2021 Best Colleges for the Money (With No Aid) in Michigan
When pursuing a degree in today's world, there are many different options to choose from. College Factual was founded, in part, to help students make the decision as to what would be the best school for them. Our Best Michigan Schools For The Money For Those With No Aid ranking is part of that endeavor.
We analyzed 41 colleges and universities to determine which were the best for overall value for the money with no aid in Michigan. Quality is an important component in this ranking, so it is not just naming the schools with the cheapest price tag. Instead, it is identifying those institutions that offer the most value when taking their educational quality into consideration. Thus, one college may rank better than another, but the second school could have a lower average cost.
Find out more about our ranking methodology.
Our average cost calculation adds up all expenses, such as tuition, fees, room and board, books and supplies, and other expenses. So it is an approximation of how much you will have to pay out-of-pocket each year on average.
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Customizing Your List
Since one ranking on its own is not enough to give you a complete understanding of your educational options, you can refine this list by location and field of study. We've also developed a number of other tools and rankings based on other factors. These other rankings highlight colleges that excel in other factors such as overall quality or diversity as well as schools that excel in serving different groups of students such as veterans or returnings adults.
You can create your own custom comparison that focuses on the factors most important to you using our tool, College Combat. We encourage you to try it out and pit your favorite colleges and universities head to head!
Top Colleges for the Money (Without Aid) in Michigan
Learn more about these excellent schools below:
Our 2021 rankings named University of Michigan - Ann Arbor the best school for overall value for the money with no aid in Michigan for students working on their bachelor’s degree. U of Michigan is a public institution located in Ann Arbor, Michigan. The school has a large population, and it awarded 7,815 bachelor’s degrees in 2018-2019.
It takes the average student at U of Michigan about 4.2 years to graduate, and the estimated yearly cost for the school is $32,038 for students who receive no aid. This makes the estimated cost of a bachelor’s degree from U of Michigan be around $133,278. Graduating sooner can prevent you from having to pay more money out of pocket.
The student loan default rate at the school is 1.1%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%. U of Michigan also made our Best Colleges in Michigan list, coming in at #1.
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You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Michigan State University. It ranked #2 on our 2021 Best Value Colleges in Michigan list. Michigan State is a public institution located in East Lansing, Michigan. The school has a large population, and it awarded 8,997 bachelor’s degrees in 2018-2019.
It takes the average student at Michigan State about 4.4 years to graduate, and it costs students who receive no aid about $30,225 per year to attend the school. This means that the average student pays around $132,386 to get a bachelor’s degree from Michigan State. Graduating sooner can prevent you from having to pay more money out of pocket.
The student loan default rate at the school is 3.4%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%. Michigan State also made our Best Colleges in Michigan list, coming in at #2.
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Out of the 41 schools in Michigan that were part of this year’s ranking, Grand Valley State University landed the #3 spot on the list. Located in Allendale, Michigan, the large public school handed out 5,421 bachelor’s degrees in 2018-2019.
It takes about 4.5 years for the average student at GVSU to complete their degree, and it costs students who receive no aid about $25,360 per year to attend the school. Putting this cost and the average time to graduate together, we find that the average amount you’ll pay to get a bachelor’s degree from GVSU is $114,881. Graduating sooner can prevent you from having to pay more money out of pocket.
The school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 3.8%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.
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A rank of #4 on our Best Colleges for the Money in Michigan list means Michigan Technological University is a great place for students working on their bachelor’s degree. Michigan Tech is a medium-sized public school situated in Houghton, Michigan. It awarded 1,197 bachelor’s degrees in 2018-2019.
At Michigan Tech, the average time it takes a student to graduate is 4.7 years, and the average full-time cost to attend the school for students who receive no aid is around $31,716. This means that the average student pays around $147,479 to get a bachelor’s degree from Michigan Tech. Graduating sooner can prevent you from having to pay more money out of pocket.
The student loan default rate at the school is 2.8%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%. Michigan Tech excels when it comes to quality. It’s ranked in the top 15% of all schools on our Best Colleges in Michigan list.
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The excellent bachelor’s degree programs at Central Michigan University helped the school earn the #5 place on this year’s ranking of the best schools for the money in Michigan. Located in Mount Pleasant, Michigan, the fairly large public school awarded 4,343 diplomas to qualifed bachelor’s degree students in 2018-2019.
The average amount of time it takes for a student to receive their degree at Central Michigan is 4.7 years, and the estimated yearly cost for the school is $25,241 for students who receive no aid. This means that the average student pays around $117,623 to get a bachelor’s degree from Central Michigan. If you can shave even one term off your degree, you can save a substantial amount of money.
The school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 4.9%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.
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With a ranking of #6, Hillsdale College did quite well on the 2021 Best Colleges for the Money in Michigan list. Located in Hillsdale, Michigan, the small private not-for-profit school handed out 403 bachelor’s degrees in 2018-2019.
It takes about 4.1 years for the average student at Hillsdale College to complete their degree, and the average full-time cost to attend the school for students who receive no aid is around $42,958. This makes the estimated cost of a bachelor’s degree from Hillsdale College be around $176,128. The sooner a student graduates, the more money they can save.
The impressive student-to-faculty rate of 9 to 1 means that students may have more opportunities to work more closely with their professors than they would at other schools. In addition to its best value ranking, and one of the reasons why the school is on the list, Hillsdale College is ranked #3 for overall quality in Michigan.
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Ferris State University ranked #7 on this year’s Best Colleges for the Money in Michigan list. Ferris is a fairly large public school situated in Big Rapids, Michigan. It awarded 2,493 bachelor’s degrees in 2018-2019.
It takes about 4.6 years for the average student at Ferris to complete their degree, and it costs students who receive no aid about $23,959 per year to attend the school. This means that the average student pays around $109,972 to get a bachelor’s degree from Ferris. The sooner a student graduates, the more money they can save.
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Lake Superior State University ranked #8 on this year’s Best Colleges for the Money in Michigan list. Lake Superior State University is a public institution located in Sault Ste Marie, Michigan. The school has a small population, and it awarded 393 bachelor’s degrees in 2018-2019.
It takes about 4.4 years for the average student at Lake Superior State University to complete their degree, and the estimated yearly cost for the school is $25,535 for students who receive no aid. Putting this cost and the average time to graduate together, we find that the average amount you’ll pay to get a bachelor’s degree from Lake Superior State University is $111,843. When students graduate in a lesser amount of time, they can save thousands of dollars.
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Western Michigan University ranked #9 on this year’s Best Colleges for the Money in Michigan list. WMU is a large public school situated in Kalamazoo, Michigan. It awarded 3,824 bachelor’s degrees in 2018-2019.
At WMU, the average time it takes a student to graduate is 4.7 years, and on average, the annual cost to attend the school is $27,071 for students who receive no aid. This makes the estimated cost of a bachelor’s degree from WMU be around $126,963. The sooner a student graduates, the more money they can save.
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University of Detroit Mercy did quite well in the 2021 Best Value Colleges in Michigan ranking, coming in at #10. Located in Detroit, Michigan, the medium-sized private not-for-profit school handed out 752 bachelor’s degrees in 2018-2019.
It takes the average student at UDM about 4.2 years to graduate, and it costs students who receive no aid about $42,648 per year to attend the school. Putting this cost and the average time to graduate together, we find that the average amount you’ll pay to get a bachelor’s degree from UDM is $179,975. Graduating sooner can prevent you from having to pay more money out of pocket.
The low student loan default rate of 3.8% is a good sign that students have an easier time paying off their loans than they might at other schools. For comparison, the national default rate is 10.1%. In addition to its great value ranking, UDM is in the top 20% of all schools on our Best Colleges in Michigan list.
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Wayne State University landed the #11 spot on the 2021 Best Value Colleges in Michigan ranking. Located in Detroit, Michigan, the large public school handed out 3,652 bachelor’s degrees in 2018-2019.
The average student at Wayne State graduates in less than 4.8 years, and on average, the annual cost to attend the school is $28,598 for students who receive no aid. This means that the average student pays around $137,270 to get a bachelor’s degree from Wayne State. When you graduate sooner, you can save a lot of money.
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Hope College landed the #12 spot on the 2021 Best Value Colleges in Michigan ranking. Located in Holland, Michigan, the small private not-for-profit school awarded 838 diplomas to qualifed bachelor’s degree students in 2018-2019.
The average amount of time it takes for a student to receive their degree at Hope is 4.1 years, and the yearly average cost to attend the school is $48,680 for students who receive no aid. Putting this cost and the average time to graduate together, we find that the average amount you’ll pay to get a bachelor’s degree from Hope is $200,562. When you graduate sooner, you can save a lot of money.
The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 88%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year. Hope also made our Best Colleges in Michigan list, coming in at #4.
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Oakland University ranked #13 on this year’s Best Colleges for the Money in Michigan list. Oakland is located in Rochester Hills, Michigan and has a fairly large student population. In 2018-2019, this school awarded 3,500 bachelor’s degrees to qualified undergradutates.
It takes about 4.7 years for the average student at Oakland to complete their degree, and the yearly average cost to attend the school is $28,544 for students who receive no aid. Looking at these numbers together, we estimate that the average cost of a bachelor’s degree from Oakland is about $133,015. Graduating sooner can prevent you from having to pay more money out of pocket.
The student loan default rate at the school is 4.4%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.
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University of Michigan - Flint ranked #14 on this year’s Best Colleges for the Money in Michigan list. Located in Flint, Michigan, the medium-sized public school awarded 1,096 diplomas to qualifed bachelor’s degree students in 2018-2019.
The average amount of time it takes for a student to receive their degree at UM Flint is 4.9 years, and the estimated yearly cost for the school is $23,968 for students who receive no aid. Looking at these numbers together, we estimate that the average cost of a bachelor’s degree from UM Flint is about $118,402. When students graduate in a lesser amount of time, they can save thousands of dollars.
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Sacred Heart Major Seminary did quite well in the 2021 Best Value Colleges in Michigan ranking, coming in at #15. Detroit, Michigan is the setting for this small institution of higher learning. The private not-for-profit school handed out bachelor’s degrees to 20 students in 2018-2019.
The average student at SHMS graduates in less than 4.0 years, and the estimated yearly cost for the school is $37,450 for students who receive no aid. This means that the average student pays around $149,800 to get a bachelor’s degree from SHMS. When you graduate sooner, you can save a lot of money.
With a student-to-faculty rate of 7 to 1, it’s easy to see that the school is committed to helping their undergraduates succeed.
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Calvin University came in at #16 in this year’s edition of the Best Colleges for the Money in Michigan ranking. Calvin University is a small private not-for-profit school located in Grand Rapids, Michigan that handed out 969 bachelor’s degrees in 2018-2019.
The average student at Calvin graduates in less than 4.2 years, and the yearly average cost to attend the school is $50,900 for students who receive no aid. This makes the estimated cost of a bachelor’s degree from Calvin be around $214,798. The sooner a student graduates, the more money they can save.
The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 87%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year. In addition to its great value ranking, Calvin is in the top 20% of all schools on our Best Colleges in Michigan list.
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Saginaw Valley State University did quite well in the 2021 Best Value Colleges in Michigan ranking, coming in at #17. Saginaw Valley State University is a public institution located in University Center, Michigan. The school has a medium-sized population, and it awarded 1,527 bachelor’s degrees in 2018-2019.
It takes about 4.9 years for the average student at Saginaw Valley State University to complete their degree, and the estimated yearly cost for the school is $23,473 for students who receive no aid. This means that the average student pays around $115,722 to get a bachelor’s degree from Saginaw Valley State University. When students graduate in a lesser amount of time, they can save thousands of dollars.
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Northern Michigan University ranked #18 on this year’s Best Colleges for the Money in Michigan list. Northern Michigan University is a medium-sized public school located in Marquette, Michigan that handed out 1,219 bachelor’s degrees in 2018-2019.
It takes about 4.6 years for the average student at Northern Michigan University to complete their degree, and the yearly average cost to attend the school is $25,075 for students who receive no aid. When we combine these numbers, we estimate that the cost to get a bachelor’s degree from Northern Michigan University is $115,094. When students graduate in a lesser amount of time, they can save thousands of dollars.
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Andrews University came in at #19 in this year’s edition of the Best Colleges for the Money in Michigan ranking. This small private not-for-profit school is located in Berrien Springs, Michigan, and it awarded 313 bachelor’s degrees in 2018-2019.
The average amount of time it takes for a student to receive their degree at Andrews is 4.5 years, and the estimated yearly cost for the school is $41,658 for students who receive no aid. This makes the estimated cost of a bachelor’s degree from Andrews be around $186,211. If you can shave even one term off your degree, you can save a substantial amount of money.
With a freshman retention rate of 88%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students.
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Madonna University landed the #20 spot on the 2021 Best Value Colleges in Michigan ranking. Located in Livonia, Michigan, the small private not-for-profit school handed out 585 bachelor’s degrees in 2018-2019.
The average student at Madonna graduates in less than 4.5 years, and the estimated yearly cost for the school is $38,600 for students who receive no aid. When we combine these numbers, we estimate that the cost to get a bachelor’s degree from Madonna is $175,244. When students graduate in a lesser amount of time, they can save thousands of dollars.
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With a ranking of #21, Kalamazoo College did quite well on the 2021 Best Colleges for the Money in Michigan list. Kalamazoo, Michigan is the setting for this small institution of higher learning. The private not-for-profit school handed out bachelor’s degrees to 373 students in 2018-2019.
It takes about 4.1 years for the average student at K College to complete their degree, and the estimated yearly cost for the school is $63,658 for students who receive no aid. Putting this cost and the average time to graduate together, we find that the average amount you’ll pay to get a bachelor’s degree from K College is $261,634. The sooner a student graduates, the more money they can save.
Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 90%. K College not only placed well in our value rankings, but it is also #5 on our Best Colleges in Michigan list.
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Eastern Michigan University ranked #22 on this year’s Best Colleges for the Money in Michigan list. Eastern Michigan is a public institution located in Ypsilanti, Michigan. The school has a fairly large population, and it awarded 3,635 bachelor’s degrees in 2018-2019.
The average amount of time it takes for a student to receive their degree at Eastern Michigan is 4.8 years, and the average full-time cost to attend the school for students who receive no aid is around $27,566. This means that the average student pays around $132,592 to get a bachelor’s degree from Eastern Michigan. The sooner a student graduates, the more money they can save.
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Cornerstone University came in at #23 in this year’s edition of the Best Colleges for the Money in Michigan ranking. This small private not-for-profit school is located in Grand Rapids, Michigan, and it awarded 416 bachelor’s degrees in 2018-2019.
The average student at Cornerstone graduates in less than 4.2 years, and on average, the annual cost to attend the school is $38,150 for students who receive no aid. This makes the estimated cost of a bachelor’s degree from Cornerstone be around $161,375. When you graduate sooner, you can save a lot of money.
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Spring Arbor University did quite well in the 2021 Best Value Colleges in Michigan ranking, coming in at #24. Spring Arbor is a small private not-for-profit school situated in Spring Arbor, Michigan. It awarded 442 bachelor’s degrees in 2018-2019.
The average amount of time it takes for a student to receive their degree at Spring Arbor is 4.4 years, and the average full-time cost to attend the school for students who receive no aid is around $42,470. This makes the estimated cost of a bachelor’s degree from Spring Arbor be around $185,169. When you graduate sooner, you can save a lot of money.
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Baker College did quite well in the 2021 Best Value Colleges in Michigan ranking, coming in at #25. Baker College is a private not-for-profit institution located in Flint, Michigan. The school has a medium-sized population, and it awarded 1,439 bachelor’s degrees in 2018-2019.
It takes about 4.8 years for the average student at Baker College to complete their degree, and the estimated yearly cost for the school is $21,620 for students who receive no aid. Thus, the average cost to get a bachelor’s degree from the Baker College is $102,695. The sooner a student graduates, the more money they can save.
With a student-to-faculty rate of 7 to 1, it’s easy to see that the school is committed to helping their undergraduates succeed.
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Notes and References
Footnotes
*These averages are for the top 25 schools only.
- For our state-specific rankings, we use in-state tuition to calculate average cost. For our national and regional rankings, we use a weighted average of in-state and non-resident tuition.
References
- The Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System (IPEDS) from the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES), a branch of the U.S. Department of Education (DOE) serves as the core of our data about colleges.
- Some other college data, including much of the graduate earnings data, comes from the U.S. Department of Education’s (College Scorecard).
- Information about the national average student loan default rate is from the U.S. Department of Education and refers to data about the 2016 borrower cohort tracking period for which the cohort default rate (CDR) was 10.1%.
More about our data sources and methodologies.
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