Northern Michigan University
Public College in Marquette, MI. Six-year graduation rate 54%. Median 10-year earnings $47,107.
Ten years after entry, the median Northern Michigan University student earns $47,107 — a solidly middle-of-the-pack result for an undergraduate institution. 54% finish within six years — respectable, though a meaningful share still leave without a credential. Median debt at graduation is $21,474, 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
An acceptance rate of 84% puts Northern Michigan University on the accessible end — a realistic target for a broad range of applicants. 12,204 students applied, a pool deep enough to make the acceptance rate meaningful. Yield is low at 15%, so most admitted students do not end up enrolling.
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 | — | — |
| SAT Math | — | |
| ACT Composite | — | — |
IPEDS Admissions · 2024
Apply at Northern Michigan University →Academics
Completion is middling: 54% 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 student-faculty ratio is 18:1 — typical, which in practice means large lectures early and smaller classes in the major. This is a public four-year university, so read every rate on this page against that peer group specifically.
Financial Aid
IPEDS Student Financial Aid · 2023-24 · grant and loan rates against 6,425 degree- or certificate-seeking undergraduates
Students pay an average of $15,707 annually once grants are applied. Aid is steeply need-based: families in the $0–30k band pay $7,697 while those at $110k+ pay $22,268. Grant aid reaches 81% of students at an average of $9,978. Federal borrowing reaches 47% 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.
IPEDS Student Financial Aid · 2023-24 · 1,538 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 | $7,697 |
| $30–48k | $7,185 |
| $48–75k | $11,051 |
| $75–110k | $16,324 |
| $110k+ | $22,268 |
IPEDS Student Financial Aid · 2023-24
Federal student loans went to 2,997 of these 6,425 students, totalling $18,404,330 — an average of $6,141 each.
IPEDS Student Financial Aid · 2023-24
Local housing costs
Typical rents near campus (Marquette 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)