by our College Data Analytics TeamFerris State University is a public institution in Big Rapids, Michigan enrolling 8,106 undergraduates. It accepts 91% of applicants and has an on-time graduation rate of 47%, above the national average of 33%. College Factual ranks it #665 of 5,159 colleges nationwide in its 2027 Best Colleges ranking (top 13%), and its Value for Your Money analysis rates it a Fair Price.
Source: IPEDS 2025; College Scorecard July 2026; College Factual rankings 2027. Data as of: July 2026.
Ferris State University ranks #665 of 5,159 colleges nationwide in College Factual’s 2027 Best Colleges ranking, placing it in the top 13%.
In its yearly rankings, College Factual analyzes over 2,000 colleges and universities to determine which ones are the best in a variety of categories, such as overall value, quality, diversity, which schools are the best for each major, and much more.
Ferris State University was awarded 814 badges in the 2027 rankings.
College Factual ranked Ferris as #665 out of 5,159 colleges and universities in the country on its 2027 Best Colleges list. This puts it in the top 20% of all schools in the nation.
Ferris is also ranked #13 on the Best Colleges in Michigan list.
See all of the rankings for Ferris State University.
With an acceptance rate of 91%, Ferris State University is easier to get into than many other schools. But that doesn’t mean you can slack off on your application. Make sure to treat this school like any other when submitting requested materials and documents.
About 65% of students accepted to Ferris submitted their SAT scores. When looking at the 25th through the 75th percentile, SAT Evidence-Based Reading and Writing scores ranged between 460 and 570. Math scores were between 430 and 550.
Ferris received ACT scores from 1% of accepted students. When looking at the 25th through the 75th percentile, ACT Composite scores ranged between 20 and 24.
Learn more about Ferris State University admissions.
With a student to faculty ratio of 15 to 1, Ferris State University is about average in this regard as the nationwide rate is 15 to 1. While this does not translate directly to class size, it’s a good indicator of how much time professors will have to spend with their students on a one-on-one basis.
When estimating how much access students will have to their teachers, some people like to look at what percentage of faculty members are full time. This is because part-time teachers may not have as much time to spend on campus as their full-time counterparts.
The full-time faculty percentage at Ferris State University is 71%. This is higher than the national average of 47%.
The freshmen retention rate of 78% tells us that most first-year, full-time students like Ferris State University enough to come back for another year. This is a fair bit higher than the national average of 68%. That’s certainly something to check off in the good column about the school.
The on-time graduation rate for someone pursuing a bachelor’s degree is typically four years. This rate at Ferris for first-time, full-time students is 47%, which is better than the national average of 33.3%.
Find out more about the retention and graduation rates at Ferris State University.
The current enrollment includes 8,106 undergraduates at Ferris.
Get more detailed information on the diversity at Ferris State University.
The overall average net price of Ferris is $17,140. The affordability of the school largely depends on your financial need since net price varies by income group. See the table below for the net price for different income groups.
| $0-30 K | $30K-48K | $48-75 | $75-110K | $110K + |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| $2,556 | $4,315 | $7,638 | $12,485 | $18,603 |
The net price is calculated by adding tuition, room, board and other costs and subtracting financial aid. Note that the net price is typically less than the published price for a school. For more information on the sticker price of Ferris, see our tuition and fees and room and board pages.
It’s not uncommon for college students to take out loans to pay for school. In fact, almost 66% of students nationwide depend at least partially on loans. At Ferris, approximately 43% of students took out student loans averaging $6,740 a year. That adds up to $26,960 over four years for those students. The student loan default rate is 7.0%. Although this is lower than the national default rate of 10.1%, you’ll still want to keep this in mind when taking out student loans. Get more details about paying for Ferris State University.
Although some majors pay more than others, students who graduate from Ferris State University with a bachelor’s degree go on to jobs where they make an average salary of $54,735 in their early years. This is good news for future Ferris State University graduates since it is 11% more than the average college graduate’s salary of $49,219 per year.
See which majors at Ferris State University make the most money.
Ferris State University is a public institution found in Big Rapids, Michigan. Big Rapids is a great place for students who enjoy small town life. Get more details about the location of Ferris State University.
Contact details for Ferris State University can be found below.
| Contact Details | |
|---|---|
| Address: | 1201 S State St, Big Rapids, MI 49307-2251 |
| Phone: | 2315912000 |
| Website: | www.ferris.edu/ |
| Wikipedia: | en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ferris_State_University |
| Facebook: | www.facebook.com/FerrisState |
| Twitter: | twitter.com/FerrisState |
In the latest year of available data, students from 27 majors graduated from Ferris State University. The following table lists the most popular undergraduate majors along with the average salary graduates from those majors make.
| Most Popular Majors | Completions | Average Salary of Graduates |
|---|---|---|
| Multi-Disciplinary Studies | 2,722 | NA |
| Business Administration & Management | 269 | $42,911 |
| Criminal Justice & Corrections | 181 | $39,049 |
| Liberal Arts General Studies | 115 | $32,578 |
| Social Work | 114 | $36,389 |
| Industrial Production Technology | 112 | $70,938 |
| Pharmacy/Pharmaceutical Sciences | 103 | $110,849 |
| Nursing | 100 | $64,722 |
| Mechanical Engineering | 95 | $64,480 |
| Other Health Professions | 80 | $49,304 |
4,421 students took at least one online class at Ferris State University.
Online learning options are becoming more and more popular at American colleges and universities. Online classes are great for students who have busy schedules or for those who just want to study on their own time.
Learn more about online learning at Ferris State University.
Curious how schools stack up against Ferris? Pit them head to head with College Combat, our free tool for head-to-head college comparisons.
Footnotes
*The racial-ethnic minorities count is calculated by taking the total number of students and subtracting white students, international students, and students whose race/ethnicity was unknown. This number is then divided by the total number of students at the school to obtain the racial-ethnic minorities percentage.
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