by our College Data Analytics TeamIt's not easy to decide which college to attend when you have so many options available. At College Factual, we're committed to helping you make that decision by providing information such as that found in our Top Michigan Colleges ranking.
We analyzed 56 colleges and universities across Michigan to determine which were the best in terms of overall quality. Our ranking is based on over 20 objective factors, including post graduate earnings, freshman retention, and graduation rate. We steer clear of subjective measures since they don't give a clear picture when determining how one school compares to another.
Get more details on our ranking methodology.
We know that one set of rankings doesn't always help you determine the best school for you, so we've created the ability to narrow your list by location and field of study as well as alternative rankings that prioritize different factors such as those of importance to veterans and returning adults or those who value diversity and value for your money.
One of our other unique offerings is College Combat. This tool lets you build your own customized comparisons utilizing the factors that are most important to you. We encourage you to try it out and pit your favorite colleges and universities head to head!
Learn more about these excellent schools below:
Our analysis found University of Michigan - Ann Arbor to be the best school for overall quality in Michigan in this year’s ranking.
The school boasts an average 4-year graduation rate of 81%, which is excellent when compared to the national rate of 33%. During the early years of their career, graduates from U-M make an average of $83,648 a year.
A rank of #2 on our Best Colleges in Michigan list means Michigan State University is a great place for students working on their bachelor’s degree.
The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 89%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year. Upon graduation, bachelor’s degree recipients go on to jobs making an average salary of $67,253 during the early years of their career..
You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Michigan Technological University. It ranked #3 on our 2025 Best Colleges in Michigan list.
Those who receive a bachelor’s degree from Michigan Tech go into careers with an average salary of $78,198 during the early years of their career.
A rank of #4 on our Best Colleges in Michigan list means Western Michigan University is a great place for students working on their bachelor’s degree.
Those who receive a bachelor’s degree from WMU go into careers with an average salary of $53,562 during the early years of their career.
A rank of #5 on our Best Colleges in Michigan list means Grand Valley State University is a great place for students working on their bachelor’s degree.
Those who receive a bachelor’s degree from GVSU go into careers with an average salary of $56,118 during the early years of their career.
With a ranking of #6, Central Michigan University did quite well on the 2025 Best Colleges in Michigan list.
Graduates with a bachelor’s degree from Central Michigan make an average of $55,874 per year during the early years of their career.
University of Detroit Mercy landed the #7 spot on the 2025 Best Colleges in Michigan ranking.
Those who receive a bachelor’s degree from Detroit Mercy go into careers with an average salary of $71,030 during the early years of their career.
Kettering University came in at #8 in this year’s edition of the Best Colleges in Michigan ranking.
Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 87%. Those who receive a bachelor’s degree from Kettering go into careers with an average salary of $94,823 during the early years of their career.
Wayne State University did quite well in the 2025 Best Colleges in Michigan ranking, coming in at #9.
The low student loan default rate of 3.0% 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% During the early years of their career, graduates from Wayne State make an average of $53,493 a year.
With a ranking of #10, Oakland University did quite well on the 2025 Best Colleges in Michigan list.
Upon graduation, bachelor’s degree recipients go on to jobs making an average salary of $58,612 during the early years of their career..
Madonna University did quite well in the 2025 Best Colleges in Michigan ranking, coming in at #11.
During the early years of their career, graduates from Madonna make an average of $59,058 a year.
Macomb Community College came in at #12 in this year’s edition of the Best Colleges in Michigan ranking.
Graduates with a bachelor’s degree from Macomb Community College make an average of $41,596 per year during the early years of their career.
Ferris State University came in at #13 in this year’s edition of the Best Colleges in Michigan ranking.
Graduates with a bachelor’s degree from Ferris make an average of $54,735 per year during the early years of their career.
Davenport University landed the #14 spot on the 2025 Best Colleges in Michigan ranking.
Upon graduation, bachelor’s degree recipients go on to jobs making an average salary of $45,099 during the early years of their career..
Eastern Michigan University came in at #15 in this year’s edition of the Best Colleges in Michigan ranking.
The school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 1.0%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%. Graduates with a bachelor’s degree from Eastern Michigan make an average of $51,793 per year during the early years of their career.
Hope College landed the #16 spot on the 2025 Best Colleges in Michigan ranking.
Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 89%. Those who receive a bachelor’s degree from Hope go into careers with an average salary of $58,427 during the early years of their career.
Wayne County Community College District did quite well in the 2025 Best Colleges in Michigan ranking, coming in at #17.
The student loan default rate at the school is 1.0%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1% During the early years of their career, graduates from WCCCD make an average of $29,079 a year.
With a ranking of #18, Grand Rapids Community College did quite well on the 2025 Best Colleges in Michigan list.
During the early years of their career, graduates from Grand Rapids Community College make an average of $38,377 a year.
Delta College came in at #19 in this year’s edition of the Best Colleges in Michigan ranking.
Graduates with a bachelor’s degree from Delta College make an average of $37,781 per year during the early years of their career.
Calvin University did quite well in the 2025 Best Colleges in Michigan ranking, coming in at #20.
Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 86%. Graduates with a bachelor’s degree from Calvin make an average of $58,375 per year during the early years of their career.
University of Michigan - Dearborn came in at #21 in this year’s edition of the Best Colleges in Michigan ranking.
The low student loan default rate of 1.0% 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% Upon graduation, bachelor’s degree recipients go on to jobs making an average salary of $59,649 during the early years of their career..
Oakland Community College did quite well in the 2025 Best Colleges in Michigan ranking, coming in at #22.
The average salary of a graduate with a bachelor’s degree from Oakland Community College is $37,395 during the early years of their career.
With a ranking of #23, Siena Heights University did quite well on the 2025 Best Colleges in Michigan list.
During the early years of their career, graduates from Siena Heights University make an average of $57,529 a year.
Lawrence Technological University landed the #24 spot on the 2025 Best Colleges in Michigan ranking.
The average salary of a graduate with a bachelor’s degree from Lawrence Tech is $69,151 during the early years of their career.
With a ranking of #25, Adrian College did quite well on the 2025 Best Colleges in Michigan list.
Graduates with a bachelor’s degree from Adrian make an average of $55,504 per year during the early years of their career.
Footnotes
*These averages are for the top 25 schools only.
References
More about our data sources and methodologies.