Northern Michigan University

Overview

Rankings

• #9 Best Communications Colleges in Michigan
• #11 Best Criminal Justice Colleges in Michigan
• #16 Best Biology Colleges in Michigan
• #19 Best Education Colleges in Michigan
• #24 Best Psychology Colleges in Michigan
• #25 Best Bachelor's Programs in Michigan
• #26 Best Master's Programs in Michigan
• #27 Best Business Colleges in Michigan

Academics & Admissions

Is It Hard to Get Into Northern Michigan University? Acceptance Rate & Requirements

Northern Michigan University, located in Marquette, Michigan, admits most of the students who apply; the acceptance rate is roughly 84%. The graduation rate is roughly 52%.

Acceptance Rate

84%

Retention Rate

78%

Full-Time Faculty

71%

Faculty Salary (mo)

$9,306

Student–Faculty Ratio

18:1

Diversity Index

0.30

First-Gen Students

28%

Applicants

6,217

Admitted

4,386

Inside the Admissions Office

School-reported Common Data Set · 2024-25

The acceptance rate tells you how hard Northern Michigan University is to get into. Its Common Data Set tells you what happens once you are admitted: how many students say yes, how many arrived without test scores, and whether applying early tilts the odds. 16% of admitted students go on to enroll here, making it a school most admitted students ultimately pass on.

Yield Rate

16%

of admits enroll

Cost & Financial Aid

How Much Does It Cost to Attend Northern Michigan University? Tuition, Net Price & Aid

Published tuition at Northern Michigan University is $19,773, but few families pay that. The number to watch is net price, what students actually pay each year after federal grants and institutional scholarships. Here it averages about $14,085. Students from families earning under $30,000 typically pay closer to $7,697 after need-based grants. The median graduate leaves with about $21,474 in federal student loans.

In-State Tuition

$14,277

Out-of-State

$19,773

Avg Net Price

$14,085

Median Debt

$21,474

Pell Grant Rate

28%

Federal Loan Rate

46%

Students Like You

Tell us a little about yourself to see what students like you have typically experienced at Northern Michigan University — the net price for your income, your admission odds, and the outcomes that follow. These are patterns from federal data, not predictions.

Graduate Outcomes

Is Northern Michigan University Worth It? Graduate Earnings & ROI

Ten years out, alumni of Northern Michigan University earn a median of $47,107, roughly in line with the national average for college graduates.

6 Years After Entry

$37,996

8 Years

$43,141

10 Years

$47,107

Debt-to-Earnings

0.46x

Earning > $25K

54%

Social Mobility

Data: Raj Chetty's Mobility Report Card · 30M+ anonymized tax records

Does Northern Michigan University Drive Upward Mobility? Economic Mobility & Low-Income Outcomes

Northern Michigan University is a genuine engine of upward mobility. Its mobility rate, the share of students who start in the bottom income quintile and climb to the top, is 1.34%, well above the typical college. About 7.1% of students come from families in the bottom income quintile. Among bottom-quintile students who attend, roughly 18.7% go on to reach the top of the income ladder. The median family income of students sits near $81,000, a snapshot of the campus's socioeconomic mix.

Mobility Rate

1.34%

Bottom 20% → Top 20%

Success Rate

18.7%

If bottom 20% get in

From Bottom 20%

7.1%

Share of students

Parent Median Income

$110,051

today's $ (2015 cohort data)

Social Capital

Data: Opportunity Insights Social Capital Atlas

How Connected Is Northern Michigan University? Social Capital & Cross-Class Networks

Social capital, the web of cross-class friendships that researchers link to long-run upward mobility, runs high at Northern Michigan University. Its economic connectedness score is 1.45, where about 1.0 is the national norm. Its friending bias is low (-0.00), a sign that students from different economic backgrounds actually mix rather than self-segregate. Around 13% of students take part in civic and volunteering activity.

Economic Connectedness

1.45

Cross-class friendships

Friending Bias

-0.00

Lower = more inclusive

Volunteering Rate

13.2%

Support Ratio

1.00

Community support

Institutional Finances

Data: NCES IPEDS

Federal Grants

$4,325,624

Investment Income

$-12,495,230

Top Programs

The fields Northern Michigan University awards the most degrees in, by share of completions. Where federal field-of-study data exists, we show what graduates in that major earned early in their careers. Each links to its degree guide — or see what someone with your income, scores, and major would pay and earn here in the Students Like You simulator.

• Business & Marketing 17% $54,760 early-career
• Health Professions 13% $67,461 early-career
• Biology & Biomedical 8% $37,818 early-career
• Humanities 7% $26,644 early-career
• Education 6% $44,980 early-career
• Psychology 5% $35,271 early-career
• Social Sciences 4% $40,898 early-career
• Visual & Performing Arts 4% $31,312 early-career

Early-career median earnings by major (typically 1–2 years after completion, bachelor's level where available), in today's dollars (CPI-adjusted). Source: U.S. Dept. of Education College Scorecard field of study. Distinct from the school-wide 10-year median; suppressed for small programs.