# Wayne State University (WSU)

Public college in Detroit, MI. IPEDS ID 172644.
Source page: https://educationguide.com/colleges/wayne-state-university · Data: https://educationguide.com/data/colleges/wayne-state-university.json · Method: https://educationguide.com/how-we-score

## Key numbers
- Acceptance rate: 81% (Fall 2024, College Scorecard)
- Average net price after grants: $12,766 per year (AcadYr 2023-24, reported in IPEDS DCY2024-25)
- Graduation rate (6 years): 58%; beats 54% of MI colleges and 59% nationwide
- Median earnings 10 years after starting: $53,493; beats 50% of MI colleges and 51% nationwide
- Median debt at graduation: $16,597

## Net price by family income (per year, after grants)
| Family income | Net price |
|---|---|
| 0-30k | $11,090 |
| 30-48k | $10,721 |
| 48-75k | $12,068 |
| 75-110k | $14,828 |
| 110k+ | $19,862 |

Average after grants for first-time, full-time students receiving federal aid, in-state. Negative values mean grants exceed cost.

## Cost to finish and years to pay back (EducationGuide calculation)
Graduates took 4.52 years on average (33% finished in 4 years; Fall 2017 entrants, IPEDS). Earnings gain = $53,493 (median earnings of former students 10 years after starting college (College Scorecard)) minus $33,411 for high school graduates ages 25-34 in MI (Census ACS 2020-2024).

| 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 |

Method: https://educationguide.com/how-we-score#value

## Sticker price
- Cost of attendance: $27,350 in-state; about $44,197 out-of-state
- Tuition and fees: $15,190 in-state, $32,037 out-of-state
- Housing and meals: $11,762; books: $1,316

## Admissions
- SAT reading & writing: 540–640; SAT math: 520–630; ACT: 23–29 (25th–75th percentile, Fall 2024)
- Fall 2023: 15,190 applicants, 12,461 admitted, 2,988 enrolled; test scores considered but not required
- Fall 2024: acceptance 81%, ACT 23–29 (College Scorecard)
- Fall 2023: acceptance 82%, ACT 21–28 (IPEDS Admissions)

## Majors (84 bachelor's majors)
| Major | Earnings 1 yr | Earnings 4 yrs | Median debt |
|---|---|---|---|
| Biomedical Engineering | not reported | $106,048 | $19,395 |
| Computer and Information Sciences | $77,371 | $104,630 | $20,672 |
| Industrial Engineering | $77,815 | $101,990 | $24,340 |
| Electrical Engineering | $78,738 | $100,944 | $25,350 |
| Allied Health and Medical Assisting Services | not reported | $99,777 | not reported |
| Mechanical Engineering Related Technologies / Technicians | not reported | $97,257 | not reported |
| Electrical / Electronic Engineering Technologies / Technicians | $82,524 | $96,821 | $33,351 |
| Mechanical Engineering | $74,457 | $94,869 | $24,140 |
| Chemical Engineering | $71,373 | $93,047 | $29,900 |
| Health Professions and Related Clinical Sciences, Other | not reported | $92,707 | $18,599 |
| Construction Engineering Technology / Technician | $53,310 | $84,695 | not reported |
| Nursing | $74,793 | $84,405 | $30,165 |
| Civil Engineering | $73,488 | $84,157 | $30,548 |
| Management Information Systems | $59,352 | $80,630 | $23,250 |
| International Business | $59,350 | $79,882 | $23,472 |
| Allied Health (Imaging / Therapy / Tech) | $63,970 | $78,391 | $26,000 |
| Finance | $56,804 | $74,703 | $21,500 |
| Accounting | $52,668 | $73,940 | $21,504 |
| Marketing | $47,929 | $67,504 | $24,382 |
| Medical Laboratory Science | $70,611 | $67,284 | $31,975 |
| Liberal Arts / General Studies | $25,046 | $66,426 | $18,028 |
| Public Administration | $38,767 | $66,396 | $30,750 |
| Mathematics | not reported | $64,547 | $27,000 |
| Economics | $50,648 | $63,972 | $24,681 |
| Chemistry | $35,813 | $63,079 | $21,590 |
| Funeral Service and Mortuary Science | $52,829 | $62,954 | $23,648 |
| Political Science | $30,345 | $61,466 | $23,812 |
| Human Resources | $48,324 | $61,121 | $24,213 |
| Public Relations and Advertising | $41,306 | $59,025 | $27,000 |
| Urban Studies / Affairs | $43,811 | $58,915 | $25,205 |
| Foods, Nutrition, and Related Services | $34,303 | $58,871 | $22,750 |
| Education (Subject Teaching) | $34,590 | $58,743 | $26,000 |
| Speech-Language Pathology / Communication Disorders | $24,474 | $58,291 | $24,849 |
| Special Education | $44,157 | $58,182 | $43,500 |
| Communications | $36,595 | $57,335 | $30,500 |
| Geology / Earth Science | $30,723 | $57,203 | not reported |
| Criminal Justice | $39,132 | $56,423 | $28,604 |
| Social Work | $39,774 | $56,152 | $28,012 |
| Sociology | $31,381 | $55,499 | $30,422 |
| Public Health | $32,584 | $55,302 | $20,500 |
| Journalism | $26,591 | $54,188 | $29,000 |
| Psychology | $29,255 | $52,435 | $26,087 |
| Biology | $21,716 | $50,811 | $21,788 |
| Music | $32,911 | $50,340 | $26,000 |
| History | $41,874 | $50,251 | $32,544 |
| Education (Elementary / Secondary) | $47,939 | $48,506 | $31,000 |
| Anthropology | $26,858 | $48,230 | $26,493 |
| Apparel and Textiles | $26,490 | $46,737 | $27,000 |
| English | $35,549 | $42,585 | $27,000 |
| Broadcasting / Digital Media | $20,526 | $42,551 | $34,019 |
| Studio Art | $20,948 | $39,271 | $31,000 |
| Linguistics | $20,939 | $38,926 | $25,924 |
| Film and Photography | not reported | $35,157 | $29,500 |
| Theatre | $18,750 | $32,525 | $24,847 |
| Environmental Science / Conservation | not reported | not reported | $26,750 |
| Area Studies | not reported | not reported | not reported |
| Ethnic / Gender Studies | not reported | not reported | $45,824 |
| Information Science / Studies | not reported | not reported | not reported |
| Educational / Instructional Media Design | not reported | not reported | not reported |
| Engineering | not reported | not reported | not reported |
| Electromechanical Technologies / Technicians | not reported | not reported | not reported |
| Industrial Production Technologies / Technicians | not reported | not reported | not reported |
| Computer Engineering Technologies / Technicians | not reported | not reported | not reported |
| Slavic, Baltic and Albanian Languages, Literatures, and Linguistics | not reported | not reported | not reported |
| German | not reported | not reported | not reported |
| Middle / Near Eastern and Semitic Languages, Literatures, and Linguistics | not reported | not reported | not reported |
| Classics | not reported | not reported | not reported |
| Foreign Languages, Literatures, and Linguistics, Other | not reported | not reported | $23,537 |
| Legal Studies / Paralegal | not reported | not reported | not reported |
| Neuroscience | not reported | not reported | not reported |
| Applied Mathematics | not reported | not reported | not reported |
| Statistics | not reported | not reported | not reported |
| Peace Studies and Conflict Resolution | not reported | not reported | not reported |
| Kinesiology / Exercise Science | not reported | not reported | not reported |
| Philosophy | not reported | not reported | $25,000 |
| Astronomy and Astrophysics | not reported | not reported | not reported |
| Physics | not reported | not reported | not reported |
| Physical Sciences, Other | not reported | not reported | not reported |
| Psychology (Clinical / Counseling) | not reported | not reported | not reported |
| International Relations | not reported | not reported | not reported |
| Dance | $23,626 | not reported | $25,000 |
| Dietetics | not reported | not reported | not reported |
| Business Administration | not reported | not reported | not reported |
| Entrepreneurship | not reported | not reported | not reported |

## Major to career
- Social Work → Social worker: median wage $59,270 (Detroit-Warren-Dearborn, MI), $59,270 (MI), $59,550 (U.S.)
- Nursing → Registered nurse: median wage $97,280 (Detroit-Warren-Dearborn, MI), $94,300 (MI), $97,550 (U.S.)

## Sources and years
- Net price: AcadYr 2023-24, reported in IPEDS DCY2024-25; cost of attendance: AcadYr 2023-24, reported in IPEDS DCY2024-25; tuition: AcadYr 2024-25, reported in IPEDS DCY2024-25
- Graduation: Fall 2018 or AcadYr 2018-19 cohort (differs by institutional calendar), reported in IPEDS DCY2024-25; earnings: Treasury AY2009-10, AY2010-11 pooled cohort measured in CY2020, CY2021, inflation adjusted to 2022 dollars; debt: NSLDS FY2020, FY2021 pooled cohorts
- Major earnings (4 yr): Treasury AY2017-2018, AY2018-2019 pooled earnings cohort measured in CY2022, CY2023, inflation adjusted to 2024 dollars

Free to reuse with attribution: cite "EducationGuide.com" with a link to the page URL. Most figures are U.S. government data (public domain); loan default rates and athletics come from the Urban Institute Education Data Portal (ODC-By 1.0, attribution required) and founding years from Wikidata (CC0).