is best known for its College of Business Administration, its College of Nursing, and an engineering program built around hands-on project work, and it operates one of the few Jesuit law schools in the country out of Eckstein Hall. All students complete a set of core requirements that include theology and philosophy courses, a Jesuit tradition tied to the university's mission of educating the whole person. Marquette competes in NCAA Division I as a member of the Big East Conference, and its men's basketball program, playing home games at the Fiserv Forum, is the most visible piece of campus life. First- and second-year students are required to live in the residence halls, most of them in double rooms, which keeps the campus population dense and walkable. It suits students who want a mid-sized university with a defined religious identity, direct access to a mid-size city's downtown, and professional programs in business, health sciences, and engineering rather than a large research-heavy environment.
Key figures
- Acceptance Rate (Overall): 81.3%
- Average Net Price (Federal Aid Recipients): $31,487
- 6-Year Graduation Rate: 83.2%
- Median Starting Salary: $55,192
- Total Undergraduate Enrollment: 7,660
- SAT Middle 50% (composite midpoint): 1310
- Student-to-Faculty Ratio: 14