Another Michigan school cracks Wall Street Journal’s ‘Top 50’ list

GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. (WOOD) — A second Michigan university has cracked the Wall Street Journal’s Top 50 ranking of the best colleges in the United States .

The rankings were released last week. The University of Michigan is the state’s top representative at No. 22 and University of Detroit Mercy came in at No. 43. Albion was ranked No. 54, followed by Michigan State University at No. 60.

The Wall Street Journal develops its rankings alongside College Pulse and Statista, looking at several factors. Student outcomes are given the most weight: namely, how much does the degree impact your future salary, and how long does it take for students to pay off their student loan debt. Graduation rates also play a factor, along with things like learning facilities and career preparation.

U-M Ann Arbor came in with an overall grade of 83.5 to rise from No. 28. UDM jumped from 52 to 43 after receiving an 81, scoring highly on salary impact and graduation rate. WSJ found that a degree from UDM adds an estimated $39,305 to an earner’s salary.

Princeton University took the overall top spot in the rankings with a score of 92.3, followed by Babson College in Massachusetts, Stanford, Yale and Claremont McKenna College in California.

In all, 16 Michigan universities made the top 500. Six schools rose in the rankings, while seven dropped. Three schools joined the list after falling short in 2024. Here is the order of all 16, including 2025 and 2024 rankings:

1. University of Michigan-Ann Arbor (22/28)
2. University of Detroit Mercy (43/52)
3. Albion College (54/68)
4. Michigan State University (60/57)
5. Kalamazoo College (135/141)
6. Michigan Technological University (146/63)
7. Kettering University (180/NA)
8. Grand Valley State University (226/294)
9. Oakland University (245/189)
10. Central Michigan University (287/313)
11. University of Michigan-Dearborn (291/NA)
12. Wayne State University (383/347)
13. Western Michigan University (410/341)
14. Eastern Michigan University (420/358)
15. Andrews University (422/382)
16. Cornerstone University (443/NA)

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