College Compass GuideTrue north for every college search.

Every accredited U.S. college

Colleges

Every accredited four-year college, rated on Academic Excellence and Value (what families pay after aid, what graduates earn, and student debt), all from federal data.

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Compass Score sorts by outcomes, students and cost together. The other sorts order every college by a different measure.
Ratings
Compass ScoreCompass Score: a letter grade set by rank among rated colleges from federal data: outcomes (40%), entering students (40%), cost (15%) and teaching (5%). Choose the lowest grade to show.
ValueValue: what families pay after aid, graduation rate, earnings and debt, from federal data.
Academic ExcellenceAcademic Excellence: a letter grade set by rank among rated colleges, from federal data on graduation, retention, test scores, faculty ratio, and spending. It never uses rankings or surveys.
Only Compass Recommended colleges: the top 35% of rated colleges by Compass Score.
Only Honor Roll colleges: the top 10% of rated colleges by Compass Score.
Only the eight Ivy League universities.
Location1
Distance (miles)
A broad region of the country, as the guide groups the states. Territories are listed separately.
School
Type of college, as college guides group them (from the federal Carnegie Classification): national universities offer a full range of bachelor’s, master’s and doctoral programs and do research; liberal arts colleges focus on undergraduates in the arts and sciences; regional universities mostly offer bachelor’s and master’s degrees; regional colleges mostly offer bachelor’s degrees in many fields; specialized schools focus on one field, such as health, art or business.
Public or privatePublic: run by a state or local government. Private: nonprofit or for-profit.
Total enrollment: small is under 2,000 students, medium 2,000 to 9,999, large 10,000 to 24,999, and very large 25,000 or more.
Net price: what a typical student pays per year after grants and scholarships, from the federal College Scorecard.
Coed: men and women together. Single-sex: all-male or all-female.
Campus life
College sports level from federal data: NCAA Division I (the biggest programs), Division II, Division III, or NAIA.
Where the campus is, from federal data: in a city, a suburb, a town, or a rural area.
The college offers Army, Navy or Air Force ROTC, on campus or with a nearby college (federal data).
The college offers study abroad (federal data).
Admissions and outcomes
How many applicants are admitted (federal data). Most: 65% or more. Selective: 25% to 64%. Highly selective: under 25%.
Your SAT or ACT, to sort colleges Target, Likely and Reach. Signed in, it is kept on your account (private to you); otherwise only in this browser.
Reach, Target or LikelyA rough guide from admitted students' scores and admission rates, not a prediction. Target: your score is in the college's middle range. Likely: above it, or the college admits most applicants. Reach: below it, or the college admits fewer than 1 in 5.
Small classes: 12 or fewer students per faculty member (federal data).
Strong outcomes: 75% or more of students graduate (federal data).
Major
Colleges that offer a bachelor's degree in this major or field, from the federal College Scorecard.
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RecommendedOnly Compass Recommended colleges: the top 35% of rated colleges by Compass Score.Honor RollOnly Honor Roll colleges: the top 10% of rated colleges by Compass Score.ValueOnly colleges with a Value score of 85 or higher (grade A), from federal data.AcademicsOnly schools with an Academic Excellence grade of A or better (the top 10% of rated colleges), from federal data.Ivy LeagueOnly the eight Ivy League universities.Clear
Division I sportsCollege sports level from federal data: NCAA Division I (the biggest programs), Division II, Division III, or NAIA.ROTCThe college offers Army, Navy or Air Force ROTC, on campus or with a nearby college (federal data).Study abroadThe college offers study abroad (federal data).NursingColleges that offer a bachelor's degree in this major or field, from the federal College Scorecard.EngineeringColleges that offer a bachelor's degree in this major or field, from the federal College Scorecard.Under $20kNet price under $20,000 a year: what a typical student pays after grants and scholarships (federal data).Small classesSmall classes: 12 or fewer students per faculty member (federal data).
State: MichiganClear all

50 schools · Sorted by Compass Score

  • Compass ScoreGood · Top 50%

    Albion College

    Good: Compass grade B
    Albion, MI · Private nonprofit · 4-year · 1,354 students

    $14,301 a year after aid, on average

    ValueStrongAcademicsStrong
  • Compass ScoreGood

    Western Michigan University

    Good: Compass grade B
    Kalamazoo, MI · Public · 4-year · 16,693 students

    $15,273 a year after aid, on average

    ValueStrongAcademicsStrong
  • Compass ScoreGood

    Madonna University

    Good: Compass grade B
    Livonia, MI · Private nonprofit · 4-year · 2,054 students

    $17,755 a year after aid, on average

    ValueStrongAcademicsStrong
  • Compass ScoreGood

    Central Michigan University

    Good: Compass grade B
    Mount Pleasant, MI · Public · 4-year · 14,399 students

    $17,597 a year after aid, on average

    ValueStrongAcademicsStrong
  • Compass ScoreGood

    Davenport University

    Good: Compass grade B-
    Grand Rapids, MI · Private nonprofit · 4-year · 4,848 students

    $17,707 a year after aid, on average

    ValueStrongAcademicsStrong
  • Compass ScoreGood

    Northern Michigan University

    Good: Compass grade B-
    Marquette, MI · Public · 4-year · 7,197 students

    $14,085 a year after aid, on average

    ValueStrongAcademicsStrong
  • Compass ScoreGood

    Saginaw Valley State University

    Top 17% for low net price
    University Center, MI · Public · 4-year · 6,889 students

    $10,775 a year after aid, on average

    ValueStrongAcademicsStrong
  • Compass ScoreGood

    University of Michigan-Flint

    Top 8% for low net price
    Flint, MI · Public · 4-year · 6,130 students

    $7,007 a year after aid, on average

    ValueStrongAcademicsStrong
  • Compass ScoreGood

    Ferris State University

    Top 11% for low net price
    Big Rapids, MI · Public · 4-year · 9,918 students

    $8,624 a year after aid, on average

    ValueExcellentAcademicsStrong
  • Compass ScoreGood

    Kuyper College

    Good: Compass grade B-
    Grand Rapids, MI · Private nonprofit · 4-year · 153 students

    $15,644 a year after aid, on average

    ValueStrongAcademicsStrong
  • Compass ScoreSolid

    Eastern Michigan University

    Solid: Compass grade C+
    Ypsilanti, MI · Public · 4-year · 13,324 students

    $15,407 a year after aid, on average

    ValueStrongAcademicsStrong
  • Compass ScoreSolid

    Grace Christian University

    Top 23% for low net price
    Wyoming, MI · Private nonprofit · 4-year · 954 students

    $12,404 a year after aid, on average

    ValueStrongAcademicsStrong
  • Compass ScoreSolid

    Adrian College

    Solid: Compass grade C+
    Adrian, MI · Private nonprofit · 4-year · 1,760 students

    $25,368 a year after aid, on average

    ValueStrongAcademicsStrong
  • Compass ScoreSolid

    Cleary University

    Solid: Compass grade C+
    Howell, MI · Private nonprofit · 4-year · 1,040 students

    $22,143 a year after aid, on average

    ValueStrongAcademicsFair
  • Compass ScoreSolid

    Baker College

    Solid: Compass grade C+
    Owosso, MI · Private nonprofit · 4-year · 3,898 students

    $13,157 a year after aid, on average

    ValueStrongAcademicsStrong
  • Compass ScoreSolid

    Great Lakes Christian College

    Solid: Compass grade C+
    Lansing, MI · Private nonprofit · 4-year · 130 students

    $15,524 a year after aid, on average

    ValueFairAcademicsFair
  • Compass ScoreSolid

    Concordia University Ann Arbor

    Solid: Compass grade C+
    Ann Arbor, MI · Private nonprofit · 4-year · 1,351 students

    $32,811 a year after aid, on average

    ValueFairAcademicsFair
  • Compass ScoreSolid

    Rochester University

    Solid: Compass grade C+
    Rochester Hills, MI · Private nonprofit · 4-year · 1,173 students

    $21,456 a year after aid, on average

    ValueStrongAcademicsStrong
  • Compass ScoreSolid

    The University of Olivet

    #45 in Michigan
    Olivet, MI · Private nonprofit · 4-year · 973 students

    $21,393 a year after aid, on average

    ValueStrongAcademicsFair
  • Not yet rated

    Bay Mills Community College

    Top 2% for low net price
    Brimley, MI · Public · 4-year · 577 students

    $3,073 a year after aid, on average

    Value not rated yetAcademicsFair
  • Not yet rated

    Jackson College

    Top 9% for low net price
    Jackson, MI · Public · 4-year · 4,975 students

    $7,761 a year after aid, on average

    ValueStrongAcademicsFair
  • Not yet rated

    Henry Ford College

    Top 1% for low net price
    Dearborn, MI · Public · 4-year · 11,239 students

    $660 a year after aid, on average

    ValueStrongAcademicsFair
  • Not yet rated

    Schoolcraft Community College District

    Top 1% for low net price
    Livonia, MI · Public · 4-year · 7,596 students

    $2,260 a year after aid, on average

    ValueExcellentAcademicsFair
  • Not yet rated

    Walsh College

    Top 13% for earnings
    Troy, MI · Private nonprofit · 4-year · 1,134 students

    Value not rated yet
  • Not yet rated

    Arizona College of Nursing-Southfield

    Top 6% for low debt
    Southfield, MI · Private for-profit · 4-year · 415 students

    $38,786 a year after aid, on average

    ValueFair

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