Wayne State University
Detroit, MI · Public · Large city · Carnegie R1/R2 · WSU
Public institution in Detroit, MI · 15,676 undergraduates · 82% acceptance rate · $53,493 median earnings 10 years after entry.
- Top 8%Undergraduates
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
- $14,773660th cheapest of 1,969 reporting
- In-state tuition & fees
- $14,297909th cheapest of 2,024 reporting
- Out-of-state tuition & fees
- $30,4191,259th cheapest of 2,024 reporting
- Cost of attendance
- $26,794801st cheapest of 1,969 reporting
- Median graduate debt
- $21,250790th lowest of 1,865 reporting
Outcomes
- Median earnings, 10 years after entry
- $53,493881st highest of 1,954 reporting
- Median earnings, 6 years after entry
- $45,207870th highest of 1,950 reporting
- Graduation rate (4-year)
- 56.5%896th highest of 2,014 reporting
- Full-time retention
- 81.5%585th highest of 1,837 reporting
Admissions
- Acceptance rate
- 82.0%969th most selective of 1,596 reporting
- Average SAT
- 1147537th highest of 1,022 reporting
- Median ACT
- 25346th highest of 952 reporting
Campus
- Undergraduates
- 15,676162nd largest of 2,144 reporting
- Student-faculty ratio
- 13.0:1979th smallest of 2,141 reporting
- Pell Grant share
- 43.0%585th highest of 2,122 reporting
Nearest large-hub airport: 18 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
- $25
- 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 85 reported programs.
| Field | Level | 1 yr | 2 yr |
|---|---|---|---|
| Electrical Engineering Technologies/TechniciansEngineering Technology | bachelors | $81,333 | $76,460 |
| Allied Health and Medical Assisting ServicesHealth Professions | bachelors | $78,552 | — |
| Electrical, Electronics and Communications EngineeringEngineering | bachelors | $77,166 | $79,473 |
| Mechanical EngineeringEngineering | bachelors | $74,105 | $75,921 |
| Computer and Information Sciences, GeneralComputer Science | bachelors | $73,949 | $76,460 |
| Industrial EngineeringEngineering | bachelors | $72,901 | $77,401 |
| Chemical EngineeringEngineering | bachelors | $70,009 | $76,460 |
| Mechanical Engineering Related Technologies/TechniciansEngineering Technology | bachelors | $69,338 | — |
| Civil EngineeringEngineering | bachelors | $66,541 | $62,579 |
| Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical NursingHealth Professions | bachelors | $62,225 | $62,426 |
| Management Information Systems and ServicesBusiness | bachelors | $57,995 | $57,770 |
| Allied Health Diagnostic, Intervention, and Treatment ProfessionsHealth Professions | bachelors | $56,867 | $59,124 |
Campus facts
- Founded in 1868source
- Athletic nickname: "Warriors"source
- Competes in NCAA Division IIsource
- School colors: Green and Goldsource
- Mascot: "W" the Warriorsource
- Motto: ""Industry, Intelligence, Integrity""source
- Campus size: about 203 acressource
- Formerly known as "{{collapsible list"source
- Formerly known as "| titlestyle = background:transparent;text-align:left;padding-left:0.5em;font-size:100%;"source
- Formerly known as "| liststyle = text-align:left;white-space:nowrap;"source
- Formerly known as "| title=|Detroit Medical College"source
- Formerly known as "(1868–1933)|Detroit Normal Training School for Teachers"source
- Formerly known as "(1881–1920)|Detroit Teachers College"source
- Formerly known as "(1920–1924)|College of the City of Detroit"source
- Formerly known as "(1924–1933)|Detroit Junior College"source
- Formerly known as "(1917–1933)|Detroit City Law School"source
- Formerly known as "(1927–1933)|Wayne University"source
- Formerly known as "(1933–1956)}}"source
- Athletic conference: GLIACsource
- Plays for the "Wooden Shoes Trophy" (since 1975)source
- Fight song: ""War March of the Warriors""source
- Notable alum: Lily Tomlinsource
- Notable alum: Casey Kasemsource
- Notable alum: Jack Whitesource
- Notable alum: Rashida Tlaib Al-Harbisource
- Notable alum: Tom Sizemoresource
Athletics — 11 sports
NCAA Division II with football · NCAA Division II
Athletic scholarships allowed · Athletic aid $5,174,797 (M $2,934,514 · W $2,240,283)
- Baseball
- Basketball
- Cross Country
- Fencing
- Football
- Golf
- Softball
- Swimming and Diving (combined)
- Tennis
- Track and Field and Cross Country (combined)
- Volleyball
Self-reported EADA participants (2024-2025). Athletic aid is institution-level, not per sport.
Similar-size colleges
Nearest undergraduate enrollment to Wayne State University’s 15,676 (College Scorecard UGDS, compiled 2026-10-24). Size only — not a judgment of similarity or quality.
In MI
- Western Michigan UniversityKalamazoo, MI · 12,704 undergrads
- Oakland UniversityRochester Hills, MI · 12,450 undergrads
- Grand Valley State UniversityAllendale, MI · 19,073 undergrads
- Eastern Michigan UniversityYpsilanti, MI · 10,751 undergrads
- Central Michigan UniversityMount Pleasant, MI · 9,916 undergrads
- Henry Ford CollegeDearborn, MI · 8,695 undergrads
Elsewhere
- Northeastern UniversityBoston, MA · 15,719 undergrads
- University of Nevada-RenoReno, NV · 15,723 undergrads
- Weber State UniversityOgden, UT · 15,619 undergrads
- CUNY Bernard M Baruch CollegeNew York, NY · 15,734 undergrads
- California State University-San BernardinoSan Bernardino, CA · 15,771 undergrads
- University of North GeorgiaDahlonega, GA · 15,542 undergrads
Key links
- Official websitewayne.edu
- College ScorecardFederal source for every figure above (UNITID 172644)
- 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
- Compare with Western Michigan UniversitySide by side on every Scorecard measure — closest in-state school by enrollment
- Showdown: Wayne State University vs Western Michigan UniversityHigher-or-lower on real Scorecard metrics — round 1 is these two
- Sports directoryAll 11 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.