Here are the best colleges and universities in Michigan. Our list will help you find the right kind of school for you.
With over 80 public and private colleges to choose from, students hoping to earn their associate, bachelor’s, master’s, or doctoral degree can find a program that suits their educational needs and budget. Michigan State University and the University of Michigan are the two largest schools, both serving around 42,000 students and costing $16,000 in tuition. Most of the schools in The Wolverine State, however, serve smaller student populations, with tuition fees ranging from $3,000 to $49,000.
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Additionally, students pursuing their degree at a school with religious affiliations have more than 20 options to choose from, including Sacred Heart Major Seminary in Detroit, Grand Rapid’s Calvin College, and Hope College in Holland. Students attending one of Michigan’s private schools, like Davenport University, can earn their degrees in fields like nursing, education, criminal justice, and history. Michigan, like many other states, also provides a special loan forgiveness program to those in medical, dental, and mental health professions who work in underserved communities. Recipients can receive up to $200,000 of tax-free funds over an eight-year period.
The great state of Michigan famously serves as the major hub of the United States auto industry - and also boasts the longest freshwater coastline in the nation. Students who love the outdoors but are also drawn to the metropolitan energy of big cities like Detroit and Grand Rapids will feel very much at home in Michigan.
To find your degree program, explore some of the top schools in Michigan.
Related: Differences between research universities and teaching colleges
We’ve identified 42 colleges and universities in Michigan that meet our criteria. This list of the top 30 colleges in Michigan below focuses on schools that offer bachelor’s degrees. The ranking features fully accredited public and private colleges and universities in Michigan.
Tuition + fees
$17K
Acceptance
26%
Graduation
93%
Student body
45K
Median SAT/ACT
1435/32
University of Michigan’s faculty and alumni have been influential in:
Tuition + fees
$16K
Acceptance
76%
Graduation
81%
Student body
44K
Median SAT/ACT
1210/26
Michigan State University’s faculty and alumni have been influential in:
Tuition + fees
$15K
Acceptance
69%
Graduation
52%
Student body
20K
Median SAT/ACT
1120/24
Wayne State University’s faculty and alumni have been influential in:
Tuition + fees
$13K
Acceptance
85%
Graduation
57%
Student body
18K
Median SAT/ACT
1105/22
Western Michigan University’s faculty and alumni have been influential in:
Tuition + fees
$38K
Acceptance
73%
Graduation
75%
Student body
4K
Median SAT/ACT
1250/27
Calvin University’s faculty and alumni have been influential in:
Tuition + fees
$15K
Acceptance
81%
Graduation
56%
Student body
16K
Median SAT/ACT
1125/23
Oakland University’s faculty and alumni have been influential in:
Tuition + fees
$37K
Acceptance
78%
Graduation
76%
Student body
3K
Median SAT/ACT
1230/26
Hope College’s faculty and alumni have been influential in:
Tuition + fees
$30K
Acceptance
79%
Graduation
73%
Student body
4K
Median SAT/ACT
1155/24
University of Detroit Mercy’s faculty and alumni have been influential in:
Tuition + fees
$16K
Acceptance
75%
Graduation
47%
Student body
14K
Median SAT/ACT
1080/22
Eastern Michigan University’s faculty and alumni have been influential in:
Tuition + fees
$18K
Acceptance
70%
Graduation
72%
Student body
7K
Median SAT/ACT
1270/27
Michigan Technological University’s faculty and alumni have been influential in:
Tuition + fees
$13K
Acceptance
67%
Graduation
47%
Student body
7K
Median SAT/ACT
1080/23
Northern Michigan University’s faculty and alumni have been influential in:
Tuition + fees
$13K
Acceptance
69%
Graduation
64%
Student body
16K
Median SAT/ACT
1095/23
Central Michigan University’s faculty and alumni have been influential in:
Tuition + fees
$55K
Acceptance
74%
Graduation
79%
Student body
2K
Median SAT/ACT
1270/28
Kalamazoo College’s faculty and alumni have been influential in:
Tuition + fees
$53K
Acceptance
74%
Graduation
68%
Student body
2K
Median SAT/ACT
1095/24
Albion College’s faculty and alumni have been influential in:
Tuition + fees
$14K
Acceptance
88%
Graduation
69%
Student body
22K
Median SAT/ACT
1150/24
Grand Valley State University’s faculty and alumni have been influential in:
Tuition + fees
$32K
Acceptance
49%
Graduation
61%
Student body
3K
Median SAT/ACT
1210/25
Andrews University’s faculty and alumni have been influential in:
Tuition + fees
$44K
Acceptance
74%
Graduation
67%
Student body
2K
Median SAT/ACT
1275/27
Kettering University’s faculty and alumni have been influential in:
Tuition + fees
$39K
Acceptance
61%
Graduation
54%
Student body
2K
Median SAT/ACT
1030/21
Adrian College’s faculty and alumni have been influential in:
Tuition + fees
$13K
Acceptance
82%
Graduation
50%
Student body
9K
Median SAT/ACT
1050/21
Ferris State University’s faculty and alumni have been influential in:
Tuition + fees
$25K
Acceptance
68%
Graduation
58%
Student body
2K
Median SAT/ACT
1030/21
Madonna University’s faculty and alumni have been influential in:
Tuition + fees
$31K
Acceptance
60%
Graduation
49%
Student body
<1K
Olivet College’s faculty and alumni have been influential in:
Tuition + fees
$38K
Acceptance
82%
Graduation
60%
Student body
2K
Median SAT/ACT
1145/24
Lawrence Technological University’s faculty and alumni have been influential in:
Tuition + fees
$14K
Acceptance
68%
Graduation
55%
Student body
7K
Median SAT/ACT
1185/25
University of Michigan–Dearborn’s faculty and alumni have been influential in:
Tuition + fees
$13K
Acceptance
69%
Graduation
51%
Student body
2K
Median SAT/ACT
1070/22
Lake Superior State University’s faculty and alumni have been influential in:
Tuition + fees
$11K
Acceptance
89%
Graduation
48%
Student body
7K
Median SAT/ACT
1085/22
Saginaw Valley State University’s faculty and alumni have been influential in:
Tuition + fees
$21K
Acceptance
93%
Graduation
52%
Student body
5K
Davenport University’s faculty and alumni have been influential in:
Tuition + fees
$44K
Acceptance
67%
Graduation
71%
Student body
2K
Median SAT/ACT
1130/22
Alma College’s faculty and alumni have been influential in:
Tuition + fees
$32K
Acceptance
61%
Graduation
42%
Student body
<1K
Concordia University Ann Arbor’s faculty and alumni have been influential in:
Tuition + fees
$31K
Acceptance
63%
Graduation
65%
Student body
3K
Median SAT/ACT
1097/23
Spring Arbor University’s faculty and alumni have been influential in:
Tuition + fees
$12K
Acceptance
77%
Graduation
38%
Student body
5K
Median SAT/ACT
1095/23
University of Michigan–Flint’s faculty and alumni have been influential in:
Many of our 2022 undergraduate focused rankings look considerably different than 2021. That’s because we took a fundamentally different apporach. For 2021 we utiulized our Concentrated Influence algorithm, designed to take away the size advantage larger schools have when we rank their faculty and alumni’s academic influence. Concentrated influence highlights smaller schools that are proportionally as successful as larger universities at cultivating influential alumni and faculty.
