A Comparison of Tuition and Cost of Living for Michigan College Students.

The concept of college tuition prices has certainly become a hot topic in the last two decades. With tuition prices on the rise it has become harder to get an education without getting into loads of student debt. Out of all 50 states, Michigan on average is one of the higher states in the U.S for college tuition costs (ValuePenguin). Which is shocking in comparison to states like California that have a higher cost of living in general. As a broke, curious college student I decided to take a look at the cost of tuition for some of the top universities in the State of Michigan to see if one school was drastically more or less expensive than all of the others.

From the map above we can analyze the top schools tuition prices (darker colors meaning higher prices) it is no surprise that schools like University of Michigan and Michigan State University are on the higher end (around $14,500) a semester. However it is a surprise that a school like Michigan Technological University is the most expensive school out of all 13 universities listed above, at a whopping $15,960 according to College Tuition Compare. Let’s not forget that these prices represent cost per semester…

You can also see that although some schools are definitely more expensive than others, there is no single university that is drastically higher or lower than the rest. Why are some schools so much more prestigious than others if their price tag is around the same? Of course their academics and programs of study also affect pricing and how prestigious these schools are, but it is interesting to think about how a well known school such as U of M can have a lower price than a less popular school such as MTU.

Cost of Living Comparison

While many students and parents often prioritize the cost of tuition for schools, the cost of living is often an afterthought. Below I have compiled data on the cost of the same schools as discussed above. As you can see, throughout all of the schools the cost of living is roughly the same price, the lowest price (LSSU) and the highest price (U of M) is only about a $4,000 difference. Similar to how the tuition costs were around the same price.

By using the cost of living we can compare the difference between tuition prices. For example Michigan State University only has $1,000 difference between tuition prices and the cost of living. While the most expensive school by tuition (MTU) has a difference of almost $5,000 in price. Could this $5,000 difference potentially increase the enrollment of students? Why is MTU cost of living so much lower than cost of living at MSU?

In conclusion, even though we can continue to ask questions as to why certain schools are more expensive than others, the data clearly shows that pricing for an education across the state is relatively the same.

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