Colleges in Michigan With the Highest Graduate Earnings
Median earnings four years after graduation at the 41 four-year colleges we rank in Michigan run from $99,943 at the top to $43,821 at the bottom, a spread of $56,122.
The median college sits at $60,573, within a few percent of the national median of $59,403. Private nonprofit colleges (23) have a median of $55,566 and public colleges (18) a median of $63,170, and the typical net price across the list is $16,317.
Kettering University ranks first at $99,943, ahead of University of Michigan-Ann Arbor ($96,159) and Lawrence Technological University ($90,760).
How this list is built
A college appears here only if it meets every condition below.
- Colleges considered
- All 4-year colleges (public, private nonprofit and for-profit)
- Ranked by earnings after 4 years, highest 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 earnings after 4 years value (schools without one are not ranked)
- This page is published only when at least 15 schools qualify; Michigan has 41
- Data period
- Earnings: median earnings four years after completing, measured in 2022 and 2023 for the 2017-18 and 2018-19 cohorts, in 2024 dollars.
- Net price: average for students receiving aid, academic year 2023-24.
- Graduate debt: median federal loan debt of completers, pooled 2020 and 2021 cohorts.
- 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 41 qualifying schools. Select a column heading to re-sort the table.
| 1 | Kettering University Flint, MI Private nonprofit · 4-year | $99,943 | $34,660 | $27,000 | 71% | 1,205 |
| 2 | University of Michigan-Ann Arbor Ann Arbor, MI Public · 4-year | $96,159 | $13,138 | $19,500 | 93% | 34,177 |
| 3 | Lawrence Technological University Southfield, MI Private nonprofit · 4-year | $90,760 | $32,918 | $27,000 | 62% | 1,668 |
| 4 | Michigan Technological University Houghton, MI Public · 4-year | $84,560 | $14,182 | $24,990 | 68% | 5,955 |
| 5 | University of Detroit Mercy Detroit, MI Private nonprofit · 4-year | $78,953 | $15,232 | $23,250 | 68% | 2,438 |
| 6 | University of Michigan-Dearborn Dearborn, MI Public · 4-year | $77,294 | $9,492 | $22,500 | 57% | 5,952 |
| 7 | Michigan State University East Lansing, MI Public · 4-year | $74,093 | $19,680 | $23,250 | 81% | 40,922 |
| 8 | Davenport University Grand Rapids, MI Private nonprofit · 4-year | $69,009 | $17,707 | $26,000 | 53% | 3,134 |
| 9 | Oakland University Rochester Hills, MI Public · 4-year | $68,708 | $9,120 | $22,750 | 57% | 12,351 |
| 10 | Wayne State University Detroit, MI Public · 4-year | $68,551 | $12,766 | $21,250 | 58% | 15,587 |
| 11 | Cleary University Howell, MI Private nonprofit · 4-year | $67,914 | $22,143 | $19,500 | 41% | 738 |
| 12 | Northwood University Midland, MI Private nonprofit · 4-year | $67,409 | $27,232 | $20,842 | 62% | 1,974 |
| 13 | University of Michigan-Flint Flint, MI Public · 4-year | $65,600 | $7,007 | $25,000 | 42% | 4,411 |
| 14 | Ferris State University Big Rapids, MI Public · 4-year | $64,721 | $8,624 | $21,000 | 47% | 8,106 |
| 15 | Saginaw Valley State University University Center, MI Public · 4-year | $63,454 | $10,775 | $25,000 | 51% | 5,989 |
| 16 | Western Michigan University Kalamazoo, MI Public · 4-year | $62,885 | $15,273 | $26,188 | 58% | 12,568 |
| 17 | Siena Heights University Adrian, MI Private nonprofit · 4-year | $62,131 | $17,124 | $18,750 | 45% | 1,495 |
| 18 | Madonna University Livonia, MI Private nonprofit · 4-year | $61,516 | $17,755 | $23,000 | 59% | 1,632 |
| 19 | Central Michigan University Mount Pleasant, MI Public · 4-year | $61,298 | $17,597 | $27,000 | 60% | 10,035 |
| 20 | Calvin University Grand Rapids, MI Private nonprofit · 4-year | $60,889 | $22,992 | $23,250 | 76% | 3,193 |
| 21 | Hope College Holland, MI Private nonprofit · 4-year | $60,573 | $27,182 | $26,800 | 81% | 3,288 |
| 22 | Andrews University Berrien Springs, MI Private nonprofit · 4-year | $60,517 | $12,547 | $26,000 | 69% | 1,224 |
| 23 | Grand Valley State University Allendale, MI Public · 4-year | $60,491 | $16,317 | $24,500 | 68% | 18,854 |
| 24 | Eastern Michigan University Ypsilanti, MI Public · 4-year | $59,616 | $15,407 | $25,000 | 46% | 10,055 |
| 25 | Northwestern Michigan College Traverse City, MI Public · 4-year | $58,811 | $6,231 | $12,500 | 25% | 2,813 |
| 26 | Lake Superior State University Sault Ste Marie, MI Public · 4-year | $56,687 | $12,822 | $23,250 | 54% | 1,325 |
| 27 | Kalamazoo College Kalamazoo, MI Private nonprofit · 4-year | $55,566 | $19,072 | $26,077 | 79% | 1,149 |
| 28 | Albion College Albion, MI Private nonprofit · 4-year | $55,297 | $14,301 | $27,000 | 59% | 1,300 |
| 29 | Adrian College Adrian, MI Private nonprofit · 4-year | $55,233 | $25,368 | $27,000 | 52% | 1,604 |
| 30 | Spring Arbor University Spring Arbor, MI Private nonprofit · 4-year | $55,203 | $19,353 | $26,375 | 61% | 1,010 |
| 31 | Alma College Alma, MI Private nonprofit · 4-year | $55,040 | $20,694 | $27,000 | 63% | 1,148 |
| 32 | Baker College Owosso, MI Private nonprofit · 4-year | $53,754 | $13,157 | $25,000 | 33% | 3,026 |
| 33 | Cornerstone University Grand Rapids, MI Private nonprofit · 4-year | $53,010 | $20,301 | $25,000 | 62% | 1,298 |
| 34 | Northern Michigan University Marquette, MI Public · 4-year | $52,624 | $14,085 | $21,474 | 52% | 6,556 |
| 35 | The University of Olivet Olivet, MI Private nonprofit · 4-year | $52,261 | $21,393 | $27,000 | 36% | 892 |
| 36 | Aquinas College Grand Rapids, MI Private nonprofit · 4-year | $51,578 | $16,626 | $23,000 | 64% | 1,083 |
| 37 | Rochester Christian University Rochester Hills, MI Private nonprofit · 4-year | $50,000 | $21,456 | $24,475 | 43% | 792 |
| 38 | Schoolcraft Community College District Livonia, MI Public · 4-year | $48,981 | $2,260 | $10,500 | 17% | 7,511 |
| 39 | College for Creative Studies Detroit, MI Private nonprofit · 4-year | $47,659 | $34,617 | $26,000 | 70% | 1,230 |
| 40 | Alpena Community College Alpena, MI Public · 4-year | $44,378 | $3,320 | $9,024 | 51% | 732 |
| 41 | Grace Christian University Wyoming, MI Private nonprofit · 4-year | $43,821 | $12,404 | $24,375 | 46% | 716 |
How to compare these colleges
High earnings partly reflect who enrolls and what they study: engineering, nursing and business programs usually pay more than education or the arts, so a school with strong health or technical programs can top the list. Read the earnings next to net price, debt and graduation rate, because earnings count only people who finished, and four years after graduation is early in a career.
Guides worth reading first
More lists for Michigan
Cheapest colleges in Michigan
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Cheap colleges in Michigan for out-of-state students
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Community colleges in Michigan
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Best value colleges in Michigan
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Most affordable private colleges in Michigan
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Same list in nearby states
Highest graduate earnings in Ohio
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Highest graduate earnings in Indiana
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Highest graduate earnings in Wisconsin
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All 70 colleges in Michigan See the national version of this ranking