Ferris State University
Public College in Big Rapids, MI. Six-year graduation rate 57%. Median 10-year earnings $54,735.
Ten years after entry, the median Ferris State University student earns $54,735 — a solidly middle-of-the-pack result for an undergraduate institution. The six-year graduation rate is 57%, meaning about two in five students who start do not finish. Median debt at graduation is $21,000, 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
Ferris State University admits 91% of applicants — effectively open admission, so the application is a formality rather than a hurdle. 12,460 students applied, a pool deep enough to make the acceptance rate meaningful. Only 15% of admitted students enroll — the great majority of admits go elsewhere or nowhere. The score bands below cover the middle 50% of the enrolled students who submitted a score — not the whole class, and not a cutoff.
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 | 460–570 | 1,097 (65%) |
| SAT Math | 430–550 | |
| ACT Composite | 20–24 | 22 (1%) |
IPEDS Admissions · 2024
Apply at Ferris State University →Academics
Completion is middling: 57% finish inside six years. First-year retention is 78% — the single largest point of attrition on this campus. The two rates sit near each other: few students who return for a second year are missing from the six-year completion figure. The part-time picture is harder: 64% return, against 78% full-time. A 15:1 ratio points to small classes and accessible faculty.
Financial Aid
IPEDS Student Financial Aid · 2023-24 · grant and loan rates against 8,087 degree- or certificate-seeking undergraduates
Students pay an average of $10,825 annually, well below typical undergraduate net price. The income table below is the number that matters — $2,556 at $0–30k versus $18,603 at $110k+. Grant aid reaches 81% of students at an average of $12,036. About 48% 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 · 1,576 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 | $2,556 |
| $30–48k | $4,315 |
| $48–75k | $7,638 |
| $75–110k | $12,485 |
| $110k+ | $18,603 |
IPEDS Student Financial Aid · 2023-24
Federal student loans went to 3,875 of these 8,087 students, totalling $26,115,404 — an average of $6,739 each.
IPEDS Student Financial Aid · 2023-24
Local housing costs
Typical rents near campus (Mecosta 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)