Cheap Colleges in Michigan for Out-of-State Students
Out-of-state students pay between $4,067 and $60,946 a year in tuition and fees at the 40 public colleges and universities we rank in Michigan, a gap of $56,879 between the cheapest and the most expensive. This list ranks the non-resident price, not the in-state price.
The median public college charges nonresidents $11,380, $1,406 (11%) below the national median of $12,786 for public colleges. Residents pay a median of $5,786, so the typical out-of-state premium is only $5,594 here, a ratio of 2.0 to 1.
Wayne County Community College District ranks first at $4,067, ahead of Oakland Community College ($5,560) and Glen Oaks Community College ($6,624).
How this list is built
A college appears here only if it meets every condition below.
- Colleges considered
- All public colleges and universities, 4-year and 2-year (community colleges and state colleges included)
- Ranked by out-of-state tuition & fees, lowest first. Ties are broken by larger undergraduate enrollment, then by name.
- Main campuses only, with at least 60% of core data fields reported
- Main campus located in Michigan
- At least 500 undergraduate students enrolled (fall 2024)
- A reported out-of-state tuition & fees value (schools without one are not ranked)
- Schools that report no tuition or a $0 price are not ranked
- This page is published only when at least 15 schools qualify; Michigan has 40
- Data period
- Out-of-state tuition and fees: academic year 2024-25. Shown for public colleges only, because private colleges charge everyone the same price.
- In-state tuition and fees: full-time undergraduate sticker price, academic year 2024-25. Some community colleges report the in-district rate.
- Net price: average for students receiving aid, academic year 2023-24.
- Graduation rate: first-time, full-time students who started in fall 2018 (4-year) or fall 2021 (2-year), finishing within 150% of normal time.
- Enrollment: undergraduate students, fall 2024.
- Source: U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard, June 2026 release.
Showing all 40 qualifying schools. Select a column heading to re-sort the table.
| 1 | Wayne County Community College District Detroit, MI Public · 2-year | $4,067 | $3,112 | $7,656 | 23% | 7,423 |
| 2 | Oakland Community College Auburn Hills, MI Public · 2-year | $5,560 | $3,020 | $5,777 | 19% | 12,748 |
| 3 | Glen Oaks Community College Centreville, MI Public · 2-year | $6,624 | $4,176 | $8,918 | 40% | 600 |
| 4 | Gogebic Community College Ironwood, MI Public · 2-year | $7,530 | $4,800 | $5,397 | 34% | 511 |
| 5 | Lake Michigan College Benton Harbor, MI Public · 2-year | $7,755 | $5,445 | $6,680 | 22% | 2,105 |
| 6 | Delta College University Center, MI Public · 2-year | $7,880 | $4,820 | $4,547 | 21% | 6,573 |
| 7 | Alpena Community College Alpena, MI Public · 4-year | $8,010 | $5,250 | $3,320 | 51% | 732 |
| 8 | Schoolcraft Community College District Livonia, MI Public · 4-year | $8,142 | $4,736 | $2,260 | 17% | 7,511 |
| 9 | Monroe County Community College Monroe, MI Public · 2-year | $8,267 | $4,759 | $4,586 | 33% | 1,435 |
| 10 | Kellogg Community College Battle Creek, MI Public · 2-year | $8,282 | $4,118 | $4,858 | 28% | 2,971 |
| 11 | Macomb Community College Warren, MI Public · 2-year | $8,370 | $3,660 | $1,618 | 17% | 13,876 |
| 12 | Southwestern Michigan College Dowagiac, MI Public · 2-year | $8,394 | $6,417 | $5,978 | 32% | 1,431 |
| 13 | West Shore Community College Scottville, MI Public · 2-year | $8,820 | $4,470 | $1,527 | 29% | 782 |
| 14 | Kalamazoo Valley Community College Kalamazoo, MI Public · 2-year | $9,094 | $4,144 | $2,979 | 25% | 4,997 |
| 15 | Kirtland Community College Grayling, MI Public · 2-year | $9,870 | $5,190 | $7,456 | 30% | 1,023 |
| 16 | Montcalm Community College Sidney, MI Public · 2-year | $10,362 | $4,662 | $7,280 | 29% | 1,122 |
| 17 | Bay de Noc Community College Escanaba, MI Public · 2-year | $10,528 | $5,712 | $11,949 | 27% | 1,223 |
| 18 | North Central Michigan College Petoskey, MI Public · 2-year | $10,590 | $5,430 | $10,083 | 27% | 942 |
| 19 | Mid Michigan College Harrison, MI Public · 2-year | $10,864 | $6,132 | $8,370 | 23% | 2,098 |
| 20 | Lansing Community College Lansing, MI Public · 2-year | $11,300 | $4,100 | $5,437 | 24% | 8,207 |
| 21 | Mott Community College Flint, MI Public · 2-year | $11,460 | $6,845 | $5,687 | 26% | 5,251 |
| 22 | St Clair County Community College Port Huron, MI Public · 2-year | $12,150 | $5,212 | $5,571 | 33% | 2,138 |
| 23 | Grand Rapids Community College Grand Rapids, MI Public · 2-year | $12,219 | $4,179 | $8,621 | 20% | 10,698 |
| 24 | Northwestern Michigan College Traverse City, MI Public · 4-year | $13,476 | $5,860 | $6,231 | 25% | 2,813 |
| 25 | Central Michigan University Mount Pleasant, MI Public · 4-year | $14,760 | $14,760 | $17,597 | 60% | 10,035 |
| 26 | Ferris State University Big Rapids, MI Public · 4-year | $14,778 | $14,778 | $8,624 | 47% | 8,106 |
| 27 | Lake Superior State University Sault Ste Marie, MI Public · 4-year | $14,890 | $14,890 | $12,822 | 54% | 1,325 |
| 28 | Muskegon Community College Muskegon, MI Public · 2-year | $16,010 | $7,250 | $4,005 | 30% | 2,760 |
| 29 | Eastern Michigan University Ypsilanti, MI Public · 4-year | $16,240 | $16,240 | $15,407 | 46% | 10,055 |
| 30 | Western Michigan University Kalamazoo, MI Public · 4-year | $19,034 | $15,252 | $15,273 | 58% | 12,568 |
| 31 | Northern Michigan University Marquette, MI Public · 4-year | $19,773 | $14,277 | $14,085 | 52% | 6,556 |
| 32 | Grand Valley State University Allendale, MI Public · 4-year | $21,548 | $15,140 | $16,317 | 68% | 18,854 |
| 33 | Oakland University Rochester Hills, MI Public · 4-year | $23,188 | $15,262 | $9,120 | 57% | 12,351 |
| 34 | University of Michigan-Flint Flint, MI Public · 4-year | $28,320 | $14,704 | $7,007 | 42% | 4,411 |
| 35 | Saginaw Valley State University University Center, MI Public · 4-year | $30,450 | $12,930 | $10,775 | 51% | 5,989 |
| 36 | Wayne State University Detroit, MI Public · 4-year | $32,037 | $15,190 | $12,766 | 58% | 15,587 |
| 37 | University of Michigan-Dearborn Dearborn, MI Public · 4-year | $32,896 | $15,640 | $9,492 | 57% | 5,952 |
| 38 | Michigan Technological University Houghton, MI Public · 4-year | $42,988 | $19,123 | $14,182 | 68% | 5,955 |
| 39 | Michigan State University East Lansing, MI Public · 4-year | $43,842 | $16,458 | $19,680 | 81% | 40,922 |
| 40 | University of Michigan-Ann Arbor Ann Arbor, MI Public · 4-year | $60,946 | $17,736 | $13,138 | 93% | 34,177 |
How to compare these colleges
The ranked column is the out-of-state price. The in-state price is shown for comparison, and net price is the average for students who receive aid, measured mostly for in-state students at public colleges, so it is not a good guide to what a nonresident will pay. Many states cut the non-resident rate through regional exchange programs, reciprocity agreements or merit awards, and residency can change after a year of living in the state, so check each college's non-resident aid page before ruling a school out.
Guides worth reading first
More lists for Michigan
Cheapest colleges in Michigan
38 schools
Community colleges in Michigan
25 schools
Best value colleges in Michigan
37 schools
Highest graduate earnings in Michigan
41 schools
Most affordable private colleges in Michigan
23 schools
Same list in nearby states
Cheap colleges in Ohio for out-of-state students
23 schools
Cheap colleges in California for out-of-state students
121 schools
Cheap colleges in Texas for out-of-state students
77 schools
All 70 colleges in Michigan See the national version of this ranking