Ferris State University
Big Rapids, MI · Public · Town (remote) · FSU
Public institution in Big Rapids, MI · 8,087 undergraduates · 81% acceptance rate · $54,735 median earnings 10 years after entry.
- Top 14%Undergraduates
- Top 23%Average net price
- Top 23%Out-of-state tuition & fees
Stats
College Scorecard figures, each with where this school sits nationally among institutions that report the same measure. A dash means the school does not report it.
Cost
- Average net price
- $12,202462nd cheapest of 1,985 reporting
- In-state tuition & fees
- $13,630876th cheapest of 2,042 reporting
- Out-of-state tuition & fees
- $13,630478th cheapest of 2,042 reporting
- Cost of attendance
- $26,066755th cheapest of 1,985 reporting
- Median graduate debt
- $21,000757th lowest of 1,880 reporting
Outcomes
- Median earnings, 10 years after entry
- $54,735811th highest of 1,969 reporting
- Median earnings, 6 years after entry
- $47,339700th highest of 1,964 reporting
- Graduation rate (4-year)
- 47.9%1,246th highest of 2,031 reporting
- Full-time retention
- 72.8%1,102nd highest of 1,853 reporting
Admissions
- Acceptance rate
- 80.6%930th most selective of 1,608 reporting
- Average SAT
- 1001938th highest of 1,024 reporting
- Median ACT
- 23494th highest of 954 reporting
Campus
- Undergraduates
- 8,087311th largest of 2,162 reporting
- Student-faculty ratio
- 15.0:11,317th smallest of 2,159 reporting
- Pell Grant share
- 33.6%1,016th highest of 2,140 reporting
Nearest large-hub airport: 148 mi (DTW)
On 2 of our 111 lists
Every published ranking this school appears on, with its rank there.
Applying
- Common App member
- Yes
- Application fee
- Free
- Personal essay
- Optional / not required
- Writing supplement
- No
Deadlines and essay flags come from the Common App Requirements Grid, joined by school name. Always confirm against the school’s own admissions page before applying.
Best-paying fields of study
Median earnings one and two years after graduating, by field. Showing 12 of 61 reported programs.
| Field | Level | 1 yr | 2 yr |
|---|---|---|---|
| Industrial Production Technologies/TechniciansEngineering Technology | bachelors | $74,173 | $74,122 |
| Manufacturing EngineeringEngineering | bachelors | $68,965 | $66,941 |
| Electrical Engineering Technologies/TechniciansEngineering Technology | bachelors | $68,666 | $67,240 |
| Mechanical Engineering Related Technologies/TechniciansEngineering Technology | bachelors | $68,033 | $69,535 |
| Heavy/Industrial Equipment Maintenance TechnologiesMechanic & Repair Technologies | bachelors | $66,325 | $65,905 |
| Energy Systems Technologies/TechniciansEngineering Technology | bachelors | $63,855 | $62,111 |
| Surveying EngineeringEngineering | bachelors | $62,508 | — |
| Construction ManagementBusiness | bachelors | $62,192 | $64,837 |
| Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical NursingHealth Professions | bachelors | $61,263 | $61,176 |
| Allied Health Diagnostic, Intervention, and Treatment ProfessionsHealth Professions | bachelors | $57,318 | $57,318 |
| Computer/Information Technology Administration and ManagementComputer Science | bachelors | $55,693 | $52,107 |
| Clinical/Medical Laboratory Science/Research and Allied ProfessionsHealth Professions | bachelors | $55,443 | $52,877 |
Campus facts
- Founded in 1884source
- Athletic nickname: "Bulldogs"source
- Competes in NCAA Division IIsource
- Mascot: Brutus the Bulldogsource
- Motto: "Ferris Forward"source
- Campus size: about 880 acressource
- Formerly known as "Big Rapids Industrial School" (1884–1885)source
- Formerly known as "Ferris Industrial School" (1885–1898)source
- Formerly known as "Ferris Institute" (1898–1963)source
- Formerly known as "Ferris State College" (1963–1987)source
- Athletic conference: GLIACsource
- Plays for the "Anchor–Bone Trophy{{cite web|url=https://www.ferrisstatebulldogs.com/sports/fball/2019-20/releases/20190829djpml3|title=Fox Sports Detroit To Televise 2019 Anchor-Bone Classic Live From Top Taggart Field|date=August 29, 2019|publisher=Ferris State Bulldogs |access-date=November 11, 2019}}" (since 1971)source
- Fight song: ""Fighting Bulldogs""source
- Notable alum: Al Jardinesource
Athletics — 9 sports
Other · Other
Athletic scholarships allowed · Athletic aid $3,048,065 (M $1,894,527 · W $1,153,538)
- Basketball
- Football
- Golf
- Ice Hockey
- Soccer
- Softball
- Tennis
- Track and Field and Cross Country (combined)
- Volleyball
- Basketball: 2018
- Football: 2025, 2024, 2022, 2021
Self-reported EADA participants (2024-2025). Athletic aid is institution-level, not per sport.
Key links
- Official websiteferris.edu
- College ScorecardFederal source for every figure above (UNITID 169910)
- Compare colleges in MIRe-score with your weights
- The Most Selective Colleges in MichiganEvery eligible four-year in this state, ranked by published admission rate
- Showdown: Ferris State University vs Henry Ford CollegeHigher-or-lower on real Scorecard metrics — round 1 is these two
- Sports directoryAll 9 EADA programs at this school
- Build an admissions plan8th–12th grade actions for this college — sports, activities, timeline
- MethodologyWhat these figures do and do not capture
- How to read a school page end to endStats, standings, lists, athletics, news — one profile, many jobs. Know which panel answers which question.
- Sticker price is a trapPublished tuition is a starting rumor. Net price is closer to what families actually pay.
- What acceptance rate actually measuresSelectivity is a competition statistic — not a quality score, and not your personal odds.
- A plan from eighth grade — without fake certaintySchool-anchored milestones, sports scarcity honesty, and EC playbooks — not invented admit odds.