Ranking Michigan’s State Universities: Here’s Our Top Ten

5. Wayne State University, Detroit, Michigan

Number 5, Wayne State University, is in the heart of the historic Midtown Cultural Center of Detroit and has 27,000 students. It boasts all the benefits of a traditional school in a nontraditional setting. Imagine going to school in Motor City. The school was originally the Detroit Medical College, but now offers so much more.

There are 380+ academic programs divided among the 13 schools that make up Wayne State, on 203 acres with 6 other extension centers in Detroit. The campus is a mixture of old and new buildings tied together by brick walkways, which provided the setting for many famous musicians to get their start. Motown Records is just a small part of the history of the Detroit music scene.

Wayne State is the most diverse of the 15 public universities in the Michigan system. 35% of the students are minorities, 56% are White, 5% are unknown, and 4% are International. They enjoy the over 400 clubs and student organizations. 3,000 of them live on campus.

Many students choose Chemistry as their major. Their average salary at graduation is about $38,000.; they owe around $22,900., and they pay $24,900. each year to attend. It’s a space that some say you have to see to fully appreciate.

Why not spend a few hours taking a look and see what you think? Actually, there is so much here to explore you may need more than a few hours. Oh well, it’s a day out of high school and it may leave you wildly anticipating your future.

4. Lake Superior State University, Sault Ste. Marie, Michigan

On to Lake Superior State University and the number 4 spot. The university is in Sault Ste. Marie in the Eastern Upper Peninsula. The city shares a border with Sault Ste. Marie in Ontario Canada. The two municipalities combined to create a larger city of about 100,000 but leave residents with the feel of a smaller town. The school is on 115 acres that once was the U.S. Army’s Fort Brady. It overlooks both cities, the St. Mary’s River, and the Soo Locks, the busiest locks in the world. It is a rural, safe campus.

The school offers 45 areas of study and blends liberal arts and technology. It has a 14:1 student: faculty ratio. Many students chose Fisheries Science to major in, but the first in the country 4-year Fire Science program is here along with programs in athletic training, nursing, engineering, business and the Aquatic Research Lab, as well as many more choices.

Students can participate in the 60 clubs and organizations. Varsity athletics are Division I (hockey) and Division II. Lake Superior State is the smallest and the newest of the 15 Michigan universities, with between 2-3000 students. 10% are Native-American, 10% are from Canada, 7% nonresident, 1% unknown, 77% White, 2% Hispanic, 3% Black, and 1% Asian.

Annual tuition, room and board, fees and books cost about $22,600.  The average salary at graduation is $37,000. and average debt at the end of 4 years is $22,000. Ninety percent of full-time students get aid.

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