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

# Northern Michigan University

Marquette, 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 | $47,107 | recorded |
| Earnings range (25th–75th pct) | $29,421 – $67,562 | recorded |
| Typical federal debt | $13,750 | recorded |
| Debt of students who withdrew | $7,327 | recorded |
| Completion rate | 52% | recorded |
| Average annual net cost | $27,841 | recorded |
| % earning above a $28k HS-grad wage | 64% | recorded |
| Debt ÷ a year's earnings | 0.29× | derived |
| Earnings premium vs $28k HS benchmark | $19,107 | derived |

**52% 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 $13,750 (≈ 29% 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 $13,992 to $64,628 across 38 program(s).

| Major | Credential | Pay (1 yr out) | Median debt |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Construction Engineering Technology/Technician. | Bachelor's Degree | $64,628 | not reported |
| Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing. | Bachelor's Degree | $57,371 | $24,500 |
| Computer and Information Sciences, General. | Bachelor's Degree | $51,163 | not reported |
| Public Administration. | Master's Degree | $49,902 | not reported |
| Clinical/Medical Laboratory Science/Research and Allied Professions. | Bachelor's Degree | $48,424 | $27,364 |
| Educational Administration and Supervision. | Master's Degree | $47,668 | not reported |
| Electrical and Power Transmission Installers. | Undergraduate Certificate or Diploma | $46,384 | $5,500 |
| Finance and Financial Management Services. | Bachelor's Degree | $44,975 | $20,651 |
| Teacher Education and Professional Development, Specific Subject Areas. | Master's Degree | $43,293 | not reported |
| Allied Health Diagnostic, Intervention, and Treatment Professions. | Associate's Degree | $42,015 | $17,500 |
| Accounting and Related Services. | Bachelor's Degree | $41,261 | $23,443 |
| Heavy/Industrial Equipment Maintenance Technologies/Technicians. | Associate's Degree | $41,023 | not reported |
| Teacher Education and Professional Development, Specific Levels and Methods. | Bachelor's Degree | $38,631 | $29,750 |
| Marketing. | Bachelor's Degree | $38,045 | $20,000 |
| Criminal Justice and Corrections. | Bachelor's Degree | $35,823 | $22,304 |
| Teacher Education and Professional Development, Specific Subject Areas. | Bachelor's Degree | $31,542 | $26,214 |
| Psychology, General. | Bachelor's Degree | $30,831 | $19,500 |
| Social Work. | Bachelor's Degree | $30,522 | $23,000 |
| Business Administration, Management and Operations. | Bachelor's Degree | $30,483 | $22,418 |
| Practical Nursing, Vocational Nursing and Nursing Assistants. | Undergraduate Certificate or Diploma | $30,465 | $17,500 |
| Romance Languages, Literatures, and Linguistics. | Bachelor's Degree | $30,225 | $21,500 |
| Political Science and Government. | Bachelor's Degree | $30,176 | $16,199 |
| Communication and Media Studies. | Bachelor's Degree | $29,901 | $26,662 |
| Precision Metal Working. | Undergraduate Certificate or Diploma | $28,419 | not reported |
| Sports, Kinesiology, and Physical Education/Fitness. | Bachelor's Degree | $27,559 | $22,375 |
| Mental and Social Health Services and Allied Professions. | Bachelor's Degree | $27,374 | not reported |
| Biology, General. | Bachelor's Degree | $24,325 | $24,624 |
| Parks, Recreation, and Leisure Studies. | Bachelor's Degree | $24,288 | $20,000 |
| Hospitality Administration/Management. | Bachelor's Degree | $24,202 | $30,250 |
| Natural Resources Conservation and Research. | Bachelor's Degree | $24,055 | $22,566 |
| Film/Video and Photographic Arts. | Bachelor's Degree | $22,932 | not reported |
| History. | Bachelor's Degree | $22,625 | $25,500 |
| Fine and Studio Arts. | Bachelor's Degree | $22,445 | $25,709 |
| Rhetoric and Composition/Writing Studies. | Bachelor's Degree | $21,896 | $23,287 |
| English Language and Literature, General. | Bachelor's Degree | $20,926 | not reported |
| Zoology/Animal Biology. | Bachelor's Degree | $17,593 | not reported |
| Liberal Arts and Sciences, General Studies and Humanities. | Associate's Degree | $14,693 | $11,816 |
| Cosmetology and Related Personal Grooming Services. | Undergraduate Certificate or Diploma | $13,992 | $9,833 |

## 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 Northern Michigan University by field of study at the official Scorecard: https://collegescorecard.ed.gov/school/?171456

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