Public · University
Northern Michigan University
Marquette, Michigan · Remote town
- 84.0%
- Admit rate
- $14,085
- Avg net price
- 52%
- Graduation rate
- $47,107
- Median earnings
Northern Michigan University is a public bachelor's-granting institution in Marquette, Michigan (remote town setting), enrolling 6,556 undergraduates.
About Marquette, Michigan
Marquette is the county seat of Marquette County and the largest city in the Upper Peninsula of Michigan, United States. The land around Marquette was known to French missionaries of the early 17th century and the trappers of the early 19th century. Live theatrical productions are also provided through Northern Michigan University's Forest Roberts Theatre and Black Box Theatre, Marquette's Graveraet School Kaufman Auditorium and Lake Superior Theatre, a semi-professional summer stock theatre. (Wikipedia)
- Setting
- Remote town
- Highest degree offered
- Graduate
- Nearest big city
- 144 miles to Green Bay, WI
- To Great Lakes shore
- 1 mile
- Nearest airport
- 14 miles to Marquette/Sawyer (MQT)
How Northern Michigan University compares
More selective than 37% · #29 most selective of 43 in Michigan
Higher than 44% · #28 of 44 in Michigan
Higher than 56%
Higher than 30% · #38 of 45 in Michigan
Cheaper than 77% · #13 cheapest of 44 in Michigan
Lower than 65%
Lower than 18%
Larger than 82%
Percentiles compare Northern Michigan University with the nation's 2,196 four-year colleges, among schools reporting each statistic. State ranks count four-year colleges in Michigan.
Northern Michigan University campus
Student body
Undergraduate vs. graduate
- Undergraduate6,55690%
- Graduate72510%
Undergraduates by gender
- Women3,51954%
- Men3,03746%
Undergraduates by race / ethnicity
- White84%
- Black2.0%
- Hispanic4.4%
- Other or multiracial9.5%
Graduate gender splits aren't published in this data, so the gender chart covers undergraduates only.
By the numbers
- Undergraduate enrollment
- 6,556
- Graduate enrollment
- 725
- Student–faculty ratio
- 18 : 1
- Pell Grant recipients
- 28%
- First-generation students
- 28%
- Students over 25
- 14%
- Median family income
- $55,242
- Avg faculty salary (academic year)
- $83,754
- Endowment
- $19,835,537
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 1,551 first-year students who entered in fall 2023.
- From Michigan74%
- Other U.S. states24%
- International1.2%
Most first-years stay in state — Northern Michigan University draws overwhelmingly from Michigan.
1% 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
- 84.0%
- Test scores
- Not considered
- SAT range (25th–75th %)
- —
- SAT average
- —
- SAT reading
- —
- SAT math
- —
- ACT composite
- —
Cost
- In-state tuition
- $14,277
- Out-of-state tuition
- $19,773
- Room & board
- $13,274
- Books & supplies
- $720
- Total cost of attendance
- $27,841
- Average net price
- $14,085
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)
- 52%
- Graduated on time (4 years)
- 35%
- First-year retention
- 78%
- Transferred to another college
- 0%
- Median earnings, 6 years after entry
- $37,996
- Median earnings, 10 years after entry
- $47,107
- Median debt at graduation
- $21,474
- Students with federal loans
- 46%
- Paying down their loans (1 year in)
- 51%
About 17% 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)
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
- 3,155
- Dorm capacity vs undergrads
- 48%
- Housing charge (year)
- $6,592
- Meal plan (year)
- $5,990
- Application fee
- Free
- Athletics
- NCAA Division II with football
- Football conference
- Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic Conference
- Varsity athletes
- 556 (225 men · 331 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 (14)
Athlete counts per sport, Equity in Athletics data, 2024–25.
Campus safety
- Safety grade
- C
- Reported offenses per 1,000 students
- 2.3 / year
- Violent offenses (2022–2024)
- 44
- Property offenses (2022–2024)
- 8
On-campus criminal offenses reported under the Clery Act, 2022–2024, across 1 campus (7,409 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.
$11,051/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.
Modest institutional aid: 89% of freshmen get a grant from the school, averaging $5,451. 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 1,403 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)
- $47,107
- Typical debt at graduation
- $21,474
- Debt vs. one year's pay
- 46%
- Out-earn a HS grad
- 51%
Typical debt would take roughly 4.6 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 $9,873 (23%) 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
- 75°F
- Winter low
- 12°F
- Annual rain
- 30.2″
- Annual snow
- 102″
Average temperature
HighLowAverage precipitation (inches)
NOAA 1991–2020 climate normals, Marquette, MI US station (1.6 mi from campus).
What Northern Michigan 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 Northern Michigan University
Schools with a comparable profile — size, selectivity, cost, and graduate outcomes. Compare Northern Michigan University side by side →
Purdue University Fort Wayne
Fort Wayne, Indiana · Large city · 3 mi to Fort Wayne
- Students
- 5,484
- Admission
- 84%
- Net price
- $13k
- SAT
- 1100
- GPA
- 3.2
- Earnings
- $46k
Augusta University
Augusta, Georgia · Midsize city · 1 mi to Augusta
- Students
- 5,613
- Admission
- 86%
- Net price
- $14k
- SAT
- 1070
- GPA
- 3.1
- Earnings
- $48k
University of Louisiana at Monroe
Monroe, Louisiana · Small city · 98 mi to Shreveport
- Students
- 5,022
- Admission
- 85%
- Net price
- $13k
- SAT
- 1116
- GPA
- 3.2
- Earnings
- $47k
Angelo State University
San Angelo, Texas · Small city · 102 mi to Midland
- Students
- 5,643
- Admission
- 83%
- Net price
- $15k
- SAT
- 1054
- GPA
- 3.0
- Earnings
- $50k
University of North Alabama
Florence, Alabama · Small city · 62 mi to Huntsville
- Students
- 5,811
- Admission
- 87%
- Net price
- $12k
- SAT
- —
- GPA
- —
- Earnings
- $45k
Norfolk State University
Norfolk, Virginia · Midsize city · 1 mi to Norfolk
- Students
- 5,392
- Admission
- 88%
- Net price
- $15k
- SAT
- 927
- GPA
- 2.7
- Earnings
- $45k
Colleges near Northern 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.










