Public · Community college

North Central Michigan College

Petoskey, Michigan · Remote town

22%
Transfer rate: $10,083
Avg net price: 29%
Grad / completion: $36,594
Median earnings

North Central Michigan College is a public associate-granting institution in Petoskey, Michigan (remote town setting), enrolling 942 undergraduates. Admission is open to all applicants.

PublicSmall · 942 undergradsRemote townNJCAA Division IICold wintersSnowy

About Petoskey, Michigan

Petoskey is the largest city in and the county seat of Emmet County, Michigan, and is the largest settlement within the county. The name Petoskey is said to mean "The rising sun, the day’s first light, or the sun’s first rays moving across the water," in the language of the Odawa. Petoskey and the surrounding area are notable in 20th-century U.S. literature as the setting of several of the Nick Adams stories written by Ernest Hemingway, who spent his childhood summers on nearby Walloon Lake. (Wikipedia)

Setting: Remote town
Highest degree offered: Associate
Nearest big city: 161 miles to Green Bay, WI
To Great Lakes shore: 2 miles
Nearest airport: 16 miles to Pellston Regional Airport of Emmet County (PLN)

How North Central Michigan College compares

Graduation rate29%

Higher than 12% · #78 of 96 in Michigan

First-year retention66%

Higher than 34%

Earnings, 10 years after entry$36,594

Higher than 55% · #22 of 88 in Michigan

Average net price$10,083

Cheaper than 70% · #32 cheapest of 94 in Michigan

Median debt at graduation$14,000

Lower than 17%

Student–faculty ratio15 : 1

Lower than 56%

Undergraduate enrollment942

Larger than 72%

Percentiles compare North Central Michigan College with the nation's 3,519 two-year and certificate schools, among schools reporting each statistic. State ranks count two-year and certificate schools in Michigan.

Student body

Undergraduates by gender

Women56960%
Men37340%

Undergraduates by race / ethnicity

White81%
Black4.0%
Hispanic1.1%
Asian0.9%
Other or multiracial13%

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

By the numbers

Undergraduate enrollment: 942
Student–faculty ratio: 15 : 1
Pell Grant recipients: 29%
First-generation students: 42%
Students over 25: 21%
Median family income: $26,696
Avg faculty salary (academic year): $97,425
Endowment: $2,155,839

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

Cost

In-state tuition: $5,430
Out-of-state tuition: $10,590
Room & board: $10,303
Books & supplies: $2,500
Total cost of attendance: $19,219
Average net price: $10,083

Outcomes

Graduated: 29%
First-year retention: 66%
Transferred to another college: 22%
Median earnings, 6 years after entry: $31,314
Median earnings, 10 years after entry: $36,594
Median debt at graduation: $14,000
Students with federal loans: 8%
Paying down their loans (1 year in): 37%

Graduating on time

By student background (4 years)

All students

29%

Low-income (Pell)

20%

First-generation

19%

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: 154
Dorm capacity vs undergrads: 16%
Housing charge (year): $4,400
Meal plan (year): $5,336
Application fee: Free
Athletics: NJCAA Division II
Varsity athletes: 71 (32 men · 39 women)

Varsity sports (5)

Basketball29

Volleyball16

Cross Country12

Other Sports8

Track and Field (Outdoor)6

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

Campus safety

Safety grade: A
Reported offenses per 1,000 students: 0.0 / year
Violent offenses (2022–2024): 0
Property offenses (2022–2024): 0

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

$9,819

$30–48k

$7,469

$48–75k

$11,658

$75–110k

$12,736

$110k+

$15,435

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.

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.

53%

of first-years get a grant from the school

$3,041

average award, among those who get one

Modest institutional aid: 53% of freshmen get a grant from the school, averaging $3,041. Most of what lowers the price here is federal or state money, not the school's own funds.

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 210 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): $36,594
Typical debt at graduation: $14,000
Debt vs. one year's pay: 38%
Out-earn a HS grad: 37%

Typical debt would take roughly 3.8 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

$32,958

Men

$43,837

Men out-earn women by $10,879 (33%) 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: 76°F
Winter low: 12°F
Annual rain: 36.6″
Annual snow: 120.2″

Average temperature

HighLow

Average precipitation (inches)

NOAA 1991–2020 climate normals, Petoskey Ncmc, MI US station (0.2 mi from campus).

What North Central Michigan College graduates study — and earn

Liberal Arts and Sciences, General Studies and HumanitiesAssoc.

168 grads$21k 1 yr$35k 5 yr$10k debt

168$20,834$35,074$10,312 Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical NursingAssoc.

25 grads$65k 1 yr$67k 5 yr$14k debt

25$65,070$67,264$14,483 Physical Sciences, GeneralAssoc.

23 grads— 1 yr$39k 5 yr— debt

23—$38,816—Health and Medical Administrative ServicesCert.

10 grads— 1 yr$39k 5 yr— debt

10—$38,718—Allied Health Diagnostic, Intervention, and Treatment ProfessionsCert.

8 grads— 1 yr— 5 yr— debt

8———Accounting and Related ServicesAssoc.

7 grads— 1 yr— 5 yr— debt

7———Criminal Justice and CorrectionsAssoc.

6 grads— 1 yr— 5 yr— debt

6———Business Administration, Management and OperationsAssoc.

5 grads— 1 yr$49k 5 yr— debt

5—$48,801—Graphic CommunicationsCert.

4 grads— 1 yr— 5 yr— debt

4———Precision Metal WorkingCert.

3 grads— 1 yr— 5 yr— debt

3———Accounting and Related ServicesCert.

3 grads— 1 yr— 5 yr— debt

3———Criminal Justice and CorrectionsCert.

2 grads— 1 yr— 5 yr— debt

2———

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 North Central Michigan College

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

Bay de Noc Community College

Public

Escanaba, Michigan · Remote town · 98 mi to Green Bay

Students: 1,223
Tuition: $6k
Transfer: 23%
Earnings: $35k

Glen Oaks Community College

Public

Centreville, Michigan · Distant rural · 28 mi to Kalamazoo

Students: 600
Tuition: $4k
Transfer: 19%
Earnings: $38k

Kirtland Community College

Public

Grayling, Michigan · Distant rural · 123 mi to Grand Rapids

Students: 1,023
Tuition: $5k
Transfer: 16%
Earnings: $36k

Montcalm Community College

Public

Sidney, Michigan · Distant rural · 35 mi to Grand Rapids

Students: 1,122
Tuition: $5k
Transfer: 22%
Earnings: $35k

Mid Michigan College

Public

Harrison, Michigan · Fringe rural · 83 mi to Grand Rapids

Students: 2,098
Tuition: $6k
Transfer: 27%
Earnings: $37k

Southwestern Michigan College

Public

Dowagiac, Michigan · Fringe rural · 22 mi to South Bend

Students: 1,431
Tuition: $6k
Transfer: 14%
Earnings: $37k

Colleges near North Central Michigan College

Northwestern Michigan College

Traverse City, MI · Public · Associate · 2,813 students

51 mi

Marine Trades Institute

Cedarville, MI · Private nonprofit · Certificate · 26 students

52 mi

Kirtland Community College

Grayling, MI · Public · Associate · 1,023 students

54 mi

Alpena Community College

Alpena, MI · Public · Associate · 732 students

76 mi

Bay Mills Community College

Brimley, MI · Public · Certificate · 662 students

77 mi

Cadillac Institute of Cosmetology

Cadillac, MI · Private for-profit · Certificate · 43 students

80 mi

Lake Superior State University

Sault Ste Marie, MI · Public · Bachelor's · 1,325 students

83 mi

Mid Michigan College

Harrison, MI · Public · Associate · 2,098 students

97 mi

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.