Eastern Michigan University
Public Research University in Ypsilanti, MI. Six-year graduation rate 46%. Median 10-year earnings $51,793.
The median ten-year earnings figure of $51,793 sits near the national middle rather than at either extreme. 46% finish within six years — respectable, though a meaningful share still leave without a credential. Median debt at graduation is $25,000, roughly typical for an undergraduate degree.
Earnings: College Scorecard, median ten years after entry across students who received federal aid — completers and non-completers alike.
- ✓ 3-year loan default 0.0% — below national benchmark
Admissions
Eastern Michigan University accepts 80% of applicants, which makes it accessible to most students who meet the baseline requirements. The applicant pool is large — 21,337 in the most recent cycle — so the published rate reflects genuine competition rather than a small-sample quirk. Only 10% of admitted students enroll — the great majority of admits go elsewhere or nowhere. Score ranges below describe the middle half of score submitters among enrolled first-years; students who applied test-optional are not represented in them.
Test score bands (middle 50% of submitters)
These bands describe the enrolled first-years who submitted a score, not the entering class. Where most students apply test-optional the submitters are a self-selected, higher-scoring group.
| Test | 25th–75th percentile | Submitted |
|---|---|---|
| SAT Evidence-Based Reading | 480–600 | 1,123 (68%) |
| SAT Math | 440–570 | |
| ACT Composite | 18–27 | 78 (5%) |
IPEDS Admissions · 2024
Apply at Eastern Michigan University →Academics
Completion is middling: 46% finish inside six years. 69% of full-time first-years come back for year two, so about one in three are gone before sophomore year. The two rates sit near each other: few students who return for a second year are missing from the six-year completion figure. Retention drops to 38% for part-time students, a gap worth weighing if full-time study is not realistic. At 14:1, students get materially more instructor contact than at a typical public university.
Financial Aid
IPEDS Student Financial Aid · 2023-24 · grant and loan rates against 10,752 degree- or certificate-seeking undergraduates
Average net price after grant aid is $15,742 a year — mid-range for a four-year institution. The gap between the $0–30k and $110k+ bands is narrow ($13,250 versus $21,036), meaning aid is not strongly need-weighted. 71% of students receive grant aid, averaging $10,363 — common but not automatic. About 44% borrow federally, roughly the national pattern.
Entering first-year students
A different, smaller group than the rates above: full-time students in their first year of college anywhere. The grant series here also excludes the "other sources" counted in the all-undergraduate figure, so the two are not comparable.
IPEDS Student Financial Aid · 2023-24 · 1,853 students
Net price by family income
The same students as the headline above, limited to those who received Title IV federal aid — a narrower group, with a lower overall average. IPEDS publishes no combined figure across these bands, so they should not be averaged into one.
| Family income band | Average net price |
|---|---|
| $0–30k | $13,250 |
| $30–48k | $12,863 |
| $48–75k | $13,748 |
| $75–110k | $18,243 |
| $110k+ | $21,036 |
IPEDS Student Financial Aid · 2023-24
Federal student loans went to 4,769 of these 10,752 students, totalling $35,809,131 — an average of $7,509 each.
IPEDS Student Financial Aid · 2023-24
Local housing costs
Typical rents near campus (Washtenaw County) — budget these against any cost-of-attendance housing estimate.
HUD Fair Market Rents (40th-percentile gross rent incl. utilities) · FY2026
Veterans & GI Bill
VA GI Bill Comparison Tool (Veterans Affairs GIDS)