by our College Data Analytics TeamIt's not easy to decide which college to attend when you have so many options available. At College Factual, we're committed to helping you make that decision by providing information such as that found in our Top Michigan Colleges ranking.
We analyzed 56 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.
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!
Learn more about these excellent schools below:
Our analysis found University of Michigan - Ann Arbor to be the best school for overall quality in Michigan in this year’s ranking.
The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 97%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year. Those who receive a bachelor’s degree from U-M go into careers with an average salary of $83,648 during the early years of their career.
A rank of #2 on our Best Colleges in Michigan list means Michigan State University is a great place for students working on their bachelor’s degree.
The school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 1.0%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%. During the early years of their career, graduates from Michigan State make an average of $67,253 a year.
You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend Michigan Technological University. The school came in at #3 in Michigan on this year’s overall quality ranking.
Upon graduation, bachelor’s degree recipients go on to jobs making an average salary of $78,198 during the early years of their career..
You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Western Michigan University. It ranked #4 on our 2025 Best Colleges in Michigan list.
During the early years of their career, graduates from WMU make an average of $53,562 a year.
You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend Grand Valley State University. The school came in at #5 in Michigan on this year’s overall quality ranking.
The average salary of a graduate with a bachelor’s degree from GVSU is $56,118 during the early years of their career.
Central Michigan University did quite well in the 2025 Best Colleges in Michigan ranking, coming in at #6.
The average salary of a graduate with a bachelor’s degree from Central Michigan is $55,874 during the early years of their career.
University of Detroit Mercy did quite well in the 2025 Best Colleges in Michigan ranking, coming in at #7.
Those who receive a bachelor’s degree from Detroit Mercy go into careers with an average salary of $71,030 during the early years of their career.
With a ranking of #8, Kettering University did quite well on the 2025 Best Colleges in Michigan list.
Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 87%. Graduates with a bachelor’s degree from Kettering make an average of $94,823 per year during the early years of their career.
Wayne State University ranked #9 on this year’s Best Colleges in Michigan list.
The student loan default rate at the school is 3.0%, 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 Wayne State is $53,493 during the early years of their career.
Oakland University came in at #10 in this year’s edition of the Best Colleges in Michigan ranking.
The average salary of a graduate with a bachelor’s degree from Oakland is $58,612 during the early years of their career.
Madonna University landed the #11 spot on the 2025 Best Colleges in Michigan ranking.
Graduates with a bachelor’s degree from Madonna make an average of $59,058 per year during the early years of their career.
Macomb Community College ranked #12 on this year’s Best Colleges in Michigan list.
Upon graduation, bachelor’s degree recipients go on to jobs making an average salary of $41,596 during the early years of their career..
Ferris State University came in at #13 in this year’s edition of the Best Colleges in Michigan ranking.
The average salary of a graduate with a bachelor’s degree from Ferris is $54,735 during the early years of their career.
Davenport University ranked #14 on this year’s Best Colleges in Michigan list.
The average salary of a graduate with a bachelor’s degree from Davenport University is $45,099 during the early years of their career.
Eastern Michigan University landed the #15 spot on the 2025 Best Colleges in Michigan ranking.
The low student loan default rate of 1.0% 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 Eastern Michigan make an average of $51,793 a year.
Hope College came in at #16 in this year’s edition of the Best Colleges in Michigan ranking.
Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 89%. During the early years of their career, graduates from Hope make an average of $58,427 a year.
Wayne County Community College District landed the #17 spot on the 2025 Best Colleges in Michigan ranking.
The student loan default rate at the school is 1.0%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1% Graduates with a bachelor’s degree from WCCCD make an average of $29,079 per year during the early years of their career.
Grand Rapids Community College came in at #18 in this year’s edition of the Best Colleges in Michigan ranking.
The average salary of a graduate with a bachelor’s degree from Grand Rapids Community College is $38,377 during the early years of their career.
Delta College landed the #19 spot on the 2025 Best Colleges in Michigan ranking.
Upon graduation, bachelor’s degree recipients go on to jobs making an average salary of $37,781 during the early years of their career..
Calvin University ranked #20 on this year’s Best Colleges in Michigan list.
The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 86%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year. During the early years of their career, graduates from Calvin make an average of $58,375 a year.
University of Michigan - Dearborn came in at #21 in this year’s edition of the Best Colleges in Michigan ranking.
The school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 1.0%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%. Graduates with a bachelor’s degree from UM Dearborn make an average of $59,649 per year during the early years of their career.
With a ranking of #22, Oakland Community College did quite well on the 2025 Best Colleges in Michigan list.
The average salary of a graduate with a bachelor’s degree from Oakland Community College is $37,395 during the early years of their career.
Siena Heights University landed the #23 spot on the 2025 Best Colleges in Michigan ranking.
Those who receive a bachelor’s degree from Siena Heights University go into careers with an average salary of $57,529 during the early years of their career.
Lawrence Technological University came in at #24 in this year’s edition of the Best Colleges in Michigan ranking.
Those who receive a bachelor’s degree from Lawrence Tech go into careers with an average salary of $69,151 during the early years of their career.
Adrian College came in at #25 in this year’s edition of the Best Colleges in Michigan ranking.
Upon graduation, bachelor’s degree recipients go on to jobs making an average salary of $55,504 during the early years of their career..
Footnotes
*These averages are for the top 25 schools only.
References
More about our data sources and methodologies.