by our College Data Analytics TeamWayne State University is a public institution in Detroit, Michigan enrolling 15,587 undergraduates. It accepts 81% of applicants and has an on-time graduation rate of 58%, above the national average of 33%. College Factual ranks it #790 of 5,159 colleges nationwide in its 2027 Best Colleges ranking (top 15%), 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.
Wayne State University ranks #790 of 5,159 colleges nationwide in College Factual’s 2027 Best Colleges ranking, placing it in the top 15%.
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.
Wayne State University was awarded 471 badges in the 2027 rankings.
College Factual ranked WSU as #790 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.
Within the state, WSU holds the #19 spot on the Best Colleges in Michigan ranking.
See all of the rankings for Wayne State University.
The acceptance rate at Wayne State University is 81%. That’s higher than the rate at many schools, but still low enough to be considered somewhat selective. If you want to get in, you’ll need good grades and to be able to show that WSU is a good fit for you.
About 40% of students accepted to WSU submitted their SAT scores. When looking at the 25th through the 75th percentile, SAT Evidence-Based Reading and Writing scores ranged between 540 and 640. Math scores were between 520 and 630.
WSU received ACT scores from 3% of accepted students. When looking at the 25th through the 75th percentile, ACT Composite scores ranged between 23 and 29.
Learn more about Wayne State University admissions.
The student to faculty ratio at Wayne State University is about average at 14 to 1. This ratio is often used to gauge how many students might be in an average class and how much time professors will have to spend with their students on an individual level. The national average for this metric is 15 to 1.
Another measure that is often used to estimate how much access students will have to their professors is how many faculty members are full-time. The idea here is that part-time faculty tend to spend less time on campus, so they may not be as available to students as full-timers.
The full-time faculty percentage at Wayne State University is 58%. This is higher than the national average of 47%.
Wayne State University has a freshmen retention rate of 83%. That’s a good sign that full-time students like the school and their professors enough to want to stick around for another year. It’s also a sign that the admissions team did a good job in choosing applicants who were a good fit for the school.
The on-time graduation rate for someone pursuing a bachelor’s degree is typically four years. This rate at WSU for first-time, full-time students is 58%, which is better than the national average of 33.3%.
Find out more about the retention and graduation rates at Wayne State University.
The current enrollment includes 15,587 undergraduates at WSU.
Get more detailed information on the diversity at Wayne State University.
The overall average net price of WSU 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 + |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| $11,090 | $10,721 | $12,068 | $14,828 | $19,862 |
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 WSU, 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 WSU, approximately 38% of students took out student loans averaging $6,948 a year. That adds up to $27,792 over four years for those students. The student loan default rate is 9.8%. This is about the same as the national default rate of 10.1%. Get more details about paying for Wayne State University.
The pay for some majors is higher than others, but on average, students who graduate with a bachelor’s degree from Wayne State University make about $53,493 a year during their first few years of employment after graduation. This is right on par with the average college graduate’s salary of $49,219 per year. Also, graduates in your major field may make more.
See which majors at Wayne State University make the most money.
Wayne State University is a public institution situated in Detroit, Michigan. Detroit is a great location for students who prefer city over country life. Get more details about the location of Wayne State University.
Contact information for Wayne State University are listed below.
| Contact Details | |
|---|---|
| Address: | 42 W. Warren Ave., Detroit, MI 48202 |
| Phone: | 3135772424 |
| Website: | www.wayne.edu |
| Wikipedia: | en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wayne_State_University |
| Facebook: | www.facebook.com/waynestateuniversity |
| Twitter: | twitter.com/waynestate |
During the most recent year for which we have data, students from 30 majors graduated from Wayne 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 | 6,621 | NA |
| Business Administration & Management | 508 | $80,257 |
| Social Work | 354 | $38,300 |
| General Psychology | 353 | $28,743 |
| Medicine | 309 | $55,813 |
| Public Health | 294 | NA |
| Nursing | 275 | $73,129 |
| Computer Information Systems | 233 | $73,198 |
| Human Resource Management | 226 | $43,409 |
| Health & Physical Education | 186 | $43,056 |
10,497 students took at least one online class at Wayne 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 Wayne State University.
Want to see how other colleges compare to WSU? Compare them side by side using College Combat, our free interactive tool that lets you compare colleges on the features that matter most to you.
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.
References