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Public Research University

University of
Michigan-Ann Arbor

Public Research University in Ann Arbor, MI. Six-year graduation rate 93%. Median 10-year earnings $83,648.

Verdict High-return
University of Michigan-Ann Arbor · Campus
Median earnings · 10 yr
$83,648
Median debt at grad
$19,500
Mobility score
1.5
% bottom→top quintile
Graduation rate
93.2%
Federal loan default
0%

Students who entered University of Michigan-Ann Arbor reach a median of $83,648 ten years later, which puts this school in the upper band of undergraduate earnings outcomes. 93% graduate within six years, so most students who start here finish here. Median debt at graduation is $19,500, 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.

Green Flags
  • Debt-to-income ratio 0.23 — healthy (below the 0.40 threshold)
  • Graduation rate 93% — well above the national average
  • 3-year loan default 0.0% — below national benchmark
Red Flags

Admissions

Acceptance rate
16%
Applicants
98,310
Yield rate
47.3%

This is a highly selective admit: 16% of applicants receive an offer. The applicant pool is large — 98,310 in the most recent cycle — so the published rate reflects genuine competition rather than a small-sample quirk. A 47% yield rate puts this school in the upper range for admits who follow through. 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 680–750 3,697 (51%)
SAT Math 680–780
ACT Composite 31–34 1,274 (18%)

IPEDS Admissions · 2024

Apply at University of Michigan-Ann Arbor →

Academics

Full-time retention
97%
Transfer-out rate
0%
Student:faculty
11:1

93% of students finish within six years, putting completion well above the national norm. 97% of full-time first-years return for a second year — a healthy figure. Retention drops to 80% for part-time students, a gap worth weighing if full-time study is not realistic. A 11:1 ratio points to small classes and accessible faculty. Judge these figures against other institutions of the same type — sector explains more of the variation in completion than any single campus factor.

Financial Aid

Average net price
$17,574
Full-time, first-time undergraduates paying the in-state rate who were awarded grant or scholarship aid
% receiving grants
55%
degree- or certificate-seeking undergraduates
% receiving federal loans
24%
degree- or certificate-seeking undergraduates

IPEDS Student Financial Aid · 2023-24 · grant and loan rates against 33,488 degree- or certificate-seeking undergraduates

Average net price after grant aid is $17,574 a year — mid-range for a four-year institution. Net price swings hard on family income here, from $1,043 at the $0–30k band to $26,517 at $110k+. About 55% get grants averaging $25,080, so plan on the possibility of paying closer to full price. Only 24% take federal loans. Private borrowing is not captured in this figure.

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
59%
Average grant
$25,099

IPEDS Student Financial Aid · 2023-24 · 7,426 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 $1,043
$30–48k $1,878
$48–75k $4,895
$75–110k $10,869
$110k+ $26,517

IPEDS Student Financial Aid · 2023-24

Federal student loans went to 7,995 of these 33,488 students, totalling $48,883,967 — an average of $6,114 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.

Studio
$1,365/mo
1 bedroom
$1,387/mo
2 bedroom (whole unit)
$1,656/mo

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

Veterans & GI Bill

GI Bill students
886
Yellow Ribbon
Yes
Principles of Excellence
Yes

VA GI Bill Comparison Tool (Veterans Affairs GIDS)

Compare University of Michigan-Ann Arbor with peer institutions

How we evaluate University of Michigan-Ann Arbor

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