10-yr median earnings
$55,874
Federal aid recipients only
Public · Mount Pleasant, Michigan
Central Michigan University
Central Michigan University is a public institution in Mount Pleasant, Michigan. Graduates earn a median of $55,874 ten years after enrollment at an average net price of $17,597/yr.
- $55,874
- 10-yr median earnings
- $17,597
- Avg net price / yr
- 89.8%
- Acceptance rate
- 60.4%
- 4-yr completion
The verdict
Central Michigan University pairs above-median graduate earnings with open admission.
According to the U.S. Department of Education's College Scorecard.
- Top 34%
- graduate earnings, US
- 89.8%
- acceptance rate
- 60.4%
- 4-yr completion
- +20%
- earnings, 6→10 yrs
Town: Distant
Carnegie: R2
Central Michigan University is a public institution in Mount Pleasant, Michigan enrolling 10,035 students, according to the U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard's 2024-25 release. The acceptance rate is 89.8% with an average SAT of 1,091. Graduates earn a median of $55,874 ten years after enrollment, based on U.S. Treasury tax records linked to federal financial aid data. The average net price after financial aid is $17,597. This profile includes admissions data, graduation rates, program-level earnings, and cost breakdowns to help students compare colleges using official federal data.
Data updated July 2026
What the IPEDS & College Scorecard Data Shows for Central Michigan University
Central Michigan University operates as a public institution located in Mount Pleasant, Michigan (town: distant), with a total reported enrollment of 10,035 students of which 11,329 are undergraduates. Institution-level records in the Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System (IPEDS) classify each school by Carnegie category, ownership sector, and urban/rural locale, which is how this profile's peer group and cost cohort are determined; Central Michigan University is categorized as "Doctoral Universities: High Research Activity" under the Carnegie classification system, a meaningful signal when comparing like-to-like institutions.
Admissions and cost figures below come from the same annual IPEDS Fall enrollment survey and net-price calculation that every Title IV institution is legally required to submit to the federal government, so the same standardized methodology applies whether comparing a public flagship or a small private college. Net price nets grant and scholarship aid out of the published sticker price, the number financial-aid experts consider the honest comparison point - the table further down breaks that figure out by family income band rather than a single blended average, since what one family actually pays can look very different from what another family pays at the identical school.
The outcomes further down come from federal tax records the U.S. Treasury links to former students who received federal financial aid, not a self-reported alumni survey - an approach that removes response bias but also means graduates who never took federal aid are absent from the earnings figures. Completion and retention rates only count first-time, full-time degree-seeking students, so a school with a large transfer or part-time population can serve those students well without that showing up in these particular metrics. Reading the cost, completion, and earnings figures together, rather than any single one in isolation, is the approach the College Scorecard's own methodology recommends for judging return on investment.
College Value Score
C-
College Value Score
52/100
Central Michigan University
A 6-metric composite of earnings, cost, and completion outcomes benchmarked against every reporting US college, not a ranking of teaching quality, campus life, or fit for any individual student. See the full methodology.
Earnings B+
$55,874
10-year median graduate earnings
Net Price D
$17,597
Average annual cost after grants and aid
Graduation Rate N/A
N/A
6-year completion rate
Debt F
$27,000
Median federal debt at graduation
Loan Repayment C+
65.0%
Borrowers repaying loans within 3 years
Retention D
75.4%
First-year students returning for year two
Each axis is the percentile score shown in the breakdown at left; the shape shows this school's overall profile at a glance.
Avg net price
$17,597
After grants and scholarships
4-yr completion
60.4%
First-time, full-time bachelor's
4-year completion vs national average (40%) 60.4%
Higher is better
College ROI Quadrant - Central Michigan University vs peers
Each dot is a college plotted by 10-year median earnings (x-axis) vs average net price (y-axis), colored by 4-year graduation rate. Top-left = best ROI; bottom-right = avoid.
How Central Michigan University ranks nationally
Where this school's graduate earnings fall within the full national distribution of every US college that reports to the College Scorecard, not just its peer set.
Central Michigan University: graduate earnings vs. every US college
10-year median earnings, College Scorecard
$55,874 Top 34% higher than 66% of 5,103 US colleges
Each bar is a $20K-wide band; taller bars hold more US colleges. The dashed line + filled bar mark this entry. Hover or tap any bar for its full count, share, and where it sits relative to this entry.
Source U.S. Department of Education, College Scorecard · 2024
Quick Facts
10,035
Total enrollment
89.8%
Acceptance rate
1,091
SAT average
60.4%
4-yr graduation rate
$55,874
10-yr median earnings
75.4%
First-year retention
Admissions
| Admission Rate | 89.8% |
| SAT Average | 1,091 |
| SAT Math (25th-75th) | 470 – 590 |
| SAT Reading (25th-75th) | 490 – 610 |
| ACT Average | 23 |
| ACT (25th-75th) | 21 – 27 |
Share of applicants admitted
Costs & Financial Aid
Tuition & Net Price
| In-State Tuition | $14,760 |
| Out-of-State Tuition | $14,760 |
| Average Net Price | $17,597 |
Net Price by Family Income
| $0 – $30,000 | $12,185 |
| $30,001 – $48,000 | $12,139 |
| $48,001 – $75,000 | $13,601 |
| Over $110,000 | $21,403 |
31.4%
Pell Grant Rate
68.7%
Federal Loan Rate
$27,000
Median Debt
$286/mo
Monthly Payment
Student Demographics
Race & ethnicity
Student body at a glance
59.2%
Female
29.3%
First Generation
Outcomes
60.4%
4-Year Completion Rate
75.4%
Retention Rate
$46,567
Median Earnings (6yr)
$55,874
Median Earnings (10yr)
66.3%
Earning Over $25K
65.0%
Loan Repayment, Completers (3yr)
Programs & Earnings
Top programs at Central Michigan University by graduate earnings
Median earnings of program completers, College Scorecard field-of-study file
- Health and Medical Adminis…
Health and Medical Administrative Services
$152,055 median earnings
- Medicine
Medicine
$138,552 median earnings
- Clinical, Counseling and A…
Clinical, Counseling and Applied Psychology
$125,201 median earnings
- Engineering-Related Fields
Engineering-Related Fields
$123,591 median earnings
- Allied Health Diagnostic, …
Allied Health Diagnostic, Intervention, and Treatment Professions
$123,450 median earnings
- Management Information Sys…
Management Information Systems and Services
$112,443 median earnings
- Business Administration, M…
Business Administration, Management and Operations
$101,507 median earnings
- International Business
International Business
$101,449 median earnings
What this shows The highest-earning programs at a school are not necessarily its most popular ones - a small specialized program can post strong median earnings without reflecting the outcome most students here actually see.
Guides & Resources
Is College Worth It?
Analyze the financial return of a degree
Debt vs. Earnings by Major
Which fields of study pay off fastest
Colleges With the Best ROI
Schools where graduates earn the most vs. cost
How to Compare Colleges
A data-driven framework for picking schools
Understanding Earnings Data
How College Scorecard measures outcomes
Community College vs. 4-Year
Compare costs, outcomes, and career paths
Related Colleges
Other public institutions in Michigan
Michigan State University
East Lansing, MI
40,922 students Earn $67,253 84.8% admit
University of Michigan-Ann Arbor
Ann Arbor, MI
34,177 students Earn $83,648 15.6% admit
Grand Valley State University
Allendale, MI
18,854 students Earn $56,118 83.0% admit
Wayne State University
Detroit, MI
15,587 students Earn $53,493 81.2% admit
Macomb Community College
Warren, MI
13,876 students Earn $41,596
Oakland Community College
Auburn Hills, MI
12,748 students Earn $37,395
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the acceptance rate at Central Michigan University? ▼
Central Michigan University is a public institution in Mount Pleasant, Michigan. The acceptance rate is 89.8%. The average SAT score is 1,091. Total enrollment is 10,035 students.
How much do Central Michigan University graduates earn? ▼
Graduates of Central Michigan University earn a median of $55,874 ten years after enrollment. Six years after enrollment, median earnings are $46,567.
How much does Central Michigan University cost? ▼
The average net price at Central Michigan University is $17,597. In-state tuition is $14,760 and out-of-state tuition is $14,760. Median student debt at graduation is $27,000.
What is the graduation rate at Central Michigan University? ▼
Central Michigan University has a 4-year completion rate of 60.4%. The first-year retention rate is 75.4%.
Is Central Michigan University worth the student debt? ▼
The median student debt at Central Michigan University is $27,000, while graduates earn a median of $55,874 ten years after enrollment. That debt represents about 48% of first-year post-graduation earnings. Among borrowers who completed their program, 65.0% are repaying their loans within 3 years. Estimated monthly loan payment is $286.
Sources & methodology
According to the U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard's 2024-25 release, PlainCollege tracks 6,243 postsecondary institutions and 70,827 individual school-and-program earnings records nationwide.
Every figure on this page is read live from official U.S. federal datasets, as of the 2024-25 release. Read the full methodology for how the data is sourced, computed, and verified.
- College Scorecard, U.S. Department of Education - graduate earnings, cost & completion (collegescorecard.ed.gov).
- IPEDS, National Center for Education Statistics - enrollment, admissions, Carnegie class & demographics (nces.ed.gov/ipeds).
- U.S. Treasury / IRS earnings linkage - median earnings 6 & 10 years after enrollment for federal-aid recipients (irs.gov).
- College Scorecard, Field of Study - program-level (credential) earnings & debt (collegescorecard.ed.gov).
- Federal Student Aid (Title IV / NSLDS) - U.S. Department of Education - net price, student debt & aid-recipient repayment outcomes (studentaid.gov).
What this means for Central Michigan University
- Central Michigan University's graduates land in the 34th percentile nationally for 10-year earnings among reporting colleges.
- The average net price after aid is $17,597 - compare it against schools with similar outcomes but a lower cost.Find similar schools that cost less
- See how this school compares to every other college in Michigan.Browse Michigan
This profile is for informational purposes only and does not constitute financial or admissions advice. Figures are historical averages and may not predict an individual student's outcome - confirm current details directly with the institution before making enrollment decisions.
Every figure on PlainCollege is rendered directly from the U.S. Department of Education's College Scorecard data, no number is typed in by an editor. Institution profiles are compiled directly from College Scorecard, IPEDS, and Treasury earnings-linkage data, no figure is typed in by an editor. See our editorial standards & corrections policy, the methodology behind these numbers, or report a data error. Data current as of 2024-25.