Kettering University is a private nonprofit institution offering graduate degrees based in Flint, Michigan. It enrolls 1,205 students (a small, tight-knit student body), according to IPEDS 2023-24 data. Below you'll find verified data on admissions, cost, student outcomes, programs offered, and what graduates typically earn, all pulled from the U.S. Department of Education's College Scorecard and IPEDS.
US College Data scores each college on four pillars (outcomes, value, affordability, and selectivity) on a 0–100 scale, ranked within its peer group (4-Year Selective). Scores are calculated from verified College Scorecard and IPEDS data, not opinion or paid placement. Where data is missing, that pillar isn't scored.
Good
70/100
UCD Score · 4-Year Selective
Outcomes85
Value52
Affordability11
Selectivity60
Admissions & Acceptance Rate
With an acceptance rate of 78.7%, Kettering University is broadly accessible to qualified applicants.
Acceptance Rate
78.7%
Easy
SAT Range (25th–75th)
1160 – 1330
Reading + Math combined
ACT Range (25th–75th)
26 – 30
Cumulative composite
Test PolicyNot ConsideredStandardized test scores are not used in admissions decisions.
5-Year Admission Trend
Acceptance rate over the last five admission cycles. The trend tells you whether Kettering University is getting harder, easier, or staying about the same.
Becoming less selective ↑
6.1 pts
since 2019
Cost & Financial Aid
The real cost of attending Kettering University isn't the sticker price. It's the net price,which is what most students actually pay after grants and scholarships. According to College Scorecard 2023-24 data, the average net price is $34,660 per year. That's in line with the typical net price for private nonprofit colleges nationally.
Average Net Price
$34,660
Per year, after typical aid
Receive Pell Grants
17%
Need-based federal aid
Receive Federal Loans
45%
Borrowing to attend
Full Cost Breakdown
Published cost of attendance, the sticker price before grants and scholarships. Most students underestimate room & board and other expenses.
Tuition & Fees
$48,470
Room & Board (on-campus)
$10,400
Room & Board (off-campus)
$10,400
Books & Supplies
$1,000
Other Expenses (on-campus)
$4,416
Other Expenses (off-campus)
$4,416
Total Cost of Attendance
$61,250
Net Price by Family Income
Aid is need-based, so net price varies by family income. Here's what each bracket typically pays after grants and scholarships.
Under $30,000
$24,910
$30,001 – $48,000
$23,273
$48,001 – $75,000
$31,544
$75,001 – $110,000
$33,401
Over $110,000
$39,399
Debt at Graduation
Cumulative federal-loan debt across the full borrowing distribution. The 10th and 90th percentiles bracket the typical range; the median sits in the middle.
$5,00010%percentile
$9,50025%percentile
$27,000Medianpercentile
$31,00075%percentile
$37,66790%percentile
Median Debt by Student Type
Median federal-loan debt at graduation broken down by demographic. Each slice's size is proportional to the dollar amount that group typically borrows.
GroupDebtvs Median
Pell recipients $28,000
↑ $1,000
No Pell $23,373
↓ $3,627
Dependent students $26,498
↓ $502
Independent students $31,093
↑ $4,093
Female students $22,667
↓ $4,333
Male students $27,000
—
Worth knowing:
Students who don't finish leave with a median debt of $23,250, close to what completers borrow ($27,000) but without the degree to show for it.
Graduation Rate & Retention
56% of full-time students who enrolled at Kettering University graduate within six years, and 93% return for their second year, per IPEDS 2023-24 completion data.
6-Year Graduation Rate
56%
Of students who graduate within six years
First-Year Retention
93%
Returning for their second year
What this means:
High first-year retention. Students who arrive tend to stay.
After Graduation: Earnings & Outcomes
According to College Scorecard 2023-24 data, students who entered Kettering University earn a median of $94,823 ten years after first enrolling. That's well above the national median for U.S. colleges.
Median Earnings (10 yrs)
$94,823
Earning > $25K
91%
10 yrs after entry
Earnings Growth After Graduation
Median annual earnings 6, 8, and 10 years after students first enrolled.
Earnings by Demographic
Mean annual earnings 10 years after entry, segmented by demographic. Reveals gaps the headline median can't show.
By Gender
Female graduates
$74,400
Median earnings for female grads ten years after first enrolling here.
Male graduates
$79,200
Median earnings for male grads ten years after first enrolling here.
By Family Income at Entry
Family income (lowest third)
$74,800
Earnings of grads from the bottom-third of family incomes at entry.
Family income (middle third)
$77,100
Earnings of grads from the middle-third of family incomes at entry.
Family income (highest third)
$80,200
Earnings of grads from the top-third of family incomes at entry.
Loan Repayment Progression
Share of completer-cohort borrowers paying down at least $1 of principal at the 1-, 3-, 5-, and 7-year mark. Climbing rates show graduates settling into careers and managing debt; flat or declining rates are a warning.
Stable ↑
2.6 pts
across 6 years
What this signals:
Excellent. 98% of graduates were paying down at least $1 of principal seven years out.
Who Studies Here
Kettering University is home to 1,205 students, a small, close-knit community.
Total Enrolled
1,205
Part-Time
2%
First-Generation
18%
Race & Ethnicity Breakdown
Undergraduate student body composition reported to the US Department of Education.
GroupShareStudents
White 73.4%885
Asian 7.1%85
Black 5.3%64
Other 4.6%55
Hispanic 4.4%53
International 3.0%36
Student Life & Campus Culture
Where students live, learn, and connect at Kettering University. The campus setting, housing profile, and signals that shape day-to-day life here.
Setting
Small CityFlint, Michigan
Housing
Partly residential435 beds available
Adult Learners
3%of students are 25 or older
Athletics
NAIAathletic-conference member
Academic Calendar
Semesterscheduling structure
What You Can Study
Kettering University offers
a varied set of programs:
19 distinct programs across
7 majors.
Below are its strongest majors, each with flagship programs and typical earnings.
Open a major to explore it in depth, or browse the full program catalog.
The student-to-faculty ratio at Kettering University is 11:1, close to the national average.
Student : Faculty
11:1
Students per instructional faculty member
Endowment
$228M
Solid financial position
Avg Faculty Salary
$83,699
9-month equivalent across all ranks
Faculty by Rank
100 instructional faculty across 4 ranks.
The rank mix shows how many senior faculty are teaching versus contingent or junior staff, with average salary equated to a 9-month contract.
Rank
Faculty Count
Share
Avg Salary
Full Professors
29
29%
$96,076
Associate Professors
23
23%
$88,979
Assistant Professors
21
21%
$82,994
Lecturers
27
27%
$66,456
Pros & Cons of Kettering University
A quick at-a-glance summary of how Kettering University tends to stack up for prospective students,weighing its data, size, setting, and cost profile together.
PROS
Accessible admissions for most applicants
Small classes (low student-faculty ratio)
Tight-knit, close community feel
Strong first-year retention
Above-average post-graduation earnings
CONS
Above-average net price
Fewer clubs, activities, and social options
High published cost of attendance before aid
Predominantly serves middle- and upper-income families
Best for:
Based on the data, Kettering University is a fit for
students who want a clear path to start college without a competitive admissions barrier; students prioritizing post-graduation earnings; students who thrive in small, close-knit environments.
Frequently Asked Questions about Kettering University
Quick answers to the questions most students and parents ask. Every answer below is calculated from verified government data about Kettering University.
Is Kettering University hard to get into?
Kettering University has open or near-open admissions. Most qualified applicants are accepted. Acceptance rate: 78.7%.
What is the acceptance rate at Kettering University?
Kettering University has an acceptance rate of 78.7%, according to College Scorecard 2023-24 admissions data.
What SAT score do you need for Kettering University?
The middle 50% of admitted students at Kettering University scored between 1160 and 1330 on the SAT (Reading + Math combined). Scores at the higher end of that range improve admissions odds materially. Per IPEDS 2023-24 data.
What ACT score do you need for Kettering University?
The middle 50% of admitted students at Kettering University scored between 26 and 30 on the ACT composite. Scores in the upper half of that range strengthen an application. Source: IPEDS 2023-24.
How much does Kettering University cost?
The average net price after aid at Kettering University is $34,660 per year, this is what students typically pay after grants and scholarships are applied. Net price data: College Scorecard 2023-24.
Is Kettering University worth it?
Moderate return on investment. Graduates earn a median of $94,823 ten years after entering, against an average net price of $34,660 per year. That's roughly 2.7x earnings-to-cost. Source: College Scorecard 2023-24.
What is Kettering University known for?
Kettering University is best known for its programs in Mechanical Engineering, Business Administration, Electrical Engineering. These are the most popular fields by completed degrees, per IPEDS 2023-24 completion data.
What do Kettering University graduates earn?
Median earnings 10 years after entering Kettering University are $94,823, based on College Scorecard 2023-24 federal earnings data for Title IV recipients.
Is Kettering University accredited?
Yes. Kettering University is accredited by the Higher Learning Commission.
How many students attend Kettering University?
Kettering University enrolls 1,205 students, per IPEDS 2023-24 fall enrollment data.
What is the graduation rate at Kettering University?
Kettering University graduates 56% of full-time students within six years, per IPEDS 2023-24 completion data.
Is Kettering University a public or private college?
Kettering University is a Private Nonprofit institution.
Where is Kettering University located?
Kettering University is located in Flint, Michigan.
What programs does Kettering University offer?
Kettering University offers 19 distinct programs. The most popular include Mechanical Engineering, Business Administration, Electrical Engineering.
What is the student-to-faculty ratio at Kettering University?
The student-to-faculty ratio at Kettering University is 11:1, per IPEDS 2023-24 data.
Related Colleges in Michigan
Other colleges in Michigan share the same applicant pool, regional economy, and academic landscape. Comparing nearby options puts admissions, costs, and outcomes in context, useful when weighing your fit against local alternatives.
Free, data-backed guides to help you decide, built on the same federal data as this profile.
H
How to Build Your College List Pillar
The full process of narrowing from 3,839 US colleges to a shortlist of ~10. Cost, location, size, selectivity, and fit factors that actually predict whether you'll thrive.
What actually makes a college work for first-generation students, the support and aid signals that predict success, and how to find the schools that deliver them using federal data.
How to find the colleges that deliver the strongest return on a STEM degree by weighing earnings outcomes against net cost, rather than chasing the most selective name.
Original data analyses built on the same federal data as this profile. Rankings, outliers, and patterns, no opinions.
Safety Schools With Better Outcomes Than the Reaches
31 colleges admit 75 percent or more of applicants yet out-earn the typical low-admit reach school. The prestige order inverts more often than families assume.
Acceptance rate
Earnings
Safety schools
Selectivity
Outcomes
American Colleges by the Numbers
One federal dataset, 3,839 colleges. The median school costs $16,371 a year, admits 78% of applicants, and enrolls 1,259 students. The shape of US higher ed.
Higher education data
Net price
College enrollment
Acceptance rate
College ownership
Do Selective Schools Actually Graduate More Students?
Across 1,645 four-year colleges, graduation rates climb steadily with selectivity, from 54% at open-admission schools to 93% at the most exclusive. The gap is real.
Graduation rate
Acceptance rate
Selectivity
Completion
College outcomes
Rankings That Feature Kettering University
Kettering University appears in these rankings, built from the same federal data and the UCD Score.
Highest-Earning Engineering Tech Colleges
The highest-earning colleges for Engineering Tech, ranked by graduate salary 10 years after entry.
$124,080 Top Earn
$57,951 Avg Earn
92 UCD Score
407 Colleges
Continue Exploring
Browse our full directory: every college, major, program, and career we track, all built from verified government data.
