Public · University

Central Michigan University

Mount Pleasant, Michigan · Distant town

89.8%
Admit rate
$17,597
Avg net price
59%
Graduation rate
$55,874
Median earnings

Central Michigan University is a public bachelor's-granting institution in Mount Pleasant, Michigan (distant town setting), enrolling 10,035 undergraduates.

PublicMidsize · 10,035 undergradsDistant townAccessible · 90% admitNCAA Division I-FBS · Mid-American ConferenceCold wintersSnowy

Will you get in?

See where your numbers land against Central Michigan University's admitted students.

Admit rate
89.8%
SAT (mid 50%)
960–1200
Avg GPA (est.)
3.13

Enter a test score to see where you land against Central Michigan University's admitted students.

A guide, not a prediction. It compares your numbers with the middle 50% of admitted students and Central Michigan University's overall admit rate — it can't see essays, recommendations, activities, or your intended major, which all move real decisions.

About Mount Pleasant, Michigan

Mount Pleasant is a city in the U.S. state of Michigan. The federal Graduation Act of 1854 allowed settlers to purchase land from the government at discount rates, and the first white settlers began to arrive in what became Mount Pleasant. (Wikipedia)

Setting
Distant town
Highest degree offered
Graduate
Nearest big city
60 miles to Lansing, MI
To Great Lakes shore
43 miles
Nearest airport
35 miles to MBS (MBS)

How Central Michigan University compares

Selectivity89.8%

More selective than 24% · #34 most selective of 43 in Michigan

SAT average1091

Higher than 28%

Graduation rate59%

Higher than 58% · #22 of 44 in Michigan

First-year retention75%

Higher than 46%

Earnings, 10 years after entry$55,874

Higher than 56% · #21 of 45 in Michigan

Average net price$17,597

Cheaper than 62% · #24 cheapest of 44 in Michigan

Median debt at graduation$27,000

Lower than 11%

Student–faculty ratio16 : 1

Lower than 28%

Undergraduate enrollment10,035

Larger than 89%

Percentiles compare Central Michigan University with the nation's 2,196 four-year colleges, among schools reporting each statistic. State ranks count four-year colleges in Michigan.

Central Michigan University campus

Student body

Undergraduate vs. graduate

14,330students
  • Undergraduate10,03570%
  • Graduate4,29530%

Undergraduates by gender

10,035undergrads
  • Women5,94459%
  • Men4,09141%

Undergraduates by race / ethnicity

  • White76%
  • Black8.2%
  • Hispanic5.8%
  • Asian1.5%
  • Other or multiracial8.5%

Graduate gender splits aren't published in this data, so the gender chart covers undergraduates only.

By the numbers

Undergraduate enrollment
10,035
Graduate enrollment
4,295
Student–faculty ratio
16 : 1
Pell Grant recipients
31%
First-generation students
29%
Students over 25
14%
Median family income
$57,838
Avg faculty salary (academic year)
$96,138
Endowment
$265,356,840

Colleges don't publish true class-size data; student–faculty ratio (IPEDS) is the closest public measure of it.

Where students come from

Home state of the 2,044 first-year students who entered in fall 2023.

  • From Michigan88%
  • Other U.S. states8.2%
  • International3.5%

Most first-years stay in state — Central Michigan University draws overwhelmingly from Michigan.

4% came from outside the U.S. Out-of-state students usually pay a higher tuition rate at public schools — check the cost card above for your bracket. Source: IPEDS residence & migration, fall 2023 entering class.

Admissions

Admission rate
89.8%
Test scores
Considered but not required
SAT range (25th–75th %)
960–1200
SAT average
1091
SAT reading
490–610
SAT math
470–590
ACT composite
21–27
Average GPA (estimated)
3.13

Cost

In-state tuition
$14,760
Room & board
$12,564
Books & supplies
$1,250
Total cost of attendance
$30,681
Average net price
$17,597

Net price is the total cost minus grants and scholarships — what students actually pay. It varies sharply by family income; see the breakdown below.

Outcomes

Graduated (within 6 years)
59%
Graduated on time (4 years)
40%
First-year retention
75%
Transferred to another college
0%
Median earnings, 6 years after entry
$46,567
Median earnings, 10 years after entry
$55,874
Median debt at graduation
$27,000
Students with federal loans
69%
Paying down their loans (1 year in)
50%

About 19% of students who finish here need more than four years — each extra year adds roughly another year of tuition and living costs.

Graduating on time

By student background (4 years)

All students
40%
Low-income (Pell)
51%
First-generation
51%

When these bars run close together, students from every background tend to finish at similar rates — a sign the school supports the ~30% who are first-gen or low-income.

Campus life & athletics

On-campus housing
Yes
Dorm capacity
4,640
Dorm capacity vs undergrads
46%
Housing charge (year)
$6,062
Meal plan (year)
$6,116
Application fee
$40
Athletics
NCAA Division I-FBS
Football conference
Mid-American Conference
Varsity athletes
553 (231 men · 322 women)

Housing and fees: IPEDS 2023–24. Athletics rosters: Equity in Athletics data, 2024–25. Dorm capacity can include graduate and family housing, so the share of undergrads can top 100%.

Varsity sports (13)

Track and Field and Cross Country (combined)140
Football122
Baseball41
Lacrosse34
Basketball33
Soccer32
Field Hockey31
Wrestling30
Softball24
Gymnastics20
Volleyball17
Golf15
Cross Country14

Athlete counts per sport, Equity in Athletics data, 2024–25.

Campus safety

Safety grade
B
Reported offenses per 1,000 students
1.4 / year
Violent offenses (2022–2024)
51
Property offenses (2022–2024)
8

On-campus criminal offenses reported under the Clery Act, 2022–2024, across 24 campuses (14,488 students). Counts reflect reports, not convictions — schools with strong reporting cultures often show more, so a higher count doesn't simply mean a more dangerous campus.

Reported offenses in an average year

The same 2022–2024 Clery Act reports, divided down to one year.

20reported offenses a year
17 violent a year2.7 property a year

By offense type, per year

Rape
6.0
Aggravated assault
5.7
Fondling
5.3
Motor vehicle theft
2.0
Burglary
0.7

Averages, not a forecast — a single year can run well above or below this. Bars are scaled against this campus's most-reported offense, so they compare types here rather than against other schools.

What you'll actually pay, by family income

Average net price (total cost minus grants and scholarships) paid by aided students in each family-income band.

< $30k
$12,185
$30–48k
$12,139
$48–75k
$13,601
$75–110k
$16,269
$110k+
$21,403

College Scorecard / IPEDS, most recent year. Family income is total household income; net price covers tuition, fees, room, board and supplies after grant aid, for students receiving federal aid.

Four-year (or more) true cost

Net price for your family's income, projected across the time it actually takes students here to graduate.

Est. total to a degree
$61,078

$13,601/year × about 4.5 years — most students here don't finish in exactly four, and each extra term adds cost. A planning estimate from net-price and graduation-timing data, not a bill.

Does the school pay you to attend?

Grant aid from the school's own funds — the discount off sticker, on top of any federal or state help.

95%
of first-years get a grant from the school
$8,813
average award, among those who get one

A meaningful share of freshmen — 95% — get grant money from Central Michigan University itself, averaging $8,813, which softens the sticker price.

Blends need-based and merit aid — IPEDS doesn't split the two, so a high number can mean generous merit scholarships, deep need-based aid, or both. Figures cover 1,984 full-time first-year undergraduates, 2022–23. Source: IPEDS Student Financial Aid.

Is it worth it?

A rough return-on-investment read from what graduates earn versus what they borrow.

Median earnings (10 years)
$55,874
Typical debt at graduation
$27,000
Debt vs. one year's pay
48%
Out-earn a HS grad
64%

Typical debt would take roughly 4.8 years to repay at about a tenth of median earnings.

Solid value

A reasonable return: earnings comfortably clear the debt over a few years for most students who finish.

Earnings are the College Scorecard median for former students (working, not enrolled) 10 years after entry — not a guarantee, and they vary a lot by major. Debt is the median federal loan balance at graduation.

The pay gap here

Median earnings 10 years after entry, split by gender.

Women
$52,292
Men
$61,749

Men out-earn women by $9,457 (18%) a decade out.

Federal figures for former students working and not enrolled, 10 years after they first entered. A gap this wide usually reflects which majors men and women here tend to choose — not different pay for the same job.

Campus climate

Summer high
84°F
Winter low
16°F
Annual rain
35.5″
Annual snow
39.3″

Average temperature

HighLow
10°50°90°JFMAMJJASOND

Average precipitation (inches)

0.01.93.9JFMAMJJASOND

NOAA 1991–2020 climate normals, Central Michigan Univ, MI US station (0.5 mi from campus).

Median earnings of this school's own graduates 1 and 5 years after finishing each program, and median federal-loan debt at completion (College Scorecard). Small programs are privacy-suppressed (—). Click a major to compare colleges nationally.

Colleges similar to Central Michigan University

Schools with a comparable profile — size, selectivity, cost, and graduate outcomes. Compare Central Michigan University side by side →

Colleges near Central Michigan University

Source: US Department of Education College Scorecard (most recent cohorts), IPEDS institutional characteristics, Equity in Athletics (EADA) data, Clery Act Campus Safety and Security data, and NOAA US Climate Normals. Distances are straight-line from campus coordinates. Percentiles compare schools of the same level (four-year vs. two-year) that report each statistic.