2022 Best Colleges in Michigan
It's not easy to decide which college to attend when you have so many options available. Our mission at College Factual is to arm you with as much information as we can to help you make that decision. Our Top Michigan Schools ranking is one tool we have developed to help in this regard.
We analyzed 67 colleges and universities across Michigan to determine which were the best in terms of overall quality. Our ranking is based on over 20 objective factors, including post graduate earnings, freshman retention, and graduation rate. We steer clear of subjective measures since they don't give a clear picture when determining how one school compares to another.
See what other factors we include in our ranking methodology.
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Customizing Your List
We know that one set of rankings doesn't always help you determine the best school for you, so we've created the ability to narrow your list by location and field of study as well as alternative rankings that prioritize different factors such as those of importance to veterans and returning adults or those who value diversity and value for your money.
One of our other unique offerings is College Combat. This tool lets you build your own customized comparisons utilizing the factors that are most important to you. We encourage you to try it out and pit your favorite colleges and universities head to head!
Top Colleges in Michigan
Learn more about these excellent schools below:
Our 2022 rankings named University of Michigan - Ann Arbor the best school in Michigan in terms of overall quality for students working on their bachelor’s degree. This large public school is located in Ann Arbor, Michigan, and it awarded 15,032 bachelor’s degrees in 2019-2020.
With a freshman retention rate of 97%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students. Graduates with a bachelor’s degree from U-M make an average of $63,400 per year during the early years of their career.
A rank of #2 on our Best Colleges in Michigan list means Kettering University is a great place for students working on their bachelor’s degree. Kettering is a small private not-for-profit school situated in Flint, Michigan. It awarded 651 bachelor’s degrees in 2019-2020.
The low student loan default rate of 2.7% is a good sign that students have an easier time paying off their loans than they might at other schools. For comparison, the national default rate is 10.1% During the early years of their career, graduates from Kettering make an average of $80,500 a year.
Out of the 67 schools in Michigan that were part of this year’s ranking, Kuyper College landed the #3 spot on the list. Kuyper is a small private not-for-profit school situated in Grand Rapids, Michigan. It awarded 71 bachelor’s degrees in 2019-2020.
The low student loan default rate of 4.4% is a good sign that students have an easier time paying off their loans than they might at other schools. For comparison, the national default rate is 10.1% Those who receive a bachelor’s degree from Kuyper go into careers with an average salary of $28,600 during the early years of their career.
The excellent bachelor’s degree programs at Michigan State University helped the school earn the #4 place on this year’s ranking of the best schools in Michigan. Michigan State is located in East Lansing, Michigan and has a large student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 13,016 bachelor’s degrees to qualified undergradutates.
The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 91%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year. Upon graduation, bachelor’s degree recipients go on to jobs making an average salary of $53,600 during the early years of their career..
The excellent bachelor’s degree programs at Michigan Technological University helped the school earn the #5 place on this year’s ranking of the best schools in Michigan. Michigan Tech is a medium-sized public school situated in Houghton, Michigan. It awarded 1,647 bachelor’s degrees in 2019-2020.
The school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 2.3%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%. The average salary of a graduate with a bachelor’s degree from Michigan Tech is $66,400 during the early years of their career.
Hope College did quite well in the 2022 Best Colleges in Michigan ranking, coming in at #6.Holland, Michigan is the setting for this small institution of higher learning. The private not-for-profit school handed out bachelor’s degrees to 816 students in 2019-2020.
With a freshman retention rate of 91%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students. Upon graduation, bachelor’s degree recipients go on to jobs making an average salary of $46,200 during the early years of their career..
Calvin University did quite well in the 2022 Best Colleges in Michigan ranking, coming in at #7. Calvin University is a small private not-for-profit school located in Grand Rapids, Michigan that handed out 1,057 bachelor’s degrees in 2019-2020.
The school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 1.6%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%. Upon graduation, bachelor’s degree recipients go on to jobs making an average salary of $44,800 during the early years of their career..
Grand Valley State University ranked #8 on this year’s Best Colleges in Michigan list. GVSU is a public institution located in Allendale, Michigan. The school has a large population, and it awarded 6,273 bachelor’s degrees in 2019-2020.
The student loan default rate at the school is 3.7%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1% The average salary of a graduate with a bachelor’s degree from GVSU is $42,800 during the early years of their career.
Oakland Community College landed the #9 spot on the 2022 Best Colleges in Michigan ranking.Bloomfield Hills, Michigan is the setting for this fairly large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out bachelor’s degrees to 2,354 students in 2019-2020.
Upon graduation, bachelor’s degree recipients go on to jobs making an average salary of $30,600 during the early years of their career..
Kalamazoo College came in at #10 in this year’s edition of the Best Colleges in Michigan ranking. K College is located in Kalamazoo, Michigan and has a small student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 374 bachelor’s degrees to qualified undergradutates.
The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 88%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year. During the early years of their career, graduates from K College make an average of $48,700 a year.
With a ranking of #11, Lawrence Technological University did quite well on the 2022 Best Colleges in Michigan list.Southfield, Michigan is the setting for this small institution of higher learning. The private not-for-profit school handed out bachelor’s degrees to 635 students in 2019-2020.
Graduates with a bachelor’s degree from Lawrence Tech make an average of $55,300 per year during the early years of their career.
Central Michigan University did quite well in the 2022 Best Colleges in Michigan ranking, coming in at #12. Central Michigan is a fairly large public school situated in Mount Pleasant, Michigan. It awarded 5,958 bachelor’s degrees in 2019-2020.
Upon graduation, bachelor’s degree recipients go on to jobs making an average salary of $41,900 during the early years of their career..
University of Detroit Mercy did quite well in the 2022 Best Colleges in Michigan ranking, coming in at #13. University of Detroit Mercy is a small private not-for-profit school located in Detroit, Michigan that handed out 1,350 bachelor’s degrees in 2019-2020.
The student loan default rate at the school is 3.5%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1% Those who receive a bachelor’s degree from Detroit Mercy go into careers with an average salary of $47,100 during the early years of their career.
Macomb Community College did quite well in the 2022 Best Colleges in Michigan ranking, coming in at #14. Located in Warren, Michigan, the fairly large public school handed out 1,487 bachelor’s degrees in 2019-2020.
The average salary of a graduate with a bachelor’s degree from Macomb Community College is $32,500 during the early years of their career.
With a ranking of #15, Ferris State University did quite well on the 2022 Best Colleges in Michigan list. Located in Big Rapids, Michigan, the fairly large public school awarded 3,227 diplomas to qualifed bachelor’s degree students in 2019-2020.
The average salary of a graduate with a bachelor’s degree from Ferris is $44,500 during the early years of their career.
Oakland University did quite well in the 2022 Best Colleges in Michigan ranking, coming in at #16. Oakland is a fairly large public school situated in Rochester Hills, Michigan. It awarded 4,653 bachelor’s degrees in 2019-2020.
Upon graduation, bachelor’s degree recipients go on to jobs making an average salary of $43,100 during the early years of their career..
Western Michigan University did quite well in the 2022 Best Colleges in Michigan ranking, coming in at #17. Western Michigan University is a fairly large public school located in Kalamazoo, Michigan that handed out 5,146 bachelor’s degrees in 2019-2020.
The average salary of a graduate with a bachelor’s degree from WMU is $45,000 during the early years of their career.
University of Michigan - Dearborn landed the #18 spot on the 2022 Best Colleges in Michigan ranking. UM Dearborn is a public institution located in Dearborn, Michigan. The school has a medium-sized population, and it awarded 2,303 bachelor’s degrees in 2019-2020.
The school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 4.5%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%. During the early years of their career, graduates from UM Dearborn make an average of $48,600 a year.
Andrews University came in at #19 in this year’s edition of the Best Colleges in Michigan ranking. Andrews is located in Berrien Springs, Michigan and has a small student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 821 bachelor’s degrees to qualified undergradutates.
The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 87%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year. Upon graduation, bachelor’s degree recipients go on to jobs making an average salary of $45,200 during the early years of their career..
Albion College came in at #20 in this year’s edition of the Best Colleges in Michigan ranking. Albion is a private not-for-profit institution located in Albion, Michigan. The school has a small population, and it awarded 346 bachelor’s degrees in 2019-2020.
Those who receive a bachelor’s degree from Albion go into careers with an average salary of $47,400 during the early years of their career.
With a ranking of #21, Grand Rapids Community College did quite well on the 2022 Best Colleges in Michigan list. This fairly large public school is located in Grand Rapids, Michigan, and it awarded 1,495 bachelor’s degrees in 2019-2020.
Those who receive a bachelor’s degree from Grand Rapids Community College go into careers with an average salary of $31,300 during the early years of their career.
Alma College came in at #22 in this year’s edition of the Best Colleges in Michigan ranking. Located in Alma, Michigan, the small private not-for-profit school awarded 359 diplomas to qualifed bachelor’s degree students in 2019-2020.
The average salary of a graduate with a bachelor’s degree from Alma is $42,200 during the early years of their career.
Saginaw Valley State University landed the #23 spot on the 2022 Best Colleges in Michigan ranking. Saginaw Valley State University is a public institution located in University Center, Michigan. The school has a medium-sized population, and it awarded 1,794 bachelor’s degrees in 2019-2020.
Those who receive a bachelor’s degree from Saginaw Valley State University go into careers with an average salary of $39,300 during the early years of their career.
Spring Arbor University came in at #24 in this year’s edition of the Best Colleges in Michigan ranking. Spring Arbor is located in Spring Arbor, Michigan and has a small student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 921 bachelor’s degrees to qualified undergradutates.
The average salary of a graduate with a bachelor’s degree from Spring Arbor is $41,000 during the early years of their career.
Wayne State University came in at #25 in this year’s edition of the Best Colleges in Michigan ranking. Wayne State is a large public school situated in Detroit, Michigan. It awarded 6,694 bachelor’s degrees in 2019-2020.
Upon graduation, bachelor’s degree recipients go on to jobs making an average salary of $40,800 during the early years of their career..
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Notes and References
Footnotes
*These averages are for the top 25 schools only.
References
- The Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System (IPEDS) from the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES), a branch of the U.S. Department of Education (DOE) serves as the core of our data about colleges.
- Some other college data, including much of the graduate earnings data, comes from the U.S. Department of Education’s (College Scorecard).
- Information about the national average student loan default rate is from the U.S. Department of Education and refers to data about the 2016 borrower cohort tracking period for which the cohort default rate (CDR) was 10.1%.
More about our data sources and methodologies.
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