Private nonprofit · University

Cleary University

Howell, Michigan · Midsize suburb

67.5%
Admit rate
$22,143
Avg net price
41%
Graduation rate
$54,186
Median earnings

Cleary University is a private nonprofit bachelor's-granting institution in Howell, Michigan (midsize suburb setting), enrolling 738 undergraduates.

Private nonprofitSmall · 738 undergradsMidsize suburbAccessible · 68% admitNAIA Division ICold wintersSnowy

About Howell, Michigan

Howell is the largest city in and the county seat of Livingston County, Michigan, United States. The City of Howell is the county seat of Livingston County. On 24 March 1836, the legislature passed an act organizing Livingston County. Howell was slated to become the county seat, but the newly established Brighton nearby claimed the seat for the next 12 years. As of 2022, the economy of Howell, MI employed 5410 people. (Wikipedia)

Setting
Midsize suburb
Highest degree offered
Graduate
Nearest big city
36 miles to Lansing, MI
To Great Lakes shore
44 miles
Nearest airport
27 miles to Bishop (FNT)

How Cleary University compares

Selectivity67.5%

More selective than 68% · #9 most selective of 43 in Michigan

Graduation rate41%

Higher than 25% · #38 of 44 in Michigan

First-year retention66%

Higher than 22%

Earnings, 10 years after entry$54,186

Higher than 51% · #25 of 45 in Michigan

Average net price$22,143

Cheaper than 40% · #34 cheapest of 44 in Michigan

Median debt at graduation$19,500

Lower than 78%

Student–faculty ratio18 : 1

Lower than 18%

Undergraduate enrollment738

Larger than 29%

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

Student body

Undergraduate vs. graduate

973students
  • Undergraduate73876%
  • Graduate23524%

Undergraduates by gender

738undergrads
  • Women45261%
  • Men28639%

Undergraduates by race / ethnicity

  • White58%
  • Black24%
  • Hispanic3.1%
  • Asian1.8%
  • Other or multiracial13%

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

By the numbers

Undergraduate enrollment
738
Graduate enrollment
235
Student–faculty ratio
18 : 1
Pell Grant recipients
30%
First-generation students
42%
Students over 25
48%
Median family income
$46,774
Avg faculty salary (academic year)
$40,491
Endowment
$1,390,042

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

Admissions

Admission rate
67.5%
Test scores
Not considered
SAT range (25th–75th %)
SAT average
SAT reading
SAT math
ACT composite

Cost

In-state tuition
$26,102
Room & board
$12,900
Books & supplies
$2,000
Total cost of attendance
$39,718
Average net price
$22,143

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)
41%
Graduated on time (4 years)
35%
First-year retention
66%
Transferred to another college
0%
Median earnings, 6 years after entry
$55,077
Median earnings, 10 years after entry
$54,186
Median debt at graduation
$19,500
Students with federal loans
54%
Paying down their loans (1 year in)
40%

Graduating on time

By student background (4 years)

All students
35%
Low-income (Pell)
54%
First-generation
50%

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
190
Dorm capacity vs undergrads
26%
Housing charge (year)
$8,600
Meal plan (year)
$4,200
Application fee
Free
Athletics
NAIA Division I
Varsity athletes
369 (264 men · 105 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 (12)

Soccer68
Baseball58
Track and Field (Indoor)33
Track and Field (Outdoor)33
Basketball31
Wrestling28
Ice Hockey26
Bowling25
Softball22
Golf20
Other Sports15
Cross Country10

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

Campus safety

Safety grade
B
Reported offenses per 1,000 students
0.7 / year
Violent offenses (2022–2024)
2
Property offenses (2022–2024)
0

On-campus criminal offenses reported under the Clery Act, 2022–2024, across 2 campuses (1,004 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.

0.7reported offenses a year
0.7 violent a year0 property a year

By offense type, per year

Rape
0.3
Aggravated assault
0.3

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
$18,046
$30–48k
$18,917
$48–75k
$15,328
$75–110k
$20,797
$110k+
$27,372

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
$65,105

$15,328/year × about 4.2 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.

98%
of first-years get a grant from the school
$10,303
average award, among those who get one

A meaningful share of freshmen — 98% — get grant money from Cleary University itself, averaging $10,303, 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 81 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)
$54,186
Typical debt at graduation
$19,500
Debt vs. one year's pay
36%
Out-earn a HS grad
73%

Typical debt would take roughly 3.6 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
$49,126
Men
$67,416

Men out-earn women by $18,290 (37%) 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
83°F
Winter low
14°F
Annual rain
33.1″
Annual snow
33.2″

Average temperature

HighLow
10°50°90°JFMAMJJASOND

Average precipitation (inches)

0.01.93.7JFMAMJJASOND

NOAA 1991–2020 climate normals, Howell Wwtp, MI US station (2.7 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 Cleary University

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

Colleges near Cleary 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.