Quad

Head-to-head

Marquette
U. Denver

Key differences

The biggest gaps between these schools, largest first.

  1. 1

    Marquette costs about $11.6K less per year on average than U. Denver ($35,452 vs. $47,077, all students)

    Average cost, all students
  2. 2

    Marquette grads earn $7.1K more ten years out than U. Denver's ($78,257 vs. $71,155)

    Median earnings, 10 yrs
  3. 3

    Marquette's grants cover 48% of its full price on average, vs. 42% at U. Denver

    Aid generosity
  4. 4

    Marquette's yield is 6 pts higher than U. Denver's

    Yield rate
  5. 5

    Marquette graduates 6 pts more of its students than U. Denver (82% vs. 76%)

    Graduation rate
  6. 6

    Marquette has 4 pts more Pell recipients than U. Denver (18% vs. 14%)

    Pell Grant recipients

The shape of each school

Each axis is a national rank among 4-year colleges; further out = more of it.

SelectivityTest scoresSizePell shareFirst-genDiversity

Who's hardest to get into

Marquette admits 81%, U. Denver 85%; Marquette's yield is higher, at 14%.

Acceptance rate
Marquette81%
U. Denver85%
Quad's selectivity
  • MarquetteSelective
  • U. DenverAccessible
SAT middle 50%Axis 1100–1600
Marquette
1200–1360
U. Denver
1160–1360
How they read a recordfirst-years at 3.75+
  • MarquetteGPA and school record required
  • U. DenverRigor and GPA very important56%

Who's on each campus

Marquette is a bit larger than U. Denver (7,660 vs. 6,025 undergrads) and has the larger Pell share.

Undergrads
Marquette7.7K
U. Denver6K
Pell Grant share
Marquette18%
U. Denver14%

Majors and faculty

Biomedical Sciences leads at Marquette, and Psychology at U. Denver; U. Denver has 9 students per faculty member to Marquette's 14.

Students per faculty member
Marquette14 to 1
U. Denver9 to 1
Most popular majorshare of graduates
  • MarquetteBiomedical Sciences, General10%
  • U. DenverPsychology, General11%

What each costs

Marquette costs about $11.6K less a year than U. Denver on average, and its grants cover the larger share of its price.

Average cost, all students
Marquette$35.5K
U. Denver$47.1K
Aid generosity
Marquette48%
U. Denver42%

What each pays off

Marquette's former students earn more, a median $78.3K ten years after enrolling; both graduate more than 70% within six years.

Median earnings, 10 years
Marquette$78.3K
U. Denver$71.2K
Graduation rate
Marquette82%
U. Denver76%

How each has changed

Applications grew at U. Denver but fell at Marquette; Marquette got less selective while U. Denver held steady.

Applications, 10-year change
  • MarquetteShrinking−14%
  • U. DenverGrowing+37%
All the numbersEvery figure for these colleges in one table, with differences highlighted.
Sources for this comparisonEvery dataset and year behind the numbers in this comparison; tap any ⓘ for one number's source

Sources:IPEDS Admissions survey, Fall 2024;College Scorecard, Fall 2024;College Scorecard, most recent release;IPEDS Institutional Characteristics survey, 2023–24;IPEDS Student Financial Aid survey, 2023–24;College Scorecard, Entered fall 2023;IPEDS Fall Enrollment survey (part D), Fall 2024;IPEDS Completions survey (degrees awarded by field), 2024–25 graduates;College Scorecard, 2023–24;IPEDS Graduation Rates survey (Pell Grant and subsidized loan recipients), Entered fall 2018;University of Denver (Fall 2025), Fall 2025;University of Denver Common Data Set 2025–26, Fall 2027 applicants;University of Denver Common Data Set 2025–26, Entered fall 2024About the data(retrieved 2026-10-12)

Figures are the newest each college has published; years can differ between colleges. Each value's ⓘ shows its source and year. Why