Degree Dividend
Sourced from federal dataEvery figure datedNo rankings for sale

Best colleges in Michigan, ranked by ROI

All 85 Michigan institutions we profile, ranked by payback years — total net cost divided by earnings above the $48,360 high-school baseline. Federal net price and earnings; payback is our math. (Scorecard, 2026.)

$14,301
Median net price / yr
Scorecard, 2026
$41,596
Median earnings, 10 yrs
Scorecard, 2026
8 yrs
Median payback
Our math, 2026
85
Colleges ranked
degreedividend.com
Michigan colleges by payback (best first)
#CollegeNet price/yrEarnings 10yPayback
1University of Michigan-Ann Arbor$13,138$83,6481.5 yrs
2Michigan Technological University$14,182$78,1981.9 yrs
3Chamberlain University-Michigan$28,045$92,4052.5 yrs
4University of Detroit Mercy$15,232$71,0302.7 yrs
5Kettering University$34,660$94,8233 yrs
6University of Michigan-Dearborn$9,492$59,6493.4 yrs
7Oakland University$9,120$58,6123.6 yrs
8Michigan State University$19,680$67,2534.2 yrs
9Kalamazoo College$19,072$65,5904.4 yrs
10Ferris State University$8,624$54,7355.4 yrs
11Albion College$14,301$58,7995.5 yrs
12University of Michigan-Flint$7,007$53,2305.8 yrs
13Lawrence Technological University$32,918$69,1516.3 yrs
14Universal Technical Institute-Canton$22,985$62,5756.5 yrs
15Madonna University$17,755$59,0586.6 yrs
16Northwood University$27,232$63,0757.4 yrs
17Siena Heights University$17,124$57,5297.5 yrs
18Grand Valley State University$16,317$56,1188.4 yrs
19Calvin University$22,992$58,3759.2 yrs
20Central Michigan University$17,597$55,8749.4 yrs
21Wayne State University$12,766$53,4939.9 yrs
22Andrews University$12,547$53,18710.4 yrs
23Hope College$27,182$58,42710.8 yrs
24Western Michigan University$15,273$53,56211.7 yrs
25Saginaw Valley State University$10,775$51,95512 yrs
26Alma College$20,694$54,74213 yrs
27Adrian College$25,368$55,50414.2 yrs
28Cleary University$22,143$54,18615.2 yrs
29Concordia University Ann Arbor$32,811$56,07517 yrs
30Eastern Michigan University$15,407$51,79318 yrs
31Spring Arbor University$19,353$51,73223 yrs
32Aquinas College$16,626$49,58454.3 yrs
33Lake Superior State University$12,822$49,04574.9 yrs
34Rochester Christian University$21,456$48,707247.3 yrs
35Northern Michigan University$14,085$47,107no payback
36The University of Olivet$21,393$47,907no payback
37Cornerstone University$20,301$47,314no payback
38Schoolcraft Community College District$2,260$42,722no payback
39Davenport University$17,707$45,099no payback
40Macomb Community College$1,618$41,596no payback
41Monroe County Community College$4,586$41,646no payback
42Gogebic Community College$5,397$40,950no payback
43St Clair County Community College$5,571$40,177no payback
44Grace Christian University$12,404$41,663no payback
45Washtenaw Community College$3,249$39,449no payback
46Lansing Community College$5,437$39,206no payback
47Kalamazoo Valley Community College$2,979$38,618no payback
48College for Creative Studies$34,617$44,860no payback
49Kellogg Community College$4,858$38,329no payback
50Northwestern Michigan College$6,231$38,167no payback
51Grand Rapids Community College$8,621$38,377no payback
52Delta College$4,547$37,781no payback
53Oakland Community College$5,777$37,395no payback
54Southwestern Michigan College$5,978$37,303no payback
55Glen Oaks Community College$8,918$37,540no payback
56Mid Michigan College$8,370$37,319no payback
57Muskegon Community College$4,005$36,549no payback
58Alpena Community College$3,320$36,442no payback
59West Shore Community College$1,527$36,115no payback
60North Central Michigan College$10,083$36,594no payback
61Jackson College$7,761$36,898no payback
62Kirtland Community College$7,456$35,831no payback
63Montcalm Community College$7,280$35,499no payback
64Henry Ford College$660$34,795no payback
65Northwestern Technological Institute$34,423$41,237no payback
66Bay de Noc Community College$11,949$35,090no payback
67Lake Michigan College$6,680$34,466no payback
68Baker College$13,157$35,833no payback
69Mott Community College$5,687$32,538no payback
70Bay Mills Community College$3,073$30,048no payback
71Wayne County Community College District$7,656$29,079no payback
72Arizona College of Nursing-Southfield$38,786$34,657no payback
73Ross Medical Education Center-Warren$19,427$30,481no payback
74Ross College-Grand Rapids North$20,033$30,072no payback
75Dorsey College-Dearborn$25,615$29,392no payback
76Dorsey College$28,525$29,392no payback
77Dorsey College-Roseville$29,232$29,392no payback
78Dorsey College-Woodhaven$30,698$29,392no payback
79Douglas J Aveda Institute$25,357$26,849no payback
80Irene's Myomassology Institute$32,665$26,551no payback
81Twin City Beauty College$18,125$23,043no payback
82Empire Beauty School-Michigan$17,021$22,377no payback
83David Pressley School of Cosmetology$20,598$22,973no payback
84Michigan College of Beauty-Troy$18,013$22,058no payback
85L'esprit Academy$22,279$22,440no payback

College Scorecard (2026), institution-level · ranking and payback are our math. Payback uses institution-wide earnings; a specific major can rank very differently.