More selective than 41% of Michigan colleges we cover.
College Scorecard, Fall 2024 entering class
Average after grants for all families receiving federal aid. Pick your income above.
Sticker price $27,350. College Scorecard.
Higher than 54% of Michigan colleges we cover and 59% of colleges nationwide. U.S. median 54%.
Within 6 years · College Scorecard
Higher than 50% of Michigan colleges we cover and 51% of colleges nationwide. U.S. median $53,263.
Median, 10 years after starting · College Scorecard
WSU acceptance rate & admissions
Of 15,190 applicants, Wayne State University admitted 12,461 and 2,988 enrolled (IPEDS, Fall 2023 entering class). The middle half of enrolled first-year students scored 1060–1270 on the SAT or 23–29 on the ACT.
IPEDS Admissions, Fall 2023 entering class
Test scores: College Scorecard, Fall 2024. Other figures: College Scorecard; IPEDS
WSU tuition, cost & net price
What families actually pay per year, by income
Average net price after grants and scholarships for Michigan residents who receive federal aid. Tap your income band.
College Scorecard, latest reported year (in-state, federal aid recipients)
Sticker price (before aid)
IPEDS 2023-24 cost items; total from College Scorecard
College Scorecard; Urban Institute Education Data Portal
What WSU costs to finish, and how fast it pays back
Graduates of Wayne State University took 4.5 years on average to finish, so the yearly price adds up to the total below. Payback compares former students' earnings with what high school graduates earn in Michigan. The figures follow your residency and income choices above.
| Family income | Net price / yr | Cost to finish | Years to pay back |
|---|---|---|---|
| $0–30k | $11,090 | $50,127 | 2.5 years |
| $30–48k | $10,721 | $48,459 | 2.4 years |
| $48–75k | $12,068 | $54,547 | 2.7 years |
| $75–110k | $14,828 | $67,023 | 3.3 years |
| $110k+ | $19,862 | $89,776 | 4.5 years |
Cost to finish = yearly price × 4.5 years, the average time graduates took (33% finished in 4 years; students who entered fall 2017, IPEDS). Years to pay back = cost to finish ÷ the earnings gain: median earnings of former students 10 years after starting ($53,493) minus $33,411 for high school graduates ages 25-34 in MI (Census ACS 2020-2024), a gain of $20,082 a year. Before taxes, loan interest and earnings given up while in school. Method
College Scorecard (net price, earnings); IPEDS Graduation Rates (time to finish); U.S. Census Bureau ACS (high school earnings). Calculated by EducationGuide.
WSU majors, earnings & careers
Wayne State University offers 84 bachelor's majors across 11 areas. Earnings below are for this school's graduates of each major, four years after finishing.
- Engineering · 13
- Humanities & Languages · 13
- Social Sciences & Public Service · 12
- Science & Math · 11
- Health & Medicine · 10
- Business & Finance · 9
- Arts & Design · 5
- Communications & Media · 4
- Education · 4
- Technology & Computing · 2
- Trades & Applied Technology · 1
Highest-earning majors at WSU
| Major | Earnings, 4 yrs | Median debt |
|---|---|---|
| Biomedical Engineering | $106,048 | $19,395 |
| Computer and Information Sciences | $104,630 | $20,672 |
| Industrial Engineering | $101,990 | $24,340 |
| Electrical Engineering | $100,944 | $25,350 |
| Allied Health and Medical Assisting Services | $99,777 | — |
| Mechanical Engineering Related Technologies / Technicians | $97,257 | — |
| Electrical / Electronic Engineering Technologies / Technicians | $96,821 | $33,351 |
| Mechanical Engineering | $94,869 | $24,140 |
Quick list of all 84 majors
- Accounting$73,940
- Allied Health (Imaging / Therapy / Tech)$78,391
- Allied Health and Medical Assisting Services$99,777
- Anthropology$48,230
- Apparel and Textiles$46,737
- Applied Mathematics—
- Area Studies—
- Astronomy and Astrophysics—
- Biology$50,811
- Biomedical Engineering$106,048
- Broadcasting / Digital Media$42,551
- Business Administration—
- Chemical Engineering$93,047
- Chemistry$63,079
- Civil Engineering$84,157
- Classics—
- Communications$57,335
- Computer and Information Sciences$104,630
- Computer Engineering Technologies / Technicians—
- Construction Engineering Technology / Technician$84,695
- Criminal Justice$56,423
- Dance—
- Dietetics—
- Economics$63,972
- Education (Elementary / Secondary)$48,506
- Education (Subject Teaching)$58,743
- Educational / Instructional Media Design—
- Electrical / Electronic Engineering Technologies / Technicians$96,821
- Electrical Engineering$100,944
- Electromechanical Technologies / Technicians—
- Engineering—
- English$42,585
- Entrepreneurship—
- Environmental Science / Conservation—
- Ethnic / Gender Studies—
- Film and Photography$35,157
- Finance$74,703
- Foods, Nutrition, and Related Services$58,871
- Foreign Languages, Literatures, and Linguistics, Other—
- Funeral Service and Mortuary Science$62,954
- Geology / Earth Science$57,203
- German—
- Health Professions and Related Clinical Sciences, Other$92,707
- History$50,251
- Human Resources$61,121
- Industrial Engineering$101,990
- Industrial Production Technologies / Technicians—
- Information Science / Studies—
- International Business$79,882
- International Relations—
- Journalism$54,188
- Kinesiology / Exercise Science—
- Legal Studies / Paralegal—
- Liberal Arts / General Studies$66,426
- Linguistics$38,926
- Management Information Systems$80,630
- Marketing$67,504
- Mathematics$64,547
- Mechanical Engineering$94,869
- Mechanical Engineering Related Technologies / Technicians$97,257
- Medical Laboratory Science$67,284
- Middle / Near Eastern and Semitic Languages, Literatures, and Linguistics—
- Music$50,340
- Neuroscience—
- Nursing$84,405
- Peace Studies and Conflict Resolution—
- Philosophy—
- Physical Sciences, Other—
- Physics—
- Political Science$61,466
- Psychology$52,435
- Psychology (Clinical / Counseling)—
- Public Administration$66,396
- Public Health$55,302
- Public Relations and Advertising$59,025
- Slavic, Baltic and Albanian Languages, Literatures, and Linguistics—
- Social Work$56,152
- Sociology$55,499
- Special Education$58,182
- Speech-Language Pathology / Communication Disorders$58,291
- Statistics—
- Studio Art$39,271
- Theatre$32,525
- Urban Studies / Affairs$58,915
— means too few graduates to report earnings.
College Scorecard field of study, latest release
All majors by area with earnings 1 and 4 years out, and debt →Social Work → Social worker
Median annual wage for all workers in this job, not only new graduates. U.S. jobs projected to grow 4.4% from 2025 to 2035.
BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025; Employment Projections 2025-35
Nursing → Registered nurse
Median annual wage for all workers in this job, not only new graduates. U.S. jobs projected to grow 5.6% from 2025 to 2035.
BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025; Employment Projections 2025-35
Living in Detroit
Overall prices in the Detroit-Warren-Dearborn, MI area.
BEA Regional Price Parities, 2024
2 bedrooms $1,459. Housing costs 5% below the U.S. average.
HUD Fair Market Rent, FY2027
January and July average highs. 30 inches of rain a year, 31 inches of snow.
NOAA Climate Normals 1991-2020
Highest: tornado (very high); river flooding (very high); heat wave (relatively high); winter weather (relatively high).
FEMA National Risk Index, Wayne County
Campus & students
IPEDS fall enrollment; Carnegie Classification; EADA via Urban Institute
Wayne County at a glance
U.S. Census Bureau, ACS 5-year 2024
Compare WSU with similar schools
Similar public colleges in Michigan by selectivity, graduation rate and size. Tap “Why?” to see where the price difference comes from.
| School | Acceptance | You'd pay | Graduation | Earnings, 10 yrs | Price gap |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Wayne State University | 81% | $12,766 | 58% | $53,493 | This school |
| Western Michigan University | 85% | $15,273 | 58% | $53,562 | |
| Oakland University | 88% | $9,120 | 58% | $58,612 | |
| Grand Valley State University | 83% | $16,317 | 67% | $56,118 | |
| Central Michigan University | 90% | $17,597 | 59% | $55,874 |
College Scorecard, latest reported year. “You'd pay” follows your residency and income choices above.
Why the price is different
Wayne State University would cost you $2,507 less per year than Western Michigan University, on average.
- Lower sticker price at Wayne State University, mostly from more Wayne State University students living at home, which lowers its average (−$3,841).
- Wayne State University gives aided families $620 more in grants, on average.
| Per year, Michigan resident | WSU | WMU | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Tuition & fees | $15,190 | $15,252 | −$62 |
| Books & supplies | $1,316 | $1,128 | +$188 |
| Housing & meals | $11,762 | $11,713 | +$49 |
| Personal & travel | $4,410 | $2,631 | +$1,779 |
| Living-at-home adjustment | −$5,328 | −$1,487 | −$3,841 |
| Sticker price | $27,350 | $29,237 | −$1,887 |
| Average grants | −$14,584 | −$13,964 | −$620 |
| You pay | $12,766 | $15,273 | −$2,507 |
“+” means WSU costs more; “−” means it costs less. Grants are the sticker price minus the net price. Cost items: IPEDS, on-campus budget. Sticker and net price: College Scorecard, latest reported year; the adjustment reconciles the two. Net price is an average for first-time, full-time students receiving federal aid, not a quote.
Common questions about WSU
What is the WSU acceptance rate?
Wayne State University accepts 81% of applicants (College Scorecard). In the latest IPEDS admissions year, 12,461 of 15,190 applicants were admitted. The middle half of enrolled first-year students scored 1060–1270 on the SAT or 23–29 on the ACT.
How much does Wayne State University cost per year?
The sticker price (cost of attendance) is $27,350 a year for in-state students. After grants and scholarships, students receiving federal aid pay $12,766 a year on average; families earning $0–30k pay $11,090 and families earning $110k+ pay $19,862.
How much do WSU graduates earn?
Former Wayne State University students earn a median $53,493 ten years after starting college, compared with a U.S. median of $53,263 across the colleges we cover.
What is the WSU graduation rate?
58% of first-time, full-time students graduate within six years, and 83% return for their second year.
How long does a WSU degree take to pay off?
For a family earning $48–75k, finishing at Wayne State University costs about $54,547 after grants ($12,068 a year for 4.5 years, the average time graduates took). Former students earn a median $53,493 ten years after starting, $20,082 more than high school graduates in Michigan ($33,411), so the cost is repaid in 2.7 years of that gain, before taxes and interest (EducationGuide calculation).
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Sources on this page: U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard and IPEDS; U.S. Census Bureau (ACS); Bureau of Labor Statistics (OEWS, Employment Projections); Bureau of Economic Analysis; HUD; NOAA; FEMA; Urban Institute Education Data Portal (ODC-By); Wikidata. “Colleges we cover” means colleges awarding bachelor's degrees to at least 100 undergraduates. Averages are not quotes; confirm costs with the school. How we score
Data: download this school's data (JSON) · Markdown · all datasets
Cite this: “Wayne State University: cost, admissions and outcomes,” EducationGuide.com, https://educationguide.com/colleges/wayne-state-university (College Scorecard and IPEDS data).