Northwestern Michigan College
Traverse City, Michigan · Also known as NMC · Website
$38,167
median earnings, 10 years after starting
$38,167
median earnings, 10 years after starting
Northwestern Michigan College is a public 4-year college in Traverse City, Michigan with 2,813 undergraduates. Its average net price after grants is $6,231 a year (tuition and fees $5,860 in-state, $13,476 out-of-state). 25% of students finish within 6 years. Former students earn a median $38,167 a year 10 years after they started, and graduates leave with a median $12,500 in federal student loans.
Updated Oct 10, 2026 · June 2026 data
Net price
$6,231
US median $17,138
Tuition in-state
$5,860
Out-of-state $13,476
Admission rate
Open
Completion rate
25%
Within 6 years, US 58%
Median debt
$12,500
About $133 a month
Earnings at 10 years
$38,167
Rank 3,026 of 5,094 in the US
Cost
What a year costs: posted prices and the average after grants
Net price by family income
Average yearly cost after grants, for students who get aid
- Net price
- $6,231
- Tuition in-state
- $5,860
- Tuition out-of-state
- $13,476
- Cost of attendance
- $13,753
- Students with a need-based grant
- 30%
- Students with federal loans
- 21%
- Net price, family income under $30K
- $5,237
- Net price, family income $30K to $48K
- $3,168
- Net price, family income $48K to $75K
- $7,568
- Net price, family income $75K to $110K
- $8,909
- Net price, family income over $110K
- $11,630
Net price is what students who get aid pay on average after grants.
Tuition and net price by year
School years 2015-16 to 2024-25. The year on the chart is the year the school year starts.
Yearly cost
Tuition and fees went from $3,330 in 2015-16 to $5,860 in 2024-25.
Admission, completion and retention
Share of applicants admitted, of students who finish and of first-year students who come back
Admission and students
- Admission rate
- Open admission
- Undergraduates
- 2,813
- Part-time students
- 57%
- Women
- 50%
- Students per teacher
- 13
- Completion rate
- 25%
- Retention rate
- 84%
- Highest degree
- Bachelor's degree
- Programs
- 74
- Endowment
- $18.8M
- Other
- Open admission
Earnings and debt
Compared with the medians of the colleges of its state, of colleges of the same kind and of all US colleges
Median earnings 10 years after starting rank 3,026 of 5,094 US colleges and 63 of 145 in Michigan (1 = highest).
| Measure | College | MI median | Same kind | US median |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Net price | $6,231 | $17,194 | $12,792 | $17,138 |
| Tuition in-state | $5,860 | $15,221 | $8,626 | $11,837 |
| Admission rate | - | 81% | 83% | 78% |
| Completion rate | 25% | 59% | 46% | 58% |
| Retention rate | 84% | 70% | 76% | 75% |
| Median debt | $12,500 | $13,000 | $19,500 | $13,271 |
| Earnings after 6 years | $34,918 | $32,840 | $43,105 | $35,656 |
| Earnings after 10 years | $38,167 | $36,115 | $50,314 | $40,813 |
Best-paid programs
Median earnings 1 year after graduation
Same kind: US public 4-year colleges. Earnings and debt are medians of former students who received federal student aid. 43% of borrowers lowered their balance within 3 years. 60% earn more than a typical high school graduate 6 years after starting.
Programs
74 fields of study and credentials, with graduates, debt and earnings
| Field of study | Graduates | Median debt | Earnings 1 yr | Earnings 4 yr | US median 4 yr | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Liberal Arts and Sciences, General Studies and HumanitiesAssociate's | Associate's | 243 | $9,500 | $28,706 | $44,557 | $44,125 |
| Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical NursingAssociate's | Associate's | 61 | $17,227 | $64,122 | $69,022 | $80,813 |
| Marine TransportationBachelor's | Bachelor's | 48 | $24,000 | $87,281 | $136,748 | $117,011 |
| Air TransportationAssociate's | Associate's | 29 | $11,737 | $37,988 | $109,489 | $75,495 |
| Practical Nursing, Vocational Nursing and Nursing AssistantsCertificate | Certificate | 25 | $13,375 | Withheld | $67,730 | $56,073 |
| Engineering Technologies/Technicians, GeneralAssociate's | Associate's | 18 | Withheld | $50,148 | $62,520 | $62,343 |
| Culinary Arts and Related ServicesAssociate's | Associate's | 14 | $11,000 | $26,586 | $40,148 | $39,605 |
| Dental Support Services and Allied ProfessionsCertificate | Certificate | 13 | Withheld | $34,029 | $34,240 | $33,673 |
| Dental Support Services and Allied ProfessionsAssociate's | Associate's | 12 | Withheld | Withheld | Withheld | $61,982 |
| Culinary Arts and Related ServicesCertificate | Certificate | 11 | Withheld | Withheld | Withheld | $30,572 |
| Business Administration, Management and OperationsOnlineAssociate's | Associate's | 10 | Withheld | Withheld | $48,006 | $48,733 |
| Human Development, Family Studies, and Related ServicesAssociate's | Associate's | 8 | Withheld | Withheld | Withheld | $34,184 |
| Design and Applied ArtsAssociate's | Associate's | 8 | Withheld | Withheld | Withheld | $38,127 |
| Accounting and Related ServicesAssociate's | Associate's | 8 | Withheld | Withheld | Withheld | $47,660 |
| Environmental/Natural Resources Management and PolicyAssociate's | Associate's | 7 | Withheld | Withheld | Withheld | $42,169 |
| Audiovisual Communications Technologies/TechniciansAssociate's | Associate's | 7 | Withheld | Withheld | Withheld | $35,660 |
| Precision Metal WorkingCertificate | Certificate | 6 | Withheld | Withheld | Withheld | $48,702 |
| Allied Health Diagnostic, Intervention, and Treatment ProfessionsAssociate's | Associate's | 6 | Withheld | Withheld | Withheld | $65,389 |
| Business Administration, Management and OperationsOnlineCertificate | Certificate | 6 | Withheld | Withheld | Withheld | - |
| Computer Systems Networking and TelecommunicationsAssociate's | Associate's | 5 | Withheld | Withheld | Withheld | $54,971 |
| Agricultural Production OperationsAssociate's | Associate's | 4 | Withheld | Withheld | Withheld | $42,438 |
| Audiovisual Communications Technologies/TechniciansCertificate | Certificate | 4 | Withheld | Withheld | Withheld | $33,223 |
| Computer ProgrammingAssociate's | Associate's | 4 | Withheld | Withheld | Withheld | $58,070 |
| Electrical and Power Transmission InstallersCertificate | Certificate | 4 | Withheld | Withheld | Withheld | $53,078 |
| Vehicle Maintenance and Repair Technologies/TechniciansCertificate | Certificate | 4 | Withheld | Withheld | Withheld | $51,586 |
In the area
- Jobs, pay and new homes: the county of Traverse City and Michigan on Local Economy
- More colleges: All colleges in Michigan
- Homes: Homes for sale in Michigan
Questions and answers
How much does Northwestern Michigan College cost?
$6,231 a year is the average net price at Northwestern Michigan College after grants and scholarships. Tuition and fees are $5,860 for in-state students and $13,476 for out-of-state students, and the full cost of attendance with housing, food and books is $13,753. Families earning under $30,000 pay $5,237 on average.
What is the acceptance rate at Northwestern Michigan College?
Northwestern Michigan College has open admission: it accepts students who meet its basic requirements, such as a high school diploma.
How much do Northwestern Michigan College graduates earn?
$38,167 a year is the median pay of former Northwestern Michigan College students who work, 10 years after they started ($34,918 after 6 years). That ranks 3,026 of 5,094 US colleges and 63 of 145 in Michigan. Its best-paid program one year after graduation is Marine Transportation (Bachelor's) at $87,281.
How much student debt do Northwestern Michigan College graduates have?
$12,500 is the median federal student loan debt of Northwestern Michigan College graduates, about $133 a month over 10 years. The median across US colleges is $13,271. 21% of undergraduates take out federal loans.
What is the graduation rate at Northwestern Michigan College?
25% of first-time, full-time students at Northwestern Michigan College finish within 6 years. 84% of first-year students come back for a second year. The median of public 4-year colleges is 46%.
What are the most popular majors at Northwestern Michigan College?
Liberal Arts and Sciences, General Studies and Humanities (243 associate's graduates), Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing (61 associate's graduates), Marine Transportation (48 bachelor's graduates) had the most graduates in the newest year, out of 74 programs.
Official public data, June 2026 release. Net price is for first-time, full-time students who get aid. Completion counts first-time, full-time students who finish within 150% of the normal time. Debt and earnings are medians of students who received federal student aid, measured a few years after they left, in the dollars of the year measured; earnings count former students who work and are not enrolled, including those who did not finish.