Northern Michigan University
Admissions & acceptance rate
First-time freshman admissions: how selective the college is, and how many admitted students choose to enroll.
Graduation rate & outcomes
Completion, retention, and the equity gap between Pell and non-Pell students.
Pell equity
Non-Pell students graduate at a 14.8-point higher rate than Pell recipients.
Source: IPEDS Graduation Rates (GR) — Pell/SSL cohort, 2024 cohort.
Program outcomes
Federal Program Performance Data: how each program's graduate earnings and debt measure up under Financial Value Transparency and Gainful Employment.
Of 144 Title IV programs, 37 pass the federal Gainful Employment test and 0 fail. 107 have graduate earnings too small to publish, so they carry no pass/fail verdict.
Pass / fail distribution
- Passing37 · 25.7%
- No Data107 · 74.3%
- Failing0 · 0.0%
Severity spectrum
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.
Near the line (±5%)
Programs within five points of the pass line, one cohort year from flipping.
Debt vs earnings
Median completer debt against median graduate earnings, highest burden first.
Accreditation status & history
Who accredits the institution, current standing, and any past actions.
Higher Learning Commission
Programmatic accreditations · 10
Action history · 7
- Apr 2023Renewal of AccreditationJoint Review Committee on Education in Radiologic Technology · Radiologic Technology (RAD) - Programs for radiographers
- Feb 2021Renewal of AccreditationCommission on Collegiate Nursing Education · Nursing (CNURED) - Nursing education programs at the baccalaureate degree levels
- Feb 2021Renewal of AccreditationCommission on Collegiate Nursing Education · Nursing (CNDNP) - Nursing education programs at the doctorate degree levels
- Jun 2019Renewal of AccreditationJoint Review Committee on Education in Radiologic Technology · Radiologic Technology (RAD) - Programs for radiographers
- Jun 2017Renewal of AccreditationHigher Learning Commission
Tuition & cost
What families actually pay, broken down by family income.
Net price by family income
Negative values mean aid exceeds the published cost of attendance for that income band.
Federal aid volume & trends
Pell grants and federal Direct Loan volume disbursed to students, and how they've trended.
In AY 2024–25, 2,449 students received $13.6M in Pell grants, alongside $28.4M in federal Direct Loans.
Pell recipients · 5-year trend
Loan volume by type · AY 2024–25
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.
Student loan default rate
The share of student borrowers who default on federal loans within three years, against the national benchmark.
Of 1,972 borrowers who entered repayment, 36 (1.8%) defaulted within three years — below the 2.3% national rate.
Default rate vs national, by cohort
* 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.
Academic programs at Northern Michigan
Top program areas ranked by completions.
Top program families by completions
Enrollment trends & demographics
Fall headcount, 12-month unduplicated enrollment, and student body composition.
Gender split
Race / ethnicity composition
Athletics & Title IX gender equity
How athletic participation, aid, and spending are split between men and women.
Men vs women · spending splits
Sport-by-sport · 14
Campus safety & crime statistics
Reported on-campus crimes over the last three years, including violence and hate crimes.
3-year trend
Criminal offenses by type
By location
- On campus17
- Public property1
Includes 13 in residence halls (a subset of on-campus, not added to the total).
VAWA offenses
Hate crimes by bias
No hate crimes reported.
Arrests vs disciplinary referrals
Residence-hall fires
- 1700 Series Lincoln Apartment1 fireCookingDamage $1,000-$9,999
- Woodland Apartments1 fireElectricalDamage $0-$99
- Cedar East1 fireArson was the suspect lighting her own paper cup on fire with no motive or intent to cause damageDamage $0-$99
- Cedar West1 fireCookingDamage $0-$99
- Birch East1 fireElectricalDamage $100-$999
Student-faculty ratio
Student-to-faculty ratio and instructional staff counts.
Northern Michigan vs Peer comparison
The peer institutions Northern Michigan selected for federal comparison reporting.
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 | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
SubjectNorthern Michigan University | 52% | — | 7,409 | $14,085 | Masters Colleges & Universities: Medium Programs |
| 40% | 83.8% | 4,631 | $8,653 | Masters Colleges & Universities: Medium Programs | |
| 57% | 91.8% | 8,233 | $14,559 | Masters Colleges & Universities: Medium Programs | |
| 36% | 83.9% | 7,206 | $13,171 | Masters Colleges & Universities: Medium Programs | |
| 39% | 84.5% | 3,736 | $7,888 | Masters Colleges & Universities: Medium Programs | |
| 65% | 82.3% | 10,049 | $16,550 | Masters Colleges & Universities: Medium Programs | |
| Peer group median | 46% | 83.9% | 7,308 | $13,628 |
Institutions like Northern Michigan
Explore the federal data for institutions in Northern Michigan's comparison group.
- Masters Colleges & Universities: Medium ProgramsIndiana
Indiana University-South Bend
Grad rate40%Admit rate83.8%Enrollment4,631Net price$8,653View data - Masters Colleges & Universities: Medium ProgramsWisconsin
University of Wisconsin-Stevens Point
Grad rate57%Admit rate91.8%Enrollment8,233Net price$14,559View data - Masters Colleges & Universities: Medium ProgramsIndiana
Purdue University Fort Wayne
Grad rate36%Admit rate83.9%Enrollment7,206Net price$13,171View data - Masters Colleges & Universities: Medium ProgramsIndiana
Indiana University-Southeast
Grad rate39%Admit rate84.5%Enrollment3,736Net price$7,888View data - Masters Colleges & Universities: Medium ProgramsWisconsin
University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire
Grad rate65%Admit rate82.3%Enrollment10,049Net price$16,550View data
Northern Michigan Institutional Research office
The IR team responsible for the institution's federal reporting.
The Institutional Effectiveness office supports the University's mission by conducting the annual 10th day census of the student body, completing key state and federal reporting requirements, fulfilling the institution's accreditation responsibilities, supporting university assessment in both academic and auxiliary services, and providing analytical and research support to better understand the performance of our students and how best to help them achieve their goals.
Visit IR office page- Jason NicholasAssistant Provost and Director of Institutional Effectiveness and University Strategic Planning
- Nancy BlairDirector of Institutional Effectiveness
- Katie SchoonveldDirector of Institutional Reporting
- Daniel CullenDirector of Institutional Accreditation and Assessment
- Ellen KoskiAssistant Director for Strategic Planning
- Ryan PouporeInstitutional Researcher II
- Aaron BaloghInstitutional Researcher II
- Katie BuhrmannExecutive Administrative Assistant
- Kina SalmelaUndergraduate Research Assistant
- Kyle PersonGraduate Assistant
- Ava RingoldUndergraduate Research Assistant
Common Data Set
Northern Michigan's own annual Common Data Set: the most detailed self-reported reference for selectivity, cost, outcomes, and the student body.
Selectivity & Admissions
Admissions funnel
C112,204 applied → 10,254 admitted (84.0%) → 1,560 enrolled.
Selectivity
C1Accessible — 84.0% acceptance rate.
Admit rate by gender
C1Admit rate varies by gender.
What matters in admission
C7Relative importance of each admission factor.
Affordability & Value
Cost of attendance
GTotal sticker cost of attendance is $29,796 (2025-2026).
Sticker vs. net price
G+HSticker $29,796 → about $21,940 net for aided students after the average need-based grant ($7,856); 79% of demonstrated need is met.
Where grant aid comes from
H111% of need-based grant dollars come from the institution itself.
Graduate debt
H4/H570% of graduates borrowed; those who did owed $31,803 on average.
Outcomes & Equity
Graduation & retention
B6-year graduation rate 53%; first-year retention 78%.
Equity: Pell graduation gap
B4Pell-grant recipients graduate 13 pts below the overall rate (40% vs 53%).
Academic Experience
Class-size distribution
I345% of classes have under 20 students; 6% have 50+.
Faculty profile
IKey faculty indicators.
Degrees by discipline
JSTEM-dominant: ~17% of bachelor's degrees are in computing, engineering, math & sciences.
Student Body & Diversity
Undergraduate race/ethnicity
B2Undergraduate enrollment by race/ethnicity.
International students
B21% of undergraduates are international (nonresident).
Undergrad vs graduate
B16,684 undergraduates and 725 graduate students.
Transfer Path
Transfer admissions
D11,281 transfer applicants → 735 admitted (57.3%) → 385 enrolled — more selective than first-year admission.
Source publications
Frequently asked questions about Northern Michigan University
Quick answers to the questions most often asked about Northern Michigan.
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About the data on this page
Every figure comes from an official federal or public source. Here is each one and the release it is currently on.
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