Is Wayne State University Worth It?

Wayne State gives you a solid return if you pick the right major, and a shaky one if you don't. The median graduate earns $53,493 ten years out against a net price under $15,000 a year and median debt of $21,250. That debt-to-earnings ratio is manageable, and it's the kind of math that works for most families here.

The payoff is concentrated in engineering and computing. Electrical engineering leads at nearly $80,000, with industrial engineering, chemical engineering, and computer science all clustered in the mid-to-high $70,000s. Detroit's automotive and manufacturing base is the reason these numbers hold up, and the debt loads track earnings closely. Computer science is the sharpest deal on this list: strong pay with the lowest debt of the top five, under $19,000. Chemical engineering carries the heaviest debt at $26,500, so weigh that against the same salary computer science delivers for far less.

The biggest risk here is the graduation rate. At 56.5%, close to half of students don't finish in the measured window, and unfinished degrees still leave you with debt and no degree to pay it off. The 81.5% retention rate says most students come back for a second year, so the drop-off happens later. Budget for more than four years and know that finishing is where the ROI lives.

This school fits you if you're staying in the Detroit region and heading into engineering, tech, or manufacturing. If you're aiming at a lower-paying field, the median earnings suggest a thinner return, though still backed by a reasonable price.

On cost, families earning under $48,000 pay around $12,300 to $12,600 a year. That climbs steadily as income rises, reaching about $21,500 if your family earns over $110,000. The jump between the $48-75k and $75-110k tiers is the steepest, roughly $4,300, so middle-income families feel the aid cliff most.