---
title: Ferris State University — cost, debt & earnings (College Scorecard)
location: Big Rapids, MI
control: Public
source: U.S. Dept. of Education College Scorecard (2026-06-10 release)
sourceUrl: https://collegescorecard.ed.gov/
---

# Ferris State University

Big Rapids, MI · Public · Bachelor-granting

> Federal College Scorecard institution **medians** — not a prediction of any one student's outcome, and not a figure for any single program. Earnings/debt cover federally-aided students.

## The bottom line

| Figure | Value | Status |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Typical earnings, 10 yrs after entry | $54,735 | recorded |
| Earnings range (25th–75th pct) | $34,587 – $80,060 | recorded |
| Typical federal debt | $15,500 | recorded |
| Debt of students who withdrew | $9,373 | recorded |
| Completion rate | 47% | recorded |
| Average annual net cost | $27,048 | recorded |
| % earning above a $28k HS-grad wage | 75% | recorded |
| Debt ÷ a year's earnings | 0.28× | derived |
| Earnings premium vs $28k HS benchmark | $26,735 | derived |

**47% of students finish** — the loans are owed whether or not you graduate, so read every figure below next to this number.

Typical **federal** loan debt is $15,500 (≈ 28% of a year's typical earnings here). Note: this counts federal loans only — not private loans, Parent PLUS, or family savings — so true borrowing is usually higher; and because dropouts borrow less, low-completion schools can show a deceptively low debt figure.

## Earnings by major (the number that decides "worth it")

> **Different measure — read on its own terms.** These are median earnings **1 year after completing the program** (early career, graduates only) — NOT the 10-years-after-entry school-wide figure above. Do not compare a program figure to the school figure; compare majors to each other. The Dept. of Education omits programs with too few graduates.

By program, early-career pay ranges from $8,889 to $110,849 across 48 program(s).

| Major | Credential | Pay (1 yr out) | Median debt |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Pharmacy, Pharmaceutical Sciences, and Administration. | First Professional Degree | $110,849 | $103,000 |
| Optometry. | First Professional Degree | $93,610 | $144,874 |
| Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing. | Master's Degree | $82,062 | not reported |
| Industrial Production Technologies/Technicians. | Bachelor's Degree | $70,938 | $23,451 |
| Electrical/Electronic Engineering Technologies/Technicians. | Bachelor's Degree | $67,507 | not reported |
| Manufacturing Engineering. | Bachelor's Degree | $66,348 | $16,052 |
| Business Administration, Management and Operations. | Graduate/Professional Certificate | $65,051 | not reported |
| Mechanical Engineering Related Technologies/Technicians. | Bachelor's Degree | $64,480 | $23,500 |
| Construction Management. | Bachelor's Degree | $62,334 | $20,468 |
| Heavy/Industrial Equipment Maintenance Technologies/Technicians. | Bachelor's Degree | $61,397 | $23,250 |
| Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing. | Bachelor's Degree | $61,037 | $21,411 |
| Health and Medical Administrative Services. | Undergraduate Certificate or Diploma | $60,924 | not reported |
| Surveying Engineering. | Bachelor's Degree | $60,062 | not reported |
| Criminal Justice and Corrections. | Master's Degree | $56,833 | $23,810 |
| Computer/Information Technology Administration and Management. | Bachelor's Degree | $55,898 | $22,535 |
| Clinical/Medical Laboratory Science/Research and Allied Professions. | Bachelor's Degree | $55,702 | $26,581 |
| Dental Support Services and Allied Professions. | Bachelor's Degree | $55,449 | $12,000 |
| Allied Health Diagnostic, Intervention, and Treatment Professions. | Bachelor's Degree | $53,881 | $27,444 |
| Computer and Information Sciences, General. | Bachelor's Degree | $52,448 | $27,209 |
| Finance and Financial Management Services. | Bachelor's Degree | $49,323 | not reported |
| Health Professions and Related Clinical Sciences, Other. | Bachelor's Degree | $49,304 | $26,000 |
| Allied Health Diagnostic, Intervention, and Treatment Professions. | Associate's Degree | $46,148 | $22,000 |
| Social Work. | Master's Degree | $44,833 | $24,600 |
| Human Resources Management and Services. | Bachelor's Degree | $42,943 | $21,926 |
| Business Administration, Management and Operations. | Bachelor's Degree | $42,911 | $19,799 |
| Dental Support Services and Allied Professions. | Associate's Degree | $42,745 | $25,000 |
| Accounting and Related Services. | Bachelor's Degree | $41,751 | $20,000 |
| Specialized Sales, Merchandising and  Marketing Operations. | Bachelor's Degree | $39,068 | $25,500 |
| Criminal Justice and Corrections. | Bachelor's Degree | $37,995 | $18,750 |
| Health and Medical Administrative Services. | Bachelor's Degree | $37,413 | $29,000 |
| Ecology, Evolution, Systematics, and Population Biology. | Bachelor's Degree | $37,314 | not reported |
| Teacher Education and Professional Development, Specific Levels and Methods. | Bachelor's Degree | $37,019 | $24,817 |
| Teacher Education and Professional Development, Specific Subject Areas. | Bachelor's Degree | $36,982 | $27,000 |
| Marketing. | Bachelor's Degree | $36,595 | $24,995 |
| Public Relations, Advertising, and Applied Communication. | Bachelor's Degree | $34,258 | $22,504 |
| Health and Medical Administrative Services. | Associate's Degree | $33,432 | $24,950 |
| Hospitality Administration/Management. | Bachelor's Degree | $32,859 | $26,622 |
| Liberal Arts and Sciences, General Studies and Humanities. | Bachelor's Degree | $32,578 | $23,646 |
| Rhetoric and Composition/Writing Studies. | Bachelor's Degree | $31,892 | $21,500 |
| Design and Applied Arts. | Bachelor's Degree | $31,519 | $25,500 |
| Social Work. | Bachelor's Degree | $31,464 | $24,915 |
| Graphic Communications. | Bachelor's Degree | $31,428 | $27,000 |
| Psychology, General. | Bachelor's Degree | $31,145 | $26,789 |
| Human Development, Family Studies, and Related Services. | Bachelor's Degree | $29,467 | $23,120 |
| Arts, Entertainment, and Media Management. | Bachelor's Degree | $28,211 | $22,833 |
| Audiovisual Communications Technologies/Technicians. | Bachelor's Degree | $26,852 | $21,997 |
| Biology, General. | Bachelor's Degree | $21,733 | $23,250 |
| Health/Medical Preparatory Programs. | Associate's Degree | $8,889 | $17,995 |

## What this is — and is NOT

Institution-wide medians from the U.S. Dept. of Education College Scorecard. **Not** a prediction of what you would earn or owe, **not** a figure for any single program (a CS and a fine-arts graduate of the same school diverge enormously), **not** proof the school caused the outcome (selection, not causation), and **not** a "best college" ranking. Explore Ferris State University by field of study at the official Scorecard: https://collegescorecard.ed.gov/school/?169910

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Structured data (JSON-LD), each figure labeled by epistemic status: `/education/ferris-state-university-mi.jsonld` · all schools: `/education`