College Azimuth

Research brief & institution hub

Saginaw Valley State University

MIMedium public institution · Overall rank #360 nationally

Data snapshot Updated

Azimuth ranks Saginaw Valley State University #360 nationally among nonprofit four-year institutions.

Who it’s a good fit for

Saginaw Valley State University is a public university in University Center, Michigan, where degrees concentrate in Health Professions and Education. The largest program is Nursing.

Affordability is well above average, the strongest , while mobility is the weakest at above average. Graduates out-earn what predicts for students like them.

The model attributes the gap to the factors it measures, which add to expected earnings, while the remainder it cannot explain subtracts from them. Return is above average.

The lowest income band pays well below the published cost, while the highest band pays close to it. Pell students finish below the overall rate, and access is above average.

The admission rate is below the median for comparable institutions. The program mix favors steady-earning fields over the top of the range.

Nursing and Special Education and Teaching are the largest programs, while the best-paid include Computer and Information Sciences and Electrical Engineering.

Saginaw Valley State University at a glance

Admissions and outcomes

Admission rate[1]
72.1%
Six-year completion[2]
48.2%
Four-year earnings[3]
$63,454

Cost and family borrowing

Average annual net price · $48–75K family income[6]
$20,053
Median student debt[4]
$25,000
Median Parent PLUS debt[7]
$18,264

Saginaw Valley State University rankings: how Azimuth assesses value[5]

Saginaw Valley State University is a public university in University Center, Michigan, enrolling 5,989 undergraduates. Its composite standing sits in the top quarter of the Azimuth ranking among nonprofit four-year institutions (76th percentile).

The shape is a broad-access public campus where affordability is the highest pillar and mobility the lowest, with access and return sitting between them. Saginaw Valley State University admits 72.1% of applicants, a rate below the 85.9% median for comparable institutions of the same type and size.

Of students who start full time, 77.6% return for a second year, against a peer median of 73.7%. The six-year graduation rate is 48.2%, just under the peer median of 49.1%.

An estimated 21.4% of entrants arrive as transfers or part-time students. The four pillars are not tightly clustered.

Affordability is the strongest, while mobility is the weakest. Access and return fall in between, with the spread between the strongest and weakest pillar being notable.

Affordability is the strongest pillar in the university's Azimuth profile, at the 78th percentile. Access follows at the 74th percentile, and return sits at the 61st percentile. Mobility is the weakest of the four, at the 59th percentile.

Saginaw Valley State University enrolls students across a broad band of test scores, with 35.2% of undergraduates receiving Pell Grants, a measure of financial access. Among enrolled students who submitted SAT scores, the middle 50% landed between 920 and 1,170.

For the ACT, the comparable range runs from 18 to 26. That spread shows a wide range of academic preparation among the entering class.

Azimuth ranks the university #382 for access among nonprofit four-year institutions. The six-year completion rate for Pell recipients is 39.3%, falling 8.9 percentage points short of the rate for the entering cohort overall.

That gap marks the difference between Pell recipients and the overall cohort. Azimuth ranks the university #595 for mobility among nonprofit four-year institutions. Graduates earn about $1,679 more than the model expects for similar students.

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

Saginaw Valley State University rankings in context
GeographyRank
National#360

Azimuth overall value rankings within each geographic comparison group.

National pillar percentiles

Economic mobility
National percentile: 59
Access & reach
National percentile: 74
Affordability
National percentile: 78
Return on investment
National percentile: 61

Top-ranked majors

  1. Rehabilitation and Therapeutic Professions#3
  2. Rhetoric and Composition/Writing Studies#27
  3. Special Education and Teaching#38

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 / Saginaw Valley State University briefing

Saginaw Valley State University cost & financial aid[6][7]

Saginaw Valley State University's strongest pillar is affordability, and the numbers bear that out. The university publishes a cost of attendance of $24,936, an average across living arrangements.

In-state tuition and fees are $12,930, and room and board is $12,340. Out-of-state tuition runs $30,450.

After grants and scholarships, the average net price for aid recipients is $10,775, a savings of $14,161 against the sticker price. That is below the peer median of $14,068 for comparable institutions (same type and size) by $3,293, a gap that reinforces the university's affordability standing.

Azimuth ranks the university #315 for affordability among nonprofit four-year institutions. That places the affordability pillar in the 78th percentile.

Saginaw Valley State University publishes a cost of attendance of $24,936, an average across living arrangements. In-state tuition and fees are $12,930, and room and board is $12,340.

The average net price—what aid recipients pay after grants and scholarships—is $9,844 for families earning under $30,000, $20,053 for the $48,001–$75,000 band, and $24,103 for families earning over $110,000. The spread between the lowest and highest bands is $14,259, a difference of averages that reflects how aid scales with need.

Azimuth ranks the university #315 for affordability among nonprofit four-year institutions. Aid covers about 57% of the published cost for the average aid recipient, an offset of $14,161 against the sticker price.

The average net price across all aid recipients is $10,775, which sits below the peer median of $14,068 for comparable institutions (same type and size) by $3,293. Out-of-state students face a higher published tuition of $30,450, though individual aid packages can narrow that gap.

Median federal student debt at completion is $25,000, with 91.8% of federal aid recipients borrowing. That figure is above the peer median of $21,229 by $3,771.

The estimated monthly payment if repaid over ten years is $284. Median Parent PLUS borrowing is $18,264.

Your family income

Choose a household income range to see estimated net price.

Reported average annual net price · $48–75K$20,053

After grants and scholarships. Your aid offer may differ.

Averages within each income band; individual aid packages vary.

Borrowing and repayment at Saginaw Valley State University

Federal borrowing is widespread at Saginaw Valley State University: 91.8% of federal aid recipients take federal loans. Among federal-loan borrowers who complete a degree, the median federal student debt is $25,000.

That median sits above the peer median of $21,229—the middle value for comparable institutions (same type and size)—by $3,771. Parent borrowers are a separate population, and the median Parent PLUS loan at the university is $18,264.

The median federal debt among borrowers who complete exceeds the peer median, while borrowing itself is nearly universal among undergraduates.

Graduates of Saginaw Valley State University earn about $1,679 more than the model expects for similar students, an outcome in the 61st percentile among nonprofit four-year institutions. Four years after completion, the median earnings reach $63,454, in the 61st percentile nationally, which is above the $57,301 median for comparable institutions (same type and size) by $6,153.

Earnings scenarios, which reflect the university's program mix, show a downside case of $47,633 and an upside scenario of $80,493. Borrowers finish with a median federal debt of $25,000, which is above the $21,229 median for comparable institutions (same type and size).

That debt corresponds to an estimated payment of $284 a month if repaid over ten years. The earnings picture is strong on both counts, while the debt load runs higher than the peer norm.

Median Parent PLUS borrowing, a separate parent-borrower population, is $18,264. The estimated monthly student payment if repaid over ten years is $284.

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

Financial GPS

What does repayment look like?

Institution median student debt
$25,000
Institution Parent PLUS debt
$18,264

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

Estimated student payment · monthly
$284/mo
Estimated Parent PLUS payment · monthly
$232/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 / Saginaw Valley State University briefing

Saginaw Valley State University career outcomes & earnings[3][8][9]

Four years after completing a degree, federally aided graduates who are working and not enrolled earn a median of $63,454, at the 61st percentile nationally. That is $6,153 above the $57,301 median for comparable institutions (same type and size).

Azimuth places the return pillar at the 61st percentile among nonprofit four-year institutions. Graduates earn about $1,679 more than the model expects for similar students.

That places the gap at the 61st percentile. The part the model attributes to the factors it measures adds $4,706.

The part it attributes to a remainder it does not explain subtracts $3,027. Within the measured factors, the STEM component adds $737.

Four years after completion, graduates of Saginaw Valley State University earn a median of $63,454, which places the university in the 61st percentile among nonprofit four-year institutions. That figure runs above the median of $57,301 for comparable institutions (same type and size).

The earnings cohort includes 1,325 completers. Graduates earn about $1,679 more than the model expects for similar students, a result that places the university in the 61st percentile nationally.

Earnings scenarios anchored on the university's program mix range from a downside of $47,633 to an upside of $80,493. An estimated 27.8% of graduates continue to graduate study, a figure estimated from the program mix.

Four years after completion, graduates of Saginaw Valley State University earn a median of $63,454, which places the university in the 61st percentile nationally. That figure is above the peer median of $57,301 for comparable institutions (same type and size) by $6,153.

Graduates earn about $1,679 more than the model expects for similar students, a result that sits in the 61st percentile. The part the model attributes to the factors it measures (field of study, enrollment and the local labor market) adds $4,706.

The part it attributes to a remainder it does not explain subtracts $3,027. Within the measured factors, the STEM component adds $737.

Azimuth ranks the university #570 for return among nonprofit four-year institutions. Earnings scenarios grounded in the program mix show a downside of $47,633 and an upside of $80,493.

The largest program, Nursing, awarded 178 degrees and shows median earnings of $81,103 four years after completion. Azimuth ranks it #245 nationally in its field and #7 in Michigan.

Social Work, with 77 degrees awarded, earns a median of $56,961 and holds a national rank of #48, which is #1 in Michigan for the field. Its earnings are 1.10x the national median.

Rhetoric and Composition/Writing Studies, awarding 22 degrees, reaches $50,875 and ranks #27 nationally. The highest-earning program, Computer and Information Sciences, reaches $90,681 from 25 degrees awarded.

The return picture is mixed: a few programs outperform their national benchmarks, while the largest sits below its field median.

The earnings scenarios at Saginaw Valley State University span from a downside of $47,633 to an upside of $80,493, with the typical scenario at $63,454. That range reflects the variation in outcomes across the university's 28 programs with earnings data four years after completion.

The highest-earning programs show the upper end of the spread: Computer and Information Sciences completers earn a median of $90,681, Electrical Engineering graduates reach $90,482, and Mechanical Engineering completers earn $83,873. The largest program, Nursing, awards 178 degrees and its completers earn a median of $81,103, which sits near the top of the university's range.

Graduates of Saginaw Valley State University earn about $1,679 more than the model expects for similar students. That earnings strength coincides with a median federal student debt of $25,000 for borrowers who complete a degree.

This is above the peer median of $21,229, the middle value for comparable institutions with the same type and size. If repaid over ten years, the estimated monthly payment on that debt is $284.

Parent PLUS borrowers, a separate population, carry a median of $18,264. The average net price — what first-time full-time aid recipients pay after grants and scholarships — is $10,775, which runs below the peer median of $14,068.

A low net price and higher-than-expected earnings point the same way, though the debt load sits above the peer median. The financial picture leans on price more than on debt.

What explains value-added earnings?
Program & institutional factors The part attributed to observed institutional characteristics.
+$4,706
Unexplained remainder What remains after the model’s observed factors.
-$3,027
Total modeled value added The modeled difference from expected earnings.
+$1,679

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

Read the full outcomes brief

03 / Saginaw Valley State University briefing

Saginaw Valley State University acceptance rate & admissions[1][10][11]

Saginaw Valley State University accepts 72.1% of those who apply, a proportion that falls short of the median of 85.9% for comparable institutions (same type and size). The university turns away a larger share of applicants than the typical peer, even though most who apply receive an offer.

SAT: approximate enrolled-student range
Admission rate
72.1%
Approximate lower endpoint
920
Reported average
1052
Approximate upper endpoint
1170

Enrolled students who submitted scores. This range is not an admission cutoff. The endpoints add section percentiles; they are not verified composite-score percentiles. A separate SAT-equivalent average is not plotted as a median. Source: College Scorecard; sum of section 25th/75th percentiles; enrolled score-submitters.

Read the full admissions brief

04 / Saginaw Valley State University briefing

What are the largest majors at Saginaw Valley State University?[12]

Saginaw Valley State University awards bachelor's degrees across 28 fields with published four-year earnings, and Azimuth ranks 21 of them nationally among nonprofit four-year institutions. The highest-earning program, Computer and Information Sciences, shows a median of $90,681 four years after completion, with 25 degrees awarded.

Electrical Engineering follows at $90,482 on 18 degrees awarded, and Mechanical Engineering reaches $83,873 with 41 degrees awarded. Nursing, the largest with 178 degrees awarded, earns a median of $81,103 and ranks #245 nationally.

Social Work reaches $56,961 and holds a strong Azimuth national rank of #48, placing it #1 in Michigan. Special Education and Teaching and Teacher Education report medians of $50,078 and $48,561, respectively, reflecting the more moderate earnings typical of education fields alongside the higher returns in nursing and social work.

The university publishes earnings data for 28 bachelor's programs, and 21 hold an Azimuth national rank. The largest program, Nursing, awarded 178 degrees and shows a median of $81,103 four years after completion.

It ranks #245 nationally and #7 in Michigan. Social Work is the university's best-ranked program, holding a national rank of #48 and the top spot in Michigan at #1.

It awarded 77 degrees and its completers earn a median of $56,961. Rhetoric and Composition/Writing Studies ranks #27 nationally with 22 degrees awarded and a median of $50,875.

Special Education and Teaching holds a national rank of #38, awarded 82 degrees, and reports a median of $50,078.

The program mix at Saginaw Valley State University is anchored in professional fields, with Health Professions accounting for 20.3% of bachelor's degrees awarded, followed closely by Education at 15.6% and Business at 15.4%. The university has 21 programs with an Azimuth national rank and 28 with published four-year earnings data.

The largest single program is Nursing, at 178 degrees awarded, followed by Special Education and Teaching with 82 and Social Work with 77. The strongest programs by national standing are Rehabilitation and Therapeutic Professions and Rhetoric and Composition/Writing Studies.

Rehabilitation and Therapeutic Professions carries a benchmark ratio of 1.26x against the national median for its field and ranks #1 in Michigan within its field. Its graduates earn a median of $70,081 four years after completion.

Rhetoric and Composition/Writing Studies ranks #27 nationally within its field and #2 in Michigan within its field, with 22 degrees awarded and median earnings of $50,875. The highest-earning programs are in technical fields: Computer and Information Sciences leads at $90,681, though it awards only 25 degrees a year, while Electrical Engineering follows at $90,482.

The pattern is one of concentrated strength in a few applied fields rather than across the board. The largest program, Nursing, is also the fourth-highest-earning, and the highest-ranked program, Rehabilitation and Therapeutic Professions, carries a benchmark ratio above the national median.

But the bulk of degrees are in education and health fields where earnings sit closer to the national norm, and 14.5% of degrees awarded are in STEM. Electrical Engineering awards 18 degrees a year.

Four-year earnings · six largest reported fields
Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing 178 degrees awarded
$81,103
Special Education and Teaching 82 degrees awarded
$50,078
Social Work 77 degrees awarded
$56,961
Teacher Education and Professional Development, Specific Levels and Methods 72 degrees awarded
$48,561
Teacher Education and Professional Development, Specific Subject Areas 68 degrees awarded
$49,761
Criminal Justice and Corrections 61 degrees awarded
$59,042

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 / Saginaw Valley State University briefing

How does Saginaw Valley State University serve students from different backgrounds?

The mobility pillar at Saginaw Valley State University is the university's weakest, landing in the 59th percentile among nonprofit four-year institutions. The six-year graduation rate for the first-time full-time cohort is 48.2%, and Pell recipients complete at 39.3% — below the overall rate by 8.9 percentage points.

On the earnings side, graduates earn about $1,679 more than the model expects for similar students, which puts the earnings beyond expectations measure in the 61st percentile. Earnings beat the model, but completion rates, especially for Pell recipients, are lower.

Saginaw Valley State University serves 5,989 undergraduates in University Center, Michigan, drawing a student body that includes a 35.2% Pell Grant share and an estimated 21.4% share of entrants outside the first-time, full-time group. The public university admits 72.1% of applicants, a rate that sits below the peer median of 85.9% for comparable institutions.

Azimuth ranks the access pillar in the 74th percentile among nonprofit four-year institutions, reflecting the combination of a broad Pell presence and multiple entry pathways.

06 / Saginaw Valley State University briefing

What colleges are similar to Saginaw Valley 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 Saginaw Valley State University.

Admissions peerEastern Michigan University79.6% admitted
Comparison with Saginaw Valley State University
MeasureSaginaw Valley State UniversityEastern Michigan University
Peer earnings · 4 years$63,454$59,616-$3,838 vs Saginaw Valley State University
Average annual net price$10,775$15,407+$4,632 vs Saginaw Valley State University · higher cost
Admission rate72.1%79.6%
Explore Eastern Michigan University →
Higher-admission alternativeOakland University87.8% admitted
Comparison with Saginaw Valley State University
MeasureSaginaw Valley State UniversityOakland University
Peer earnings · 4 years$63,454$68,708+$5,254 vs Saginaw Valley State University
Average annual net price$10,775$9,120-$1,655 vs Saginaw Valley State University · lower cost
Admission rate72.1%87.8%
Explore Oakland University →
Nearby alternativeUniversity of Michigan-FlintNearby option · MI
Comparison with Saginaw Valley State University
MeasureSaginaw Valley State UniversityUniversity of Michigan-Flint
Peer earnings · 4 years$63,454$65,600+$2,146 vs Saginaw Valley State University
Average annual net price$10,775$7,007-$3,768 vs Saginaw Valley State University · lower cost
Admission rate72.1%70.5%
Explore University of Michigan-Flint →
Higher-earnings alternativeBaptist Health Sciences University$73,191 earnings
Comparison with Saginaw Valley State University
MeasureSaginaw Valley State UniversityBaptist Health Sciences University
Peer earnings · 4 years$63,454$73,191+$9,737 vs Saginaw Valley State University
Average annual net price$10,775$11,212+$437 vs Saginaw Valley State University · higher cost
Admission rate72.1%82.0%
Explore Baptist Health Sciences University →
Lower-cost alternativeUniversity of Michigan-Flint$7,007 average net price
Comparison with Saginaw Valley State University
MeasureSaginaw Valley State UniversityUniversity of Michigan-Flint
Peer earnings · 4 years$63,454$65,600+$2,146 vs Saginaw Valley State University
Average annual net price$10,775$7,007-$3,768 vs Saginaw Valley State University · lower cost
Admission rate72.1%70.5%
Explore University of Michigan-Flint →
Similar profileUniversity of Wisconsin-StoutMatched across several measures
Comparison with Saginaw Valley State University
MeasureSaginaw Valley State UniversityUniversity of Wisconsin-Stout
Peer earnings · 4 years$63,454$64,234+$780 vs Saginaw Valley State University
Average annual net price$10,775$17,490+$6,715 vs Saginaw Valley State University · higher cost
Admission rate72.1%87.7%
Explore University of Wisconsin-Stout →

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 Governed hub narrative Governed spoke corpus

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.

  1. Admission rate. Reported applicants admitted; not a transfer-specific or individual admission probability.

    Source fields: ADM_RATE

  2. 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

  3. 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

  4. 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

  5. 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

  6. 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

  7. 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

  8. 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

  9. 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

  10. 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

  11. First-year retention. Retention of the reported full-time cohort at four-year institutions.

    Source fields: RET_FT4

  12. 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

  13. Pell recipients. Share of undergraduates receiving a Pell Grant in the reported academic year.

    Source fields: PCTPELL

  14. 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

  15. 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