Michigan Public Colleges Ranked by Lowest In State Tution

Below is a college cost ranking of the 15 public colleges in Michigan with the lowest in state tution. What is the cheapest college in Michigan? Saginaw Valley State University leads the list with a tuition and fee total of $12,930. Note these costs do not include room and board or living expenses.

Affordable doesn't simply mean finding a school with a low published price. It's important to research the typical financial aid package offered by a school, the average net price actually paid and most importantly the quality of education you receive for your tuition dollar. Sometimes a school which appears cheap based on list price can be a poor relative value if it can't award competitive financial aid or doesn't offer a quality education. The list below is a ranking on published in state tution with no consideration of actual average price paid or academic quality of the school. Please see the CollegeSimply Best Value Colleges in Michigan list for a ranking which considers school quality and average net price.

All price data are reprinted from the U.S. Department of Education's IPEDS 2025 survey and reflect reported costs for academic year 2024/2025.

List of Michigan Public Colleges Ranked by Lowest In State Tution
College Tuition In State

University Center, Michigan

$12,930

Big Rapids, Michigan

$14,974

Allendale, Michigan

$15,140

Sault Ste Marie, Michigan

$15,188

Mount Pleasant, Michigan

$15,210

Rochester Hills, Michigan

$15,262

Kalamazoo, Michigan

$15,378
$15,386

Marquette, Michigan

$15,510

Dearborn, Michigan

$16,040

Ypsilanti, Michigan

$16,560

East Lansing, Michigan

$16,798

Detroit, Michigan

$17,325

Ann Arbor, Michigan

$18,068
$19,449

This list is updated annually based on the latest data from the National Center for Education Statistics.
Last updated: March 15, 2026

Data source: IPEDS 2025 survey for academic year 2024/2025 - National Center for Education Statistics.