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Public Research University

Michigan Technological University

Public Research University in Houghton, MI. Six-year graduation rate 68%. Median 10-year earnings $78,198.

Verdict Solid outcomes
Michigan Technological University · Campus
Median earnings · 10 yr
$78,198
Median debt at grad
$24,990
Mobility score
1.7
% bottom→top quintile
Graduation rate
68.1%
Federal loan default
0%

A decade after enrolling, the median Michigan Technological University student earns $78,198 — comfortably above what the typical bachelor's-granting institution returns. The six-year graduation rate of 68% is well above average and the clearest sign this school holds onto its students. Graduates carry a median of $24,990 in debt — in line with the national norm.

Earnings: College Scorecard, median ten years after entry across students who received federal aid — completers and non-completers alike.

Green Flags
  • Debt-to-income ratio 0.32 — healthy (below the 0.40 threshold)
  • 3-year loan default 0.0% — below national benchmark
Red Flags

Admissions

Acceptance rate
92%
Applicants
11,491
Yield rate
12.9%

Michigan Technological University admits 92% of applicants — effectively open admission, so the application is a formality rather than a hurdle. 11,491 students applied, a pool deep enough to make the acceptance rate meaningful. Only 13% 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 570–680 972 (71%)
SAT Math 560–670
ACT Composite 25–31 274 (20%)

IPEDS Admissions · 2024

Apply at Michigan Technological University →

Academics

Full-time retention
89%
Transfer-out rate
19%
Student:faculty
13:1

A 68% six-year graduation rate is the strongest academic signal on this page. 89% of full-time first-years return for a second year — a healthy figure. Retention and graduation track closely, so most of the attrition shows up in the first year rather than after it. Transfer-out runs to 19% — common enough at this school that the completion rate is measuring a smaller group than the entering class. A 13:1 ratio points to small classes and accessible faculty.

Financial Aid

Average net price
$16,879
Full-time, first-time undergraduates paying the in-state rate who were awarded grant or scholarship aid
% receiving grants
92%
degree- or certificate-seeking undergraduates
% receiving federal loans
46%
degree- or certificate-seeking undergraduates

IPEDS Student Financial Aid · 2023-24 · grant and loan rates against 5,829 degree- or certificate-seeking undergraduates

Average net price after grant aid is $16,879 a year — mid-range for a four-year institution. Net price swings hard on family income here, from $2,045 at the $0–30k band to $23,107 at $110k+. Most students get help: 92% receive grants worth $16,968 on average. Federal borrowing reaches 46% of students.

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.

% receiving grants
99%
Average grant
$19,898

IPEDS Student Financial Aid · 2023-24 · 1,459 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 $2,045
$30–48k $3,373
$48–75k $6,187
$75–110k $12,813
$110k+ $23,107

IPEDS Student Financial Aid · 2023-24

Federal student loans went to 2,684 of these 5,829 students, totalling $16,137,762 — an average of $6,013 each.

IPEDS Student Financial Aid · 2023-24

Local housing costs

Typical rents near campus (Houghton County) — budget these against any cost-of-attendance housing estimate.

Studio
$795/mo
1 bedroom
$800/mo
2 bedroom (whole unit)
$973/mo

HUD Fair Market Rents (40th-percentile gross rent incl. utilities) · FY2026

Veterans & GI Bill

GI Bill students
155
Yellow Ribbon
Yes
Principles of Excellence
No

VA GI Bill Comparison Tool (Veterans Affairs GIDS)

Compare Michigan Technological University with peer institutions

How we evaluate Michigan Technological University

IPEDS
US Department of Education
College Scorecard
Post-grad earnings
Census PSEO
Earnings by major
Opportunity Insights
Mobility by institution
Read our full methodology →