ROI Major

Marketing at Claflin University

SC · Bachelor's Degree · CIP 52.14

Data: 2026 release

Executive Summary

Graduates with a Marketing degree from Claflin University earn a median salary of $48,213 within five years of graduation. Adjusted for the cost of living in SC, this represents a national purchasing power equivalent of $50,644. The degree typically pays for itself in 16 years.

Quick Insights

Slow Burn / High Debt Risk

How this degree looks at a glance

A fast read on salary range, break-even speed, living-cost impact, and where bachelor's graduates from this school usually land.

Salary Ranges

Starting Range

$34,440

Typical Career

$48,213

Top Performers

$67,174

Estimated break-even: 16 years.

Debt-to-Income Check

$321

Estimated comfortable monthly loan payment

Typical monthly pay is approximately $4,018. Most students can comfortably afford about a $321 monthly loan payment with this degree.

Comparison Bench

This degree earns 1.2x more than the average US high school graduate and 0.6x more than the average college graduate.

Purchasing Power Context

A dollar in South Carolina buys what costs $0.95 nationally.

Industry Breadcrumbs

Top industries for bachelor's graduates from this school: Educational Services, Health Care & Social Assistance, Public Administration.

Where Bachelor's Graduates from This School Work

Educational Services 19.8%
Health Care & Social Assistance 16.3%
Public Administration 14.4%

Institution-wide industry mix for bachelor's graduates, 5 years after graduation. This is not major-specific. Source: Census PSEO Flows.

5-Year Median Salary — National Purchasing Power Equivalent

$50,644

Nominal: $48,213 in South Carolina (COL 95.2% of national avg) · 5% higher purchasing power

10-Year Earnings Curve

Break-Even Timeline

How long until cumulative earnings advantage exceeds total college investment (tuition + opportunity cost vs. entering workforce directly after high school).

16 years to break even
Graduation 15 years

Total Investment

$155,168

4yr tuition + 4yr opportunity cost

HS Graduate Baseline

$38,792/yr

BLS 2023 median, HS diploma

View Raw Data: Median Earnings by Year
Timeframe 25th Pct. Median (50th) 75th Pct.
1 Year After Graduation $25,504 $36,560 $48,030
5 Years After Graduation $34,440 $48,213 $67,174
10 Years After Graduation $39,482 $51,929 $83,820

Source: US Census Bureau Post-Secondary Employment Outcomes (PSEO), 2025 release. Earnings shown for Bachelor's degree graduates (all cohorts combined).

How We Calculate Purchasing Power

The median salary of $48,213 is reported by the US Census Bureau's Post-Secondary Employment Outcomes (PSEO) dataset for graduates working in SC, which has a cost-of-living index of 95.2% of the national average.

Formula: Adjusted Salary = Nominal × (1.0 ÷ COL Index)
= $48,213 × (1.0 ÷ 0.9520) = $50,644 National Average equivalent.

COL index source: BLS Regional Consumer Price Index & MIT Living Wage Project, 2023. Full methodology →

Career Verdict

Graduates from Claflin University with a degree in Marketing can expect a steady earnings trajectory. The median earnings one year after graduation stand at $36,560, which increases to $48,213 five years post-graduation, and reaches $51,929 ten years later. When adjusted for purchasing power, the median earnings five years after graduation are approximately $50,643.91, reflecting the cost of living in South Carolina, which has a cost-of-living index of 0.952 compared to the national average of 1.0. This indicates that while the earnings are competitive, the purchasing power may be slightly lower than in other regions.

The top industries that Claflin Marketing graduates enter include Educational Services (19.8%), Health Care & Social Assistance (16.3%), and Public Administration (14.4%). Given the estimated break-even point of approximately 16 years compared to a high-school-only path, the return on investment for a Marketing degree from Claflin University may take some time to materialize. However, the diverse career opportunities in stable industries suggest that graduates can find meaningful employment, contributing to a positive long-term career outlook.

AI-assisted editorial analysis based on Census PSEO data. Fact-checked against source data.

Compare with Another School

See how the Marketing degree at Claflin University stacks up against another institution side-by-side.

Data sources: US Census Bureau Post-Secondary Employment Outcomes (PSEO). Cost-of-living index: BLS Regional CPI & MIT Living Wage Project. Cost of attendance: IPEDS. For informational use only; data may be suppressed for small cohort sizes.

Explore More