Skip to content
AlmaSpire

Big Rapids, MI · Public · 8,106 undergraduates · town

Ferris State University

Less selective

Add to my college list Review admission

Ferris is concentrated on applied professional and technical education, including automotive, construction, health, design, and engineering technology.

Campus image / Publicly hosted campus image

Institutional profile

Established Strong in affordability, and solid in career outcomes.
Academic Emerging Affordability Strong Career Solid Mobility Solid Experience Steady
Academic standing Emerging
Affordability Strong
Career outcomes Solid
Mobility Solid
Student experience Steady
Admission
80.6% admitted

9,548 applicants in the reported year

Price by income
Resident and nonresident prices differ

Compare recent average annual costs by household income

Completion
59.9%

$54,735 median earnings 10 years after enrollment

What sets Ferris State University apart

Academic design

Programs emphasize laboratories, technical facilities, industry standards, and professional practice across specialized fields.

Campus pattern

Big Rapids provides a small-city Michigan campus with most academic life concentrated locally.

Career & value signal

Many degrees are built around specific occupations and employer-recognized technical skills.

Can I get in?

80.6% admitted

Start with the academic record, then make the intended direction and school-specific fit concrete.

Recent applicant pool

9,548

About 81 in every 100 applicants were admitted.

Admission rate 80.6%
Entering class

Academic range

SAT middle 50%890–1120
7401260
ACT middle 50%18–26
1331

Of admitted students, 66% submitted an SAT, and 1% submitted an ACT. Treat the ACT range as a guide to the students who submitted that test, not to everyone admitted.

Entered with a 4.0 GPA11%

In the season card

Where your GPA sits in the entering class

The full entering-class GPA distribution for Ferris State University, in nine bands from 4.0 down, with your own record marked on it.

See where I land

In the season card

What Ferris State University weighs when it reads a file

See how this college describes the role of grades, testing, essays, recommendations, activities, and demonstrated interest.

  • Course rigor  
  • GPA  
  • Test scores  
  • Essay  
  • Recommendations  
  • Extracurriculars  
  • Demonstrated interest  
See what counts here

What moves the application

The evidence that separates a strong file

01

Show preparation for this curriculum

Programs emphasize laboratories, technical facilities, industry standards, and professional practice across specialized fields.

02

Make institutional fit specific

Ferris is concentrated on applied professional and technical education, including automotive, construction, health, design, and engineering technology.

03

Use the application route carefully

Keep academic direction and school-specific choices coherent across the application.

How to apply

Rounds, route, and required materials

Build the calendar around the earliest realistic application round and assemble each required item once.

Regular Decisionrolling
Fee and waiverNo application fee

Check eligibility for a fee waiver

Major and program admission

Some fields have their own entry path.

The college admit rate above covers the university as a whole. These requirements apply only to the named program.

BusinessAdmits separately

What this program asks for, and when it closes.

Computer scienceAdmits separately

What this program asks for, and when it closes.

Teacher preparationAdmits separately

What this program asks for, and when it closes.

EngineeringAdmits separately

What this program asks for, and when it closes.

Health professionsAdmits separately

What this program asks for, and when it closes.

NursingAdmits separately

What this program asks for, and when it closes.

Can I afford it?

Compare annual cost by household income.

Start with the average net price for your income range, then set that estimate beside your other realistic options.

Published annual cost$32,222
Average annual cost after aid, in-state$9,000
Affordability profileStrong

In the season card

Average annual cost by household income at Ferris State University

Compare recent average net prices across five federal income ranges and estimate a 4-year cost for yours.

  • $0–30k 
  • $30–48k 
  • $48–75k 
  • $75–110k 
  • $110k+ 
Open the price by income

Is it worth it?

Completion, debt, and earnings

Read completion, borrowing, field mix, and earnings together. One university-wide earnings figure does not describe every student path.

Complete within 8 years59.9%

Degree completion across the reported entering cohort

Return after year one75.1%

First-year students who return for year two

Median federal debtWhat students owe on the way out

And what that comes to against what they earn.

Median earnings$54,735

Reported 10 years after enrollment

Academic portfolio

Largest bachelor’s fields

How many students finish in each field, and median earnings four years after completing the program.

Criminal Justice and Corrections

Recent graduates164
Median earnings$60,325

Industrial Production Technologies/Technicians

Recent graduates86
Median earnings$91,993

Mechanical Engineering Related Technologies/Technicians

Recent graduates84
Median earnings$82,821

What is campus life like?

Ferris State University beyond the classroom

Big Rapids provides a small-city Michigan campus with most academic life concentrated locally.

Academics

A defining academic feature

Programs emphasize laboratories, technical facilities, industry standards, and professional practice across specialized fields.

Campus setting

What shapes an ordinary week

Big Rapids provides a small-city Michigan campus with most academic life concentrated locally.

Career & value

Where the degree can lead

Many degrees are built around specific occupations and employer-recognized technical skills.

8,106 undergraduatesMidwesttown settingCampus housing available