Public Graduate Good 67/100

Northern Michigan University

See admissions data, costs, student outcomes, and academic programs, all verified from official US government sources.

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Marquette, Michigan

About Northern Michigan University

Thinking about Northern Michigan University, a college in Michigan where more students graduate in Health than anything else? The four things worth knowing are what it actually costs after aid, whether you would get in, whether students finish, and what they earn after they do.

Northern Michigan University is a public institution offering graduate degrees based in Marquette, Michigan. It enrolls 6,556 students (a large student body), according to IPEDS 2023-24 data. Every figure on this page is reported by the federal government, not supplied by the college, so it can be compared like for like against anywhere else you are looking.

Acceptance
84%
Graduation
49.2%
Net Price
$14,085
Median Earnings (10yr)
$47,107
Enrollment
6,556
Student : Faculty
18:1

Accreditor Higher Learning Commission
Academic Calendar Semester

How It Measures Up

These four scores answer one question: compared with similar colleges, is this one worth the money? Each runs 0 to 100 and is judged only against its peer group (4-Year Selective), so a community college is never marked down for not being Harvard. Everything is computed from federal data. Nobody can pay to move a score, and a pillar with missing data is left unscored rather than guessed.

Good
67/100
UCD Score · 4-Year Selective
Outcomes 45
Value 70
Affordability 57
Selectivity 35

Admissions & Acceptance Rate

Northern Michigan University admits 84% of applicants, which makes it open to most qualified applicants, so admission is unlikely to be the hurdle.

Acceptance Rate
84%
Easy
SAT Range (25th–75th)
—
Not reported
ACT Range (25th–75th)
—
Not reported
Test Policy Test Optional Applicants choose whether to submit SAT or ACT scores.

5-Year Admission Trend

Acceptance rate over the last five admission cycles. The trend tells you whether Northern Michigan University is getting harder, easier, or staying about the same.

Stable ↑ 4.4 pts since 2019
65.6%201966.9%202071.3%202170.5%202270%2023

Cost & Financial Aid

Ignore the sticker price. What matters is the net price, which is what a typical family pays here after grants and scholarships come off. At $14,085 a year on average, it sits below what public colleges charge nationally. That still leaves most families a gap to cover, but a manageable one. Figures are College Scorecard 2023-24.

The average hides a wide spread by household income, so it is worth estimating what a family at your income would actually pay before treating this as the price.

Average Net Price
$14,085
Per year, after typical aid
Receive Pell Grants
28%
Need-based federal aid
Receive Federal Loans
46%
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 (in-state)
$14,277
Tuition & Fees (out-of-state)
$19,773
Room & Board (on-campus)
$13,274
Room & Board (off-campus)
$11,292
Books & Supplies
$720
Other Expenses (on-campus)
$2,178
Other Expenses (off-campus)
$2,520
Total Cost of Attendance
$27,841

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
    $7,697
  • $30,001 – $48,000
    $7,185
  • $48,001 – $75,000
    $11,051
  • $75,001 – $110,000
    $16,324
  • Over $110,000
    $22,268

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.

$3,250
10% percentile
$6,000
25% percentile
$21,474
Median percentile
$25,880
75% percentile
$33,000
90% 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 $15,250 ↓ $6,224
No Pell $12,000 ↓ $9,474
Dependent students $13,198 ↓ $8,276
Independent students $15,750 ↓ $5,724
Female students $15,000 ↓ $6,474
Male students $12,000 ↓ $9,474
Pell recipients: 18.3% (3,936 students)No Pell: 14.4% (3,097 students)Dependent students: 15.9% (3,406 students)Independent students: 18.9% (4,065 students)Female students: 18.0% (3,872 students)Male students: 14.4% (3,097 students)Overall Median$21,474
Worth knowing: Students who don't finish leave with a median debt of $7,327, less than completers ($21,474), but still a meaningful obligation without a degree in hand.

Graduation Rate & Retention

49% of students who start here finish within six years, and 77% come back after first year. Fewer than half finish in six years. Ask what support exists for students who fall behind. Source: IPEDS 2023-24.

Completion and earnings carry the most weight in this college's score, and how the UCD Score weighs each measure sets out exactly how they are combined.

6-Year Graduation Rate
49%
Of students who graduate within six years
First-Year Retention
77%
Returning for their second year

After Graduation: Earnings & Outcomes

Ten years after starting here, the median student earns $47,107 a year, close to the national median. Typical for most colleges, so what you study will matter more than where. Source: College Scorecard 2023-24.

Median Earnings (10 yrs)
$47,107
Earning > $25K
74%
10 yrs after entry

Earnings Growth After Graduation

Median annual earnings 6, 8, and 10 years after students first enrolled.

$37,000$40,000$43,000$46,000$48,0006 yrs8 yrs10 yrs

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
$34,400

Median earnings for female grads ten years after first enrolling here.

Male graduates
$45,300

Median earnings for male grads ten years after first enrolling here.


By Family Income at Entry

Family income (lowest third)
$34,500

Earnings of grads from the bottom-third of family incomes at entry.

Family income (middle third)
$38,900

Earnings of grads from the middle-third of family incomes at entry.

Family income (highest third)
$44,500

Earnings of grads from the top-third of family incomes at entry.

The gender gap: Male graduates earn $10,900, about 24% more than female graduates ten years out. The gap reflects industry mix, role choice, and structural pay differences that exist across most US colleges.

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.

Climbing: graduates increasingly paying down debt ↑ 16.7 pts across 6 years
63.2%1yr69.6%3yr72.2%5yr80%7yr
What this signals: Strong. 80% of graduates are actively reducing their debt seven years out.

Who Studies Here

Who you would actually be sitting next to: 6,556 students, a large student community.

Total Enrolled
6,556
Part-Time
12%
First-Generation
28%

Race & Ethnicity Breakdown

Undergraduate student body composition reported to the US Department of Education.

GroupShareStudents
White 83.6% 5,480
Other 5.9% 384
Hispanic 4.4% 289
Black 2.0% 130
International 1.0% 63
Asian 0.5% 32
White: 83.6% (5,480 students)Other: 5.9% (384 students)Hispanic: 4.4% (289 students)Black: 2.0% (130 students)International: 1.0% (63 students)Asian: 0.5% (32 students)Total6,556

Student Life & Campus Culture

Where students live, learn, and connect at Northern Michigan University. The campus setting, housing profile, and signals that shape day-to-day life here.

Setting
Town: Remote Marquette, Michigan
Housing
Mostly residential 3,155 beds on campus
Adult Learners
14% of students are 25 or older
Athletics
NCAA athletic-conference member
Academic Calendar
Semester scheduling structure

What You Can Study

After that comes the national picture for Business graduates, which shows what the field pays across every college rather than just this one.

Northern Michigan University offers an extensive catalog of programs: 104 distinct programs across 30 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.

10 Programs
12 Programs
4 Programs
2 Programs
6 Programs

Faculty & Resources

There are 18 students for every instructor here: on the higher side, so larger classes are common.

Student : Faculty
18:1
Students per instructional faculty member
Instruction / Student
$8,987
Annual instructional spending per enrolled student
Endowment
$18M
Modest endowment
Avg Faculty Salary
$79,265
9-month equivalent across all ranks

Faculty by Rank

318 instructional faculty across 5 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 103 32% $96,888
Associate Professors 60 19% $84,660
Assistant Professors 91 29% $70,542
Instructors 42 13% $59,041
No Rank 22 7% $56,740

Pros & Cons of Northern Michigan University

No college is right for everyone. Here is where Northern Michigan University is likely to suit you and where it may not, based on the same figures shown above.

Read against a single profile these cut both ways, which is why it helps to put two colleges side by side on the same measures rather than judging one in isolation.

PROS
  • Below-average net price
  • Accessible admissions for most applicants
CONS
  • Class sizes are on the higher side
  • Below-average completion rate
  • Modest first-year retention
Best for: Based on the data, Northern Michigan University is a fit for students who want a clear path to start college without a competitive admissions barrier.

Frequently Asked Questions about Northern Michigan University

The questions families ask most about Northern Michigan University, answered straight from the federal data rather than from the college's own marketing.

Is Northern Michigan University hard to get into?
Not especially. Northern Michigan University admits most qualified applicants, with an acceptance rate of 84%. Plan around cost and whether students finish, not your odds of getting in.
What is the acceptance rate at Northern Michigan University?
84% of applicants are admitted. Most applicants who meet the basic requirements are admitted. Source: College Scorecard 2023-24.
How much does Northern Michigan University cost?
Budget around $14,085 a year. That is the net price, what families typically pay once grants and scholarships come off, not the sticker price. Your own figure depends on household income, so treat this as a midpoint rather than a quote. Source: College Scorecard 2023-24.
Is Northern Michigan University worth it?
On the numbers, yes: solid return on investment. Ten years in, the median graduate earns $47,107 a year against a net price of $14,085, about 3.3 dollars of earnings for every dollar of annual cost. That ratio ignores whether you finish and what you study, which matter just as much. Source: College Scorecard 2023-24.
What is Northern Michigan University known for?
Mostly Biology, Liberal Arts, Nursing. Those are the fields where it awards the most degrees, which is a better guide to where the teaching strength sits than any reputation ranking. Source: IPEDS 2023-24.
What do Northern Michigan University graduates earn?
About $47,107 a year, measured ten years after students first enrolled. Half earn more and half earn less, and what you study moves that figure far more than where you study. Source: College Scorecard 2023-24.
Is Northern Michigan University accredited?
Yes. Northern Michigan University is accredited by the Higher Learning Commission.
How many students attend Northern Michigan University?
6,556 students. Big enough for a wide course catalogue without feeling anonymous. Source: IPEDS 2023-24.
What is the graduation rate at Northern Michigan University?
49% finish within six years. That means most students do not finish in six years. Ask the school directly what support exists for students who fall behind. Source: IPEDS 2023-24.
Is Northern Michigan University a public or private college?
It is Public. Public, so in-state students usually pay materially less than everyone else.
Where is Northern Michigan University located?
Northern Michigan University is located in Marquette, Michigan.
What programs does Northern Michigan University offer?
104 different programs, most commonly Biology, Liberal Arts, Nursing. If the subject you want is not among them, check the full list before applying rather than assuming it is offered.
What is the student-to-faculty ratio at Northern Michigan University?
18 students per instructor. About average, so a mix of seminars and larger lectures. Source: IPEDS 2023-24.

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