A public R1 research university in Ann Arbor, MI, admitting 15.64% of applicants with an $18.89 billion endowment.
Ann Arbor, Michigan
The University of Michigan is a public R1 research university in Ann Arbor, Michigan, founded in 1817, the oldest public university in the state. It enrolls approximately 34,000 undergraduates and 18,000 graduate students across nineteen schools and colleges, including the College of Literature, Science and the Arts (LSA), the College of Engineering, the Ross School of Business, the School of Education, the School of Nursing, and the Gerald R.
Ford School of Public Policy. Social sciences, engineering, business, and computer science account for the largest shares of bachelor's degrees. Michigan holds a Doctoral University: Very High Research Activity (R1) Carnegie classification and is accredited through the Higher Learning Commission (HLC). Michigan is test-optional; submitting SAT or ACT scores is not required.
Official website: umich.edu
UCD scores every college on four pillars: Outcomes, Value, Affordability, and Selectivity. Within peer group A (four-year selective institutions), Michigan scores 90.76 overall, rated Excellent. Outcomes (97.76) reflects a 93.20% six-year graduation rate and strong long-term earnings for a public university. Value scores 95.69, driven by an average net price of $13,138 and one of the largest endowments at any public university in the country. Affordability scores 48.17. All scores use verified federal data only.
Michigan admits 15.64% of applicants, making it more accessible than Berkeley and UCLA while remaining among the most selective public universities in the country. Michigan is test-optional; submitting SAT or ACT scores is not required. Students who submit scores typically average 1,465 on the SAT, with the middle 50% scoring between 31 and 34 on the ACT.
Michigan uses the Common App and accepts the Coalition Application. The Regular Decision deadline is February 1 for most programs. Michigan offers a non-binding Early Action deadline of November 1; there is no binding Early Decision option. Applicants apply to a specific school or college within Michigan; Ross School of Business and the College of Engineering are among the most competitive programs on campus.
Acceptance rate over the last five admission cycles. The trend tells you whether University of Michigan-Ann Arbor is getting harder, easier, or staying about the same.
For Michigan residents, tuition is $17,736 plus $15,328 in room and board, bringing the estimated total cost of attendance to approximately $36,000 before aid. For out-of-state students, tuition is $60,946, bringing total estimated cost of attendance to approximately $79,000 before aid, which approaches private university sticker prices.
Michigan does not meet 100% of demonstrated financial need for all admitted students, which contributes to higher borrowing rates among enrolled students. The average net price across all enrolled students is $13,138. For families earning under $30,000, the average net price is $1,043. For families earning between $30,001 and $48,000, the net price averages $1,878. For families earning between $75,001 and $110,000, the net price averages $10,869. For families earning above $110,000, it averages $26,517.
Published cost of attendance, the sticker price before grants and scholarships. Most students underestimate room & board and other expenses.
Application fee: $75 (one-time, due at submission)
Aid is need-based, so net price varies by family income. Here's what each bracket typically pays after grants and scholarships.
Cumulative federal-loan debt across the full borrowing distribution. The 10th and 90th percentiles bracket the typical range; the median sits in the middle.
Median federal-loan debt at graduation broken down by demographic. Each slice's size is proportional to the dollar amount that group typically borrows.
Michigan completes a high proportion of the students it enrolls. The six-year graduation rate is 93.20% for full-time, first-time bachelor's-seeking students. The four-year rate is 87.35%, and first-year retention stands at 97.55%. Michigan's four-year rate is substantially higher than at Berkeley (75.13%) or UCLA (79.07%), reflecting a different student profile, program structures, and academic support systems.
Michigan graduates earn above the national median for public research universities. Median earnings are $73,762 six years after first enrolling and $83,648 at ten years. At the ten-year mark, 89.35% of former students earn more than a typical high school graduate. Michigan's federal loan rate of 23.70% is the highest among the elite public flagships covered here and significantly higher than at peer private universities. Median debt at graduation is $19,500, also the highest among these peers, consistent with a school that does not guarantee full need-based aid coverage for all enrolled students.
Median annual earnings 6, 8, and 10 years after students first enrolled.
Mean annual earnings 10 years after entry, segmented by demographic. Reveals gaps the headline median can't show.
Median earnings for female grads ten years after first enrolling here.
Median earnings for male grads ten years after first enrolling here.
Earnings of grads from the bottom-third of family incomes at entry.
Earnings of grads from the middle-third of family incomes at entry.
Earnings of grads from the top-third of family incomes at entry.
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.
Michigan enrolls approximately 34,000 undergraduates on its Ann Arbor campus, a city of approximately 120,000 dominated by the university. White students account for 46.71% of undergraduates; Asian 18.45%, Hispanic 11.69%, and Black 5.23%. Eighteen percent of undergraduates receive Pell grants, and 20.57% are first-generation college students.
Michigan football is a central feature of campus culture: Michigan Stadium (the Big House) holds over 107,000 fans and its fall Saturdays define a significant portion of the Ann Arbor social experience. The broader Big Ten research network and proximity to Detroit, Chicago, and Cleveland give Michigan graduates strong regional employer relationships in automotive, manufacturing, consulting, and healthcare.
Undergraduate student body composition reported to the US Department of Education.
Where students live, learn, and connect at University of Michigan-Ann Arbor. The campus setting, housing profile, and signals that shape day-to-day life here.
University of Michigan-Ann Arbor offers an extensive catalog of programs: 289 distinct programs across 25 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.
Michigan operates at an 11:1 student-to-faculty ratio. 81.68% of instruction is delivered by full-time faculty. Instructional spending per full-time equivalent student is $29,014 per year. The endowment stands at $18.89 billion, one of the largest at any public university in the United States and larger than the endowments of several Ivy League institutions. The endowment supports scholarship funding, research, and programmatic investment that is uncommon at public flagship universities, though Michigan's per-student resource levels remain below those of fully private research universities.
7,096 instructional faculty across 6 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 | 1,820 | 26% | $193,484 |
| Associate Professors | 1,110 | 16% | $129,174 |
| Assistant Professors | 1,629 | 23% | $108,876 |
| Instructors | 266 | 4% | $62,967 |
| Lecturers | 662 | 9% | $85,858 |
| No Rank | 1,609 | 23% | $51,519 |
Michigan's defining strengths are its UCD score (90.76 Excellent), its exceptional endowment for a public university ($18.89 billion), and professional schools that rank at the national level: Ross (business), Michigan Law, Michigan Medicine, and Michigan Engineering. The average net price of $13,138 makes Michigan accessible for both in-state and qualifying out-of-state students.
The challenges are worth noting: a federal loan rate of 23.70% is the highest of any school covered in this peer group, and median debt of $19,500 at graduation reflects that Michigan does not guarantee to meet full demonstrated need for all enrolled students. Out-of-state tuition of $60,946 approaches private university sticker prices; out-of-state students who do not qualify for substantial aid face a high net cost. Best fit for Michigan residents who qualify for need-based aid, students targeting Ross, Engineering, or pre-law, and out-of-state students who receive competitive merit scholarships.
The questions below address what students and families most commonly search about Michigan: how selective admissions are, what the difference in cost is for in-state vs. out-of-state students, what makes Michigan unique among public universities, and what graduates earn.
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