Research brief & institution hub

Ferris State University

MIMedium public institution · Overall rank #198 nationally

Data snapshot September 27, 2026Updated October 21, 2026

Azimuth ranks Ferris State University #198 nationally among nonprofit four-year institutions.

Who it’s a good fit for

Ferris State University is a public university in Big Rapids, Michigan, with a degree mix led by Business, Engineering Technologies, and Security & Protective Services. Affordability is among the highest we track.

Graduates out-earn what predicts for students like them, and the model attributes part of that to the factors it measures, which adds, while what it cannot explain subtracts. Return is above average, while the typical graduate earns above the median at comparable schools.

The net price for the lowest income band sits well below the published cost, and there is a spread between the lowest and highest bands. Pell students complete at a rate that is above the overall rate, and mobility is well above average.

The admission rate is above the median for comparable schools, and the university's highest-earning programs are concentrated in applied technology fields. A student drawn to the largest programs should know that the best-paid ones are not the largest.

Ferris State University at a glance

Admissions and outcomes

Admission rate^[1]: 91.4%
Six-year completion^[2]: 46.9%
Four-year earnings^[3]: $64,721

Cost and family borrowing

Average annual net price · $48–75K family income^[6]: $7,638
Median student debt^[4]: $21,000
Median Parent PLUS debt^[7]: $14,849

Ferris State University rankings: how Azimuth assesses value^[5]

Ferris State University is a public university in Big Rapids, Michigan, enrolling 8,106 undergraduates. Among nonprofit four-year institutions, it sits in the upper portion of the ranking (87th percentile).

The university accepts 91.4% of those who apply. The median among comparable institutions (same type and size) is 85.9%.

Retention among full-time first-year students is 77.6%, with a peer median of 73.7% at comparable institutions (same type and size). The six-year graduation rate for the first-time full-time cohort is 46.9%.

The median at comparable institutions is 49.1%. An estimated 33.6% of entrants arrive as transfers or part-time students, so that rate tracks only a minority of those who study here.

Affordability is the strongest , and access is the weakest. Return and mobility fall between them. The four sit far apart, with no two pillars clustered near the same level.

Affordability is the strongest pillar in the Azimuth profile, at the 91st percentile. Mobility follows at the 84th percentile, and return sits at the 73rd percentile.

Access is the weakest of the four, at the 64th percentile. The shape is a public university where costs are low and earnings are solid, with access the part of the profile that trails the other three.

34.2% of undergraduates at Ferris State University receive Pell Grants. Azimuth ranks Ferris State University #533 for access among nonprofit four-year institutions.

Pell recipients complete at 49.9%, 3.0 percentage points above the rate for the cohort as a whole. Azimuth ranks the university #241 for mobility. Graduates earn about $7,953 more than the model expects for similar students.

How value-added outcomes are assessed · How to interpret program rankings

Ferris State University rankings in context
Geography	Rank
National	#198

Azimuth overall value rankings within each geographic comparison group.

National pillar percentiles

Economic mobility: National percentile: 84

Access & reach: National percentile: 64

Affordability: National percentile: 91

Return on investment: National percentile: 73

Top-ranked majors

Industrial Production Technologies/Technicians#1
Specialized Sales, Merchandising and Marketing Operations#3
Graphic Communications#7

This school’s three highest-ranked programs nationally. Each rank compares bachelor’s programs in the same field; field sizes differ.

Explore major rankings

01 / Ferris State University briefing

Ferris State University cost & financial aid^[6]^[7]

Ferris State University publishes a cost of attendance of $27,048, with in-state and out-of-state tuition and fees both at $14,778 and room and board at $11,462. After financial aid, the average net price—what aid recipients pay after grants and scholarships—drops to $8,624, a savings of $18,424 against the published total.

For the average aid recipient, aid covers about 68% of the sticker price. That sits below the peer median of $14,068 for comparable institutions (same type and size) by $5,444.

Azimuth ranks the university #125 for affordability among nonprofit four-year institutions. For families earning under $30,000, the average net price is $2,556.

Ferris State University publishes a cost of attendance of $27,048, with in-state tuition and fees at $14,778 and room and board at $11,462. After grants and scholarships, the average net price—what aid recipients pay—is $2,556 for families earning under $30,000, $7,638 for the $48,001–$75,000 band, and $18,603 for families earning over $110,000.

The spread between the lowest and highest bands is $16,047. Azimuth ranks the university #125 for affordability among nonprofit four-year institutions.

Aid covers about 68% of the published cost for the average aid recipient, an offset of $18,424 that brings the overall average net price to $8,624. That figure sits below the peer median of $14,068 for comparable institutions (same type and size) by $5,444.

The university's sticker price is built on in-state tuition; out-of-state students see the same tuition figure, keeping the published cost uniform across residency. 88.8% of federal aid recipients take federal loans, and the median federal student debt at completion is $21,000.

That debt is below the peer median of $21,229 by $229, and it corresponds to an estimated payment of $239 a month if repaid over ten years. Parents who borrow through Parent PLUS carry a separate median of $14,849.

Your family income

Choose a household income range to see estimated net price.

Reported average annual net price · $48–75K$7,638

After grants and scholarships. Your aid offer may differ.

Averages within each income band; individual aid packages vary.

Borrowing and repayment at Ferris State University

Federal borrowing is common at Ferris State University, where 88.8% of federal aid recipients take federal loans. Among those who borrow and complete a degree, the median federal student debt is $21,000.

That median sits below the $21,229 median for comparable institutions (same type and size) by $229. Parents who borrow through the separate Parent PLUS program carry a median of $14,849.

At Ferris State University, federally aided completers who are working and not enrolled earn a median of $64,721 four years after completion. That figure is in the 65th percentile among nonprofit four-year institutions.

It is $7,420 above the $57,301 median for comparable institutions (same type and size). Graduates earn about $7,953 more than the model expects for similar students.

That outcome is in the 78th percentile. Earnings scenarios run from $48,004 to $87,152, with $64,721 as the typical outcome.

The median federal student debt at completion is $21,000, $229 below the $21,229 median for comparable institutions (same type and size). That debt corresponds to an estimated payment of $239 a month if repaid over ten years.

Earnings and debt point the same way: above the peer median on pay, below it on borrowing. The beyond-expectations result means the advantage holds against what the model predicts for similar students.

Parent borrowers at Ferris State University took on a median of $14,849 in Parent PLUS loans, a separate federal borrowing population. The estimated monthly student payment if repaid over ten years is $239.

How Financial GPS measures payment burden · The four risk-and-reward zones

Financial GPS

What does repayment look like?

Institution median student debt: $21,000
Institution Parent PLUS debt: $14,849

Federal loans only; private or institutional loans aren’t included.

Estimated student payment · monthly: $239/mo
Estimated Parent PLUS payment · monthly: $189/mo

Payments use school-wide median balances, not a specific major’s.

Payment assumptions

Payments are 10-year standard payments on the median balance, before loan fees, used as a yardstick. Rates for newly issued loans may differ, and loans made after July 1, 2026 can repay over a longer term; existing loans keep their original fixed rates.

Explore your own numbers in Financial GPS

Read the full cost & aid brief

02 / Ferris State University briefing

Ferris State University career outcomes & earnings^[3]^[8]^[9]

Graduates of Ferris State University earn about $7,953 more than the model expects for similar students, a result in the 78th percentile among nonprofit four-year institutions. The part the model attributes to the factors it measures (field of study, enrollment and the local labor market) adds $9,963.

The part it attributes to a remainder it does not explain subtracts $2,010. Within the measured factors, the STEM component adds $2,466.

Four years after completion, the median earnings of $64,721 land above the peer median of $57,301 for comparable institutions (same type and size) by $7,420. That places the return pillar in the 73rd percentile among nonprofit four-year institutions.

Earnings that beat both the model and the peer median point to a solid return, even though the institution's own contribution beyond its program mix is a small subtractor.

Graduates of Ferris State University earn about $7,953 more than the model expects for similar students, a result that ranks in the 78th percentile among nonprofit four-year institutions. Four years after completion, the median earnings for the 4,016 federally aided completers who are working and not enrolled is $64,721.

That figure runs above the median of $57,301 for comparable institutions (same type and size). Earnings scenarios anchored on the university's program mix show a downside scenario of $48,004 and an upside scenario reaching $87,152.

An estimated 21.3% of graduates continue to graduate study, a figure estimated from the program mix.

Four years after completion, Ferris State University graduates earn a median of $64,721. That figure sits above the peer median of $57,301 for comparable institutions (same type and size) by $7,420.

Graduates earn about $7,953 more than the model expects for similar students, a result in the 78th percentile among nonprofit four-year institutions. The part the model attributes to the factors it measures (field of study, enrollment and the local labor market) adds $9,963.

The part it attributes to a remainder it does not explain subtracts $2,010. Within the measured factors, the STEM component adds $2,466.

Azimuth ranks the university #398 for return on investment among nonprofit four-year institutions. Earnings scenarios grounded in the program mix show a downside of $48,004 and an upside of $87,152, reflecting the spread between lower- and higher-earning program clusters.

The program-level picture is anchored by a set of applied technology fields with strong national ranks. Criminal Justice, the largest program with 249 degrees awarded, earns a median of $60,325 and ranks #23 nationally in its field.

Industrial Production Technologies/Technicians is the standout, with a median of $91,993 and a national rank of #1, earning 1.14x the national median for the field. Mechanical Engineering Related Technologies/Technicians (106 degrees awarded, $82,821, ranked #10) and Nursing (107 degrees awarded, $81,718) round out a group of programs where strong national ranks coincide with earnings above the university median.

The earnings scenarios at Ferris State University span from a downside of $48,004 to an upside of $87,152 four years after completion. That range reflects the variation in outcomes across the university's 39 programs with published data.

The highest-earning programs show the upper end of that spread: Industrial Production Technologies/Technicians graduates earn a median of $91,993, Computer/Information Technology Administration and Management graduates earn $91,678, and Construction Management completers reach $90,504.

Ferris State University posts a published cost of attendance of $27,048, but aid brings the average net price down to $8,624. Borrowers who complete leave with a median of $21,000 in federal student loans, $229 below the peer median of $21,229 at comparable institutions (same type and size).

That debt corresponds to an estimated payment of $239 a month if repaid over ten years. Parents who borrow hold a separate median of $14,849 in Parent PLUS loans.

The low net price and below-peer debt point the same way, making affordability the university's strongest pillar.

What explains value-added earnings?

Program & institutional factors The part attributed to observed institutional characteristics.: +$9,963
Unexplained remainder What remains after the model’s observed factors.: -$2,010
Total modeled value added The modeled difference from expected earnings.: +$7,953

These are statistical model components, not proven causal effects; the remainder is not a direct measure of teaching quality.

Read the full outcomes brief

Read the full admissions brief

04 / Ferris State University briefing

What are the largest majors at Ferris State University?^[12]

The five largest programs at Ferris State University show a clear split between higher-earning technical fields and more moderate-earning professional programs. Criminal Justice awards the most degrees, at 249 a year, with median earnings of $60,325 four years after completion.

Azimuth ranks it #23 nationally within its field. Two technical programs sit at the higher end of the earnings range.

Mechanical Engineering Related Technologies/Technicians graduates earn a median of $82,821 from 106 degrees awarded, and Azimuth ranks the program #10 nationally. Nursing posts $81,718 across 107 degrees, with a national rank of #247.

At the more moderate end, Design and Applied Arts reports $50,658 from 101 degrees awarded, with a national rank of #68. The spread between the highest- and lowest-earning large programs is wide.

Ferris State University publishes earnings data for 39 bachelor's programs, 24 of which hold an Azimuth national rank. The largest program, Criminal Justice, awarded 249 degrees and ranks #23 in its field nationally, with a median of $60,325 four years after completion.

Several programs combine strong earnings with high national standing. Industrial Production Technologies/Technicians ranks #1 nationally and #1 in Michigan, with 99 degrees awarded.

Its median is $91,993 four years after completion. Specialized Sales, Merchandising and Marketing Operations holds a national rank of #3 and a state rank of #1 in Michigan, awarding 25 degrees.

Nursing, the third-largest program, ranks #247 nationally, awarded 107 degrees and reports a median of $81,718.

The degree mix at Ferris State University is anchored in professional and technical fields. Business accounts for 22.0% of bachelor's degrees awarded, followed by Engineering Technologies at 14.2% and Security & Protective Services at 13.2%.

The university has 24 programs with an Azimuth national rank and 39 with published four-year earnings data. The largest single program is Criminal Justice, at 249 degrees awarded, with Business Administration and Management next at 181 and Nursing at 107.

The top-ranked programs span several fields. Industrial Production Technologies/Technicians is the highest-ranked program, with 99 degrees awarded and median earnings of $91,993 four years after completion, and it ranks #1 in Michigan within its field.

Azimuth also identifies it as a high-return program, with a benchmark ratio of 1.14x against the national median for its field. Specialized Sales, Merchandising and Marketing Operations ranks #3 nationally and #1 in Michigan within its field, awarding 25 degrees a year.

Graphic Communications ranks #7 nationally and #1 in Michigan within its field, with earnings of $44,116. The pattern is one of strength in applied technical fields alongside a large professional-services core.

Industrial Production Technologies/Technicians, Computer/Information Technology Administration and Management, and Construction Management are all in the technologies, and their earnings sit well above those of the largest programs in business and criminal justice. 24.9% of degrees awarded are in STEM fields, and the engineering technologies family accounts for 14.2% of bachelor's degrees awarded.

Four-year earnings · six largest reported fields

Criminal Justice and Corrections 249 degrees awarded: $60,325
Business Administration, Management and Operations 181 degrees awarded: $64,131
Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing 107 degrees awarded: $81,718
Mechanical Engineering Related Technologies/Technicians 106 degrees awarded: $82,821
Design and Applied Arts 101 degrees awarded: $50,658
Industrial Production Technologies/Technicians 99 degrees awarded: $91,993

Fields selected by reported completions. Counts describe credentials awarded, not unique students or the earnings sample. Bars show median four-year earnings.

Read the full majors brief

05 / Ferris State University briefing

How does Ferris State University serve students from different backgrounds?

Pell recipients in the first-time full-time cohort at Ferris State University complete at 49.9%, a rate above the overall six-year graduation rate of 46.9% by 3.0 percentage points. The university lands in the 84th percentile for mobility among nonprofit four-year institutions.

Graduates earn about $7,953 more than the model expects for similar students, a result in the 78th percentile. Pell completion that exceeds the overall graduation rate and earnings beyond expectations point the same way for mobility.

The access pillar is the weakest dimension for Ferris State University, sitting in the 64th percentile among nonprofit four-year institutions. The public university enrolls 8,106 undergraduates and accepts 91.4% of applicants.

An estimated 33.6% of students arrive as transfers or part-time students, while 34.2% of undergraduates receive Pell Grants, two measures that both point to wide access.

06 / Ferris State University briefing

What colleges are similar to Ferris State University?^[15]

Azimuth groups alternatives by admissions, location, cost and earnings, then orders candidates within each group. Peer earnings use the matched four-year cohort. How matching works.

A shortlist for different decisions

Choose a row to compare the figures with Ferris State University.

Admissions peerAquinas College89.9% admitted

Comparison with Ferris State University
Measure	Ferris State University	Aquinas College
Peer earnings · 4 years	$64,721	$51,578-$13,143 vs Ferris State University
Average annual net price	$8,624	$16,626+$8,002 vs Ferris State University · higher cost
Admission rate	91.4%	89.9%

Explore Aquinas College →

Nearby alternativeWestern Michigan UniversityNearby option · MI

Comparison with Ferris State University
Measure	Ferris State University	Western Michigan University
Peer earnings · 4 years	$64,721	$62,885-$1,836 vs Ferris State University
Average annual net price	$8,624	$15,273+$6,649 vs Ferris State University · higher cost
Admission rate	91.4%	84.6%

Explore Western Michigan University →

Higher-earnings alternativeCalifornia State University-East Bay$72,596 earnings

Comparison with Ferris State University
Measure	Ferris State University	California State University-East Bay
Peer earnings · 4 years	$64,721	$72,596+$7,875 vs Ferris State University
Average annual net price	$8,624	$9,320+$696 vs Ferris State University · higher cost
Admission rate	91.4%	97.4%

Explore California State University-East Bay →

Lower-cost alternativeCUNY Brooklyn College$3,103 average net price

Comparison with Ferris State University
Measure	Ferris State University	CUNY Brooklyn College
Peer earnings · 4 years	$64,721	$62,833-$1,888 vs Ferris State University
Average annual net price	$8,624	$3,103-$5,521 vs Ferris State University · lower cost
Admission rate	91.4%	58.4%

Explore CUNY Brooklyn College →

Similar profileSouthern Illinois University EdwardsvilleMatched across several measures

Comparison with Ferris State University
Measure	Ferris State University	Southern Illinois University Edwardsville
Peer earnings · 4 years	$64,721	$65,199+$478 vs Ferris State University
Average annual net price	$8,624	$14,889+$6,265 vs Ferris State University · higher cost
Admission rate	91.4%	97.5%

Explore Southern Illinois University Edwardsville →

Each school is the first-ranked match in its category, not a recommendation across every measure. The same college may lead more than one category. Figures use the matching snapshot; earnings reflect the matched four-year cohort. — means unavailable.

Read the full similar schools brief

Data scope & methodology

Structured payloads generated September 27, 2026Governed hub narrative September 27, 2026Governed spoke corpus September 27, 2026

Four-year earnings describe cohorts of completers. Figures for other horizons describe different cohorts and are not joined into a career-growth projection.

Azimuth's overall rank and pillar percentiles come from the school profile. Absolute pillar ranks, city, enrollment and official-site links are shown only when structured data supplies them.

Detailed earnings, cost, admissions and program values come from the endpoint responsible for each measure. Missing values are not replaced with zero. Value-added estimates are model associations, not causal effects.

Figures are refreshed with each data release, at most a quarter apart. The underlying source dates can be earlier than the release.

Explanatory text is AI-assisted drafting checked against those figures; it is not an additional data source.

Analysis and methodology by Daniel Rogers, founder of College Azimuth.

Read the ranking methodology, data definitions and limitations · About College Azimuth

Read the analysis behind value-added earnings and the change to four-year graduate earnings. These articles are published on collegeazimuth.com.

Data notes & source fields

Scorecard field codes identify the underlying measure; Azimuth-derived values are labeled separately. Snapshot dates are not measurement years. Source populations and reporting periods differ across measures. Field definitions are in the U.S. Department of Education · College Scorecard documentation; notes with a different source link it below.

Admission rate. Reported applicants admitted; not a transfer-specific or individual admission probability.
Source fields: ADM_RATE
Six-year completion. First-time, full-time students completing at the institution within 150% of normal time, typically six years for a bachelor’s degree.
Source fields: C150_4
Four-year institutional earnings. Median earnings of graduates in the reported cohort who are working and not enrolled, four years after completion.
Source fields: MD_EARN_WNE_4YR
Median federal student debt. Federal student-loan debt among completers in the reported borrowing cohort. Excludes Parent PLUS and is not total debt across all students.
Source fields: GRAD_DEBT_MDN
National, regional and state ranks; pillar percentiles; major ranks. Derived scores within the stated eligible comparison set, not raw Scorecard fields. Major ranks compare institutions within a field; their denominators differ.
Source fields: Azimuth rankings
College Azimuth · Ranking methodology
Annual net price by family income. Average annual cost after grants and scholarships for the eligible first-time, full-time aid-recipient cohort. Public-school figures reflect in-state tuition. Includes living costs; these are averages, not medians or individual offers.
Source fields: NPT4_PUB/PRIV; NPT41_PUB/PRIV through NPT45_PUB/PRIV
Parent PLUS debt, payments and GPS illustration. Stored payments use Financial GPS loan and repayment assumptions. The adjustable spectrum applies the published framework to annual student payments divided by earnings minus an expense allowance; its initial allowance is 150% of the federal poverty guideline for one person, for the year the API serves. It is an illustration rather than a school rating. The parent table is the 10-year payment on the median Parent PLUS as a share of household income above 200% of the guideline for a household of three: under 6% Safe, 6–10% Caution, over 10% High pressure. Parent PLUS uses the completer median where available, otherwise the all-borrower median; these describe different borrowing populations.
Source fields: PLUS_DEBT_ALL_COMP_MD; fallback PLUS_DEBT_ALL_MD; Azimuth Financial GPS calculations
College Azimuth · Financial GPS methodology
Downside and upside earnings; yellow band. The band spans the modeled lower and higher scenarios. It is not the P25–P75 interval for individual graduates. The median marker is the separately reported institutional median.
Source fields: Azimuth modeled program-mix scenarios
College Azimuth · Earnings scenario methodology
Value added and its components. Observed-factor attribution plus the unexplained remainder equals total modeled value added. These are associations, not proven causal effects; the remainder is not a direct measure of teaching quality.
Source fields: Azimuth statistical model
College Azimuth · Value-added methodology
SAT score range and reported midpoint. Reported scores of enrolled score-submitters, not admission cutoffs. The midpoint field is not necessarily the middle of the displayed range.
Source fields: SATVR25 + SATMT25; SATVR75 + SATMT75; SAT_AVG
First-year retention. Retention of the reported full-time cohort at four-year institutions.
Source fields: RET_FT4
Program earnings, completion counts and major-mix dots. Included bachelor’s programs have at least five reported completions. Counts are aggregated credentials, not unique people or an earnings sample. Major-mix dots group those counts by field of study; excluded programs are not zero activity.
Source fields: EARN_MDN_4YR; IPEDSCOUNT1; CIPCODE
College Scorecard · Field-of-study technical documentation
Pell recipients. Share of undergraduates receiving a Pell Grant in the reported academic year.
Source fields: PCTPELL
Entering students outside the first-time, full-time group. This is not an observed transfer-in rate. It includes part-time entrants and other entering-student attendance patterns.
Source fields: 1 − PFTFTUG1_EF
Peer earnings and signed differences. Differences are peer minus this school, from the same matching snapshot. A positive earnings difference does not mean the peer is better on every measure.
Source fields: Azimuth peer model using MD_EARN_WNE_4YR
College Azimuth · Comparison methodology

How to interpret program rankings