Doctoral/ProfessionalPublic

Ferris State University

Big Rapids, Michigan·Public, 4-year or above·Great Lakes·ferris.edu
6-yr Graduation
47%
-3.5pp vs Doctoral/Professional
Total enrollment
9,959
peer median 10,926
Avg net price
$12,202
-$786 vs Doctoral/Professional
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Admissions & acceptance rate

First-time freshman admissions: how selective the college is, and how many admitted students choose to enroll.

Applied
12,460
12,460 candidates competed
Admitted
11,387
91.4% acceptance rate
Enrolled
1,677
14.7% yield

Graduation rate & outcomes

Completion, retention, and the equity gap between Pell and non-Pell students.

Overall completion
47%-3.5pp vs Doctoral/Professional
4-year graduation
33%
6-year graduation (bachelor’s)
56%
Full-time retention
78%

Pell equity

17.0pp gap
Pell recipients
34%
Non-Pell
51%

Non-Pell students graduate at a 17.0-point higher rate than Pell recipients.

Program outcomes

Federal Program Performance Data: how each program's graduate earnings and debt measure up under Financial Value Transparency and Gainful Employment.

Of 176 Title IV programs, 69 pass the federal Gainful Employment test and 0 fail. 107 have graduate earnings too small to publish, so they carry no pass/fail verdict.

Total programs
176
Passing
69
39.2% of portfolio
Failing (GE)
0
0.0% of portfolio
Fail rate
0.0%
-0.6pp vs 0.6% national

Pass / fail distribution

176programs
  • Passing69 · 39.2%
  • No Data107 · 60.8%
  • Failing0 · 0.0%

Severity spectrum

Critical
0
Severe
0
Recoverable
0
At Risk
0
Watch
3
Safe
66
No data
107

Tiers band programs by how far graduate earnings sit above or below the benchmark, from Critical (below −15%) through Safe (above +25%). No data means earnings were privacy-suppressed.

Earnings premium gap

Graduate earnings versus the federal benchmark, worst gaps first.

69
Human Development Family Studies and Related Services
Associate Degree · Family And Consumer Sciences/Human Sciences
+11.1%
$36,662 vs $32,989
Fine and Studio Arts
Bachelor Degree · Visual And Performing Arts
+18.7%
$39,165 vs $32,989
Culinary Arts and Related Services
Associate Degree · Personal And Culinary Services
+21.4%
$40,056 vs $32,989
Audiovisual Communications Technologies/Technicians
Bachelor Degree · Communications Technologies/Technicians And Support Services
+31.9%
$43,507 vs $32,989
Health and Medical Administrative Services
Associate Degree · Health Professions And Related Clinical Sciences
+32.9%
$43,828 vs $32,989
Graphic Communications
Bachelor Degree · Communications Technologies/Technicians And Support Services
+33.7%
$44,116 vs $32,989
Graphic Communications
Associate Degree · Communications Technologies/Technicians And Support Services
+36.5%
$45,033 vs $32,989
Marketing
Associate Degree · Business, Management, Marketing, And Related Support Services
+36.5%
$45,024 vs $32,989

Debt vs earnings

Median completer debt against median graduate earnings, highest burden first.

66
Optometry
First Professional Degree · Health Professions And Related Clinical Sciences
109%
$150,894 debt · $138,837 earn
Pharmacy Pharmaceutical Sciences and Administration
First Professional Degree · Health Professions And Related Clinical Sciences
69%
$94,939 debt · $136,836 earn
Fine and Studio Arts
Bachelor Degree · Visual And Performing Arts
69%
$26,898 debt · $39,165 earn
Culinary Arts and Related Services
Associate Degree · Personal And Culinary Services
66%
$26,436 debt · $40,056 earn
Graphic Communications
Bachelor Degree · Communications Technologies/Technicians And Support Services
61%
$27,000 debt · $44,116 earn
Teacher Education and Professional Development Specific Subject Areas
Bachelor Degree · Education
57%
$29,500 debt · $51,484 earn
Health and Medical Administrative Services
Associate Degree · Health Professions And Related Clinical Sciences
57%
$24,900 debt · $43,828 earn
Audiovisual Communications Technologies/Technicians
Bachelor Degree · Communications Technologies/Technicians And Support Services
56%
$24,191 debt · $43,507 earn

Accreditation status & history

Who accredits the institution, current standing, and any past actions.

AccreditedInstitutional accreditor

Higher Learning Commission

Accredited since 1959Next review Aug 2031

Programmatic accreditations · 13

Action history · 23

  1. Apr 2025Renewal of Accreditation
    Joint Review Committee on Education in Radiologic Technology · Radiologic Technology (RAD) - Programs for radiographers
  2. Oct 2024Probation or Equivalent or a More Severe Status: Probation
    Joint Review Committee on Education in Radiologic Technology · Radiologic Technology (RAD) - Programs for radiographers
  3. Jun 2024Renewal of Accreditation
    Accreditation Council for Pharmacy Education · Pharmacy (PHAR) - Professional degree programs
  4. Apr 2024Renewal of Accreditation
    Commission on Collegiate Nursing Education · Nursing (CNDNP) - Nursing education programs at the doctorate degree levels
  5. Apr 2024Renewal of Accreditation
    Commission on Collegiate Nursing Education · Nursing (CNURED) - Nursing education programs at the graduate degree levels

Source: U.S. Dept. of Education

Tuition & cost

What families actually pay, broken down by family income.

Net price by family income

Aid exceeds costFamily pays
$0–30k$5,957
$30–48k$7,962
$48–75k$12,303
$75–110k$17,193
$110k+$19,308

Negative values mean aid exceeds the published cost of attendance for that income band.

Avg net price
$12,202
-$786vs Doctoral/Professional median $12,988
Federal loans
47.0%
In-state tuition
$13,630
Out-of-state
$13,630

Federal aid volume & trends

Pell grants and federal Direct Loan volume disbursed to students, and how they've trended.

In AY 2024–25, 4,019 students received $23.5M in Pell grants, alongside $46.3M in federal Direct Loans.

Pell recipients
4,019
AY 2024–25
Pell disbursed
$23.5M
$23,463,155 total
Direct Loans
$46.3M
6,845 loan awards

Pell recipients · 5-year trend

4k
20
4k
21
3k
22
3k
23
4k
24

Loan volume by type · AY 2024–25

Subsidized$10.3M
2,681 loan awards
Unsubsidized · UG$13.5M
3,092 loan awards
Unsubsidized · Grad$15.7M
587 loan awards
Parent PLUS$4.5M
336 loan awards
Grad PLUS$2.2M
149 loan awards

Loan awards count each loan type a student holds, not unique borrowers; one student may carry several (e.g. subsidized and unsubsidized), so the per-type figures are the reliable detail.

Source: U.S. Dept. of Education

Student loan default rate

The share of student borrowers who default on federal loans within three years, against the national benchmark.

Of 3,582 borrowers who entered repayment, 58 (1.6%) defaulted within three years below the 2.3% national rate.

Default rate
1.6%
-0.7pp vs 2.3% national
Borrowers in repayment
3,582
Defaulted
58
Measurement window
3 years
Federal CDR standard

Default rate vs national, by cohort

2016
7.0%
2017
7.2%
2018
5.3%
2019
1.6%
2020*
0.0%
This institutionNational rate

* Cohorts 2020 and later read near 0% because the federal COVID-19 payment pause (CARES Act) suspended defaults nationwide. These years reflect a national policy, not institutional performance; the 2019 cohort is the last measured under normal repayment.

Source: U.S. Dept. of Education

Academic programs at Ferris State

Top program areas ranked by completions.

Distinct CIP programs164
UndergraduateOffered
GraduateOffered

Top program families by completions

2,303 total completions
01Health Professions
57224.8%
02Business
43018.7%
03Engineering Tech
40917.8%
04Security/Protective
24110.5%
05Education
1245.4%
06Visual/Performing Arts
1225.3%
07Public Admin
1074.6%
08Comm. Technologies
1064.6%
09Liberal Arts
974.2%
10Computer Sciences
954.1%

Enrollment trends & demographics

Fall headcount, 12-month unduplicated enrollment, and student body composition.

Fall total
9,959
12-mo unduplicated
12,025
Undergraduate
10,861
Graduate
1,164

Gender split

Men
45%5,380
Women
55%6,645

Race / ethnicity composition

White
74.3%
Black
9.4%
Hispanic
6.6%
Two or more
3.1%
Unknown
2.6%
Asian
1.5%
Non-resident
1.4%
American Indian / Alaska Native
0.8%
Native Hawaiian / Pacific Islander
0.1%

Athletics & Title IX gender equity

How athletic participation, aid, and spending are split between men and women.

Athletes
409
263 M · 146 W
Women athletes
35.7%
Athletic aid
$2.9M
Total student aid
Budget
$12.2M
Total expenses

Men vs women · spending splits

Athletic student aid
$1.8M
$1.1M
Recruiting expense
$94K
$45K
Head-coach salaries
$98K
$52K
Men Women

Sport-by-sport · 9

Track and Field and Cross Country (combined)
118 M · 95 W
$499K
Football
148 M ·
$2.7M
Basketball
20 M · 16 W
$1.4M
Soccer
· 31 W
$534K
Ice Hockey
28 M ·
$1.6M
Golf
14 M · 12 W
$403K

Source: U.S. Dept. of Education

Campus safety & crime statistics

Reported on-campus crimes over the last three years, including violence and hate crimes.

Criminal offenses · per 1,000 students
2.58
26 offenses · 10,072 students

3-year trend

4.302 yrs ago4.051 yr ago2.58Latest
Offenses · 3-yr
116
Last three years
VAWA · 3-yr
154
DV, dating, stalking
Hate crimes · 3-yr
2
Res-hall fires · 3-yr
5

Criminal offenses by type

Fondling
11
Aggravated assault
7
Rape
4
Burglary
2
Arson
1
Motor vehicle theft
1

By location

26total
  • On campus20
  • Non-campus1
  • Public property5

Includes 17 in residence halls (a subset of on-campus, not added to the total).

VAWA offenses

5
Domestic violence
10
Dating violence
21
Stalking
36 total under the Violence Against Women Act.

Hate crimes by bias

  • Sexual orientation1

Arrests vs disciplinary referrals

CategoryArrestsReferrals
Weapons43
Drugs675
Liquor0133

Residence-hall fires

  • Cramer Hall1 fire
    CookingDamage $0-$99
  • McNerney Hall1 fire
    CookingDamage $0-$99

Data quality: 1 report was later determined unfounded across the reporting period and are excluded from the totals above.

Source: U.S. Dept. of Education

Student-faculty ratio

Student-to-faculty ratio and instructional staff counts.

Student-to-faculty
15.0:1
Instructional staff (full-time equivalent)
474

Ferris State vs Peer comparison

The peer institutions Ferris State selected for federal comparison reporting.

GraduationRetentionSelectivityEnrollmentAffordabilityYield
This institutionPeer median

A larger shape on any axis means this institution outperforms its peers on that dimension. For acceptance rate and net price, lower raw values are inverted so "more selective" and "more affordable" appear larger.

Carnegie
SubjectFerris State University
47%9,959$12,202Doctoral/Professional
University of Michigan-Flint
40%70.5%6,529$12,280Doctoral/Professional
Grand Valley State University
67%83.0%22,011$17,096Doctoral/Professional
Southern Illinois University Edwardsville
55%97.5%11,893$13,696Doctoral/Professional
Indiana State University
43%80.8%7,895$12,188Doctoral/Professional
University of Wisconsin-Oshkosh
54%86.5%12,953$14,761Doctoral/Professional
Peer group median51%83.0%10,926$12,988

Frequently asked questions about Ferris State University

Quick answers to the questions most often asked about Ferris State.

What is the graduation rate at Ferris State University?

Ferris State University reports a 6-year graduation rate of 47% per the latest IPEDS.

How many students attend Ferris State University?

Ferris State University reports a total enrollment of 9,959 students per the latest IPEDS.

What is the average net price at Ferris State University?

The average net price at Ferris State University is $12,202 per the latest College Scorecard. Net price is the published cost of attendance minus grant aid.

What is the yield rate at Ferris State University?

Ferris State University's yield rate is 14.7%, the share of admitted students who enrolled, per the latest IPEDS.

Where is Ferris State University located?

Ferris State University is located in Big Rapids, Michigan 49307-2251.

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