Most Affordable Public Universities in Michigan
State-run four-year universities, ranked by net price after aid. In-state students usually pay far less than the published out-of-state rate.
22 public universities in Michigan are listed here, 22 of them reporting a net price. They run from $660 a year at Henry Ford College to $19,680 at Michigan State University, with a middle of about $10,775.
The cheapest are Henry Ford College, Schoolcraft Community College District and Bay Mills Community College. A low average is not a low bill for everyone — aid depends on your family's income — but it is where to start.
Public universities in Michigan, cheapest first · 22
Average net price per year after grants and scholarships, with the share of students on federal Pell grants where reported. Schools publishing no net price are listed last.
- Henry Ford College
- Schoolcraft Community College District
- Bay Mills Community College
- Alpena Community College
- Northwestern Michigan College
- Lake Michigan College
- University of Michigan-Flint
- Jackson College
- Ferris State University
- Oakland University
- University of Michigan-Dearborn
- Saginaw Valley State University
- Wayne State University
- Lake Superior State University
- University of Michigan-Ann Arbor
- Northern Michigan University
- Michigan Technological University
- Western Michigan University
- Eastern Michigan University
- Grand Valley State University
- Central Michigan University
- Michigan State University
Questions families ask
- What is the most affordable public university in Michigan?
- By average net price — what students actually pay per year after grants and scholarships — it is Henry Ford College at about $660 a year. That is an average across all students there; your own cost depends on your family's income, so check the school's net price calculator.
- What is the difference between sticker price and net price?
- Sticker price is the published tuition before any aid. Net price is what students actually pay after grants and scholarships are subtracted — not loans, which you pay back. Net price is usually far lower, and at expensive private colleges the gap can be tens of thousands a year, which is why every figure on this page is net price rather than tuition.
- How much do public universities in Michigan cost on average?
- Across the 22 public universities in Michigan that report a figure, the middle of the range is about $10,775 a year after aid, running from $660 to $19,680.
- What does the Pell grant percentage mean?
- It is the share of undergraduates at that school receiving a federal Pell grant — need-based aid that does not have to be repaid. A higher share usually means the school enrols more students from lower-income families. Across the public universities listed here it runs from 18% to 46%, with a middle of about 31%. It is the only aid figure the Department of Education publishes per school, so it is the only one shown.
Which of these actually fits you?
A list is a starting point, not an answer. Two minutes of questions gives you a shortlist ranked on cost, academics, size and location — with the reaches labelled honestly.
Find your match — free