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.
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
More selective than 68% · #9 most selective of 43 in Michigan
Higher than 25% · #38 of 44 in Michigan
Higher than 22%
Higher than 51% · #25 of 45 in Michigan
Cheaper than 40% · #34 cheapest of 44 in Michigan
Lower than 78%
Lower than 18%
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
- Undergraduate73876%
- Graduate23524%
Undergraduates by gender
- 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)
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)
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.
By offense type, per year
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.
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.
$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.
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.
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.
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
HighLowAverage precipitation (inches)
NOAA 1991–2020 climate normals, Howell Wwtp, MI US station (2.7 mi from campus).
What Cleary University graduates study — and earn
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 →
Franklin College
Franklin, Indiana · Large suburb · 21 mi to Indianapolis
- Students
- 900
- Admission
- 70%
- Net price
- $23k
- SAT
- 1145
- GPA
- 3.3
- Earnings
- $55k
Bushnell University
Eugene, Oregon · Midsize city · < 1 mi to Eugene
- Students
- 517
- Admission
- 67%
- Net price
- $21k
- SAT
- 1020
- GPA
- 3.0
- Earnings
- $54k
Saint Elizabeth University
Morristown, New Jersey · Large suburb · 23 mi to New York
- Students
- 557
- Admission
- 71%
- Net price
- $23k
- SAT
- —
- GPA
- —
- Earnings
- $53k
Clarke University
Dubuque, Iowa · Small city · 62 mi to Cedar Rapids
- Students
- 742
- Admission
- 72%
- Net price
- $24k
- SAT
- 1054
- GPA
- 3.1
- Earnings
- $55k
Beloit College
Beloit, Wisconsin · Small city · 16 mi to Rockford
- Students
- 926
- Admission
- 63%
- Net price
- $22k
- SAT
- 1287
- GPA
- 3.6
- Earnings
- $53k
Lake Erie College
Painesville, Ohio · Large suburb · 27 mi to Cleveland
- Students
- 852
- Admission
- 70%
- Net price
- $21k
- SAT
- —
- GPA
- —
- Earnings
- $50k
Colleges near Cleary University
Ross Medical Education Center-Brighton
Brighton, MI · Private for-profit · Certificate · 39 students
Brighton Institute of Cosmetology
Brighton, MI · Private for-profit · Certificate · 43 students
University of Michigan-Ann Arbor
Ann Arbor, MI · Public · Bachelor's · 34,177 students
Concordia University Ann Arbor
Ann Arbor, MI · Private nonprofit · Bachelor's · 702 students
Washtenaw Community College
Ann Arbor, MI · Public · Certificate · 7,816 students
Ross Medical Education Center-Ann Arbor
Ann Arbor, MI · Private for-profit · Certificate · 51 students
Schoolcraft Community College District
Livonia, MI · Public · Associate · 7,511 students
Port Huron Cosmetology College
Waterford, MI · Private for-profit · Certificate · 37 students
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.













