Universities in Detroit, USA
- Rankings & Reviews -

Latest ranking updates related to universities in Detroit
  • 06 Mar, 2024: Latest Scimago Institutions Rankings from Scimago Institutions. 2 universities from Detroit appear in this ranking.
  • 19 Dec, 2023: Publication of URAP World Ranking - University Ranking by Academic Performance. Wayne State University ranked #441.
  • 05 Dec, 2023: Publication of QS World University Rankings: Sustainability. Wayne State University ranked #941.
  • 27 Oct, 2023: GRAS Global Ranking of Academic Subjects - ShanghaiRanking (Textile Science and Engineering) updated with Wayne State University ranked highest among 12 listed universities in Detroit.

Detroit has a reputation for its friendly and hard-working locals, its vibrant foodie culture, and its music scene above all.

What is perhaps less known is that the city offers multiple fantastic options for studying in higher education, as well as the opportunity to enjoy stunning green public spaces like Belle Isle, where friends and family can get together and enjoy the great quality of life Detroit has to offer.


Rankings of universities in Detroit, USA 2024

Student satisfaction: 4.1 / 5.0 (based on 1181 student ratings)
Card image

  • #111 
  • #501 
THE World University Rankings
[Published 27 September, 2023]
  • #280 
  • #279 
Wall Street Journal/Times Higher Education US College Rankings
[Published 14 September, 2021]
  • #113 
  • #751 
QS World University Rankings
[Published 27 June, 2023]
Show 21 more rankings of Wayne State University and subject specific rankings for 8 subjects

Student satisfaction: 4.5 / 5.0 (based on 151 student ratings)
Card image

  • #202 
  • #202 
Wall Street Journal/Times Higher Education US College Rankings
[Published 14 September, 2021]
  • #405 
  • #3160 
Scimago Institutions Rankings
[Published 06 March, 2024]
  • #602 
  • #623 
Payscale College Salary Report - Best Universities (Bachelors only)
[Published 11 November, 2021]
Show 7 more rankings of University of Detroit Mercy and subject specific rankings for 3 subjects

#3
USA

Marygrove College

Student satisfaction: 4.2 / 5.0 (based on 46 student ratings)
Card image

  • #1571 
  • #10084 
Webometrics Ranking Web of Universities
[Published 31 July, 2023]


Student satisfaction: 4.7 / 5.0 (based on 190 student ratings)
Card image

  • #325 
  • #327 
Wall Street Journal/Times Higher Education US College Rankings
[Published 14 September, 2021]
  • #513 
  • #530 
Payscale College Salary Report - Best Universities (Bachelors only)
[Published 11 November, 2021]
  • #707 
  • #734 
Payscale College Salary Report - Best Universities (All Alumni)
[Published 11 November, 2021]
Show 1 more rankings of College for Creative Studies

Highest subject rankings of universities in Detroit

Law GRAS Global Ranking of Academic Subjects - ShanghaiRanking
#46 
Wayne State University
Nursing & Health Care Payscale College Salary Report - Best Schools by Majors
#91 
Wayne State University
Physics GRAS Global Ranking of Academic Subjects - ShanghaiRanking
#151 
Wayne State University
Engineering US News: Best Grad Schools (US)
#152 
University of Detroit Mercy
Education US News: Best Grad Schools (US)
#153 
Wayne State University
Computer Science NTU Rankings by Subject
#177 
Wayne State University
Mathematics NTU Rankings by Subject
#179 
Wayne State University
Psychology GRAS Global Ranking of Academic Subjects - ShanghaiRanking
#201 
Wayne State University

Student Opinions About Studying in Detroit

“Belle Isle is my favourite place in Detroit, located right off Jefferson Avenue just next to the downtown area. Detroit locals use this stunning green space for family reunions, birthday parties, jogging, biking, or even fishing.”

“The people in Detroit are its greatest asset in my opinion, who I generally find to be a very hard-working, humble, and artistic kind of people. Even though it’s a big city, you can expect about half of the people walking past you to say hello or acknowledge you, which is just unheard of in cities of a comparable scale.”

“There’s a huge music scene here, and you can instantly tell when you see how many festivals are put on here, like the annual Jazz Festival, Technofest, and Electric Forest.”

Detroit Key Facts for International Students

PROS

  • Detroit is a melting pot of cultures, as it attracts people from all nationalities and every walk of life. This is a huge positive for international students, as they’ll never feel that they stand out for being from another country.

  • The city has a great reputation for food, again partly due to its international influence, but also because of their Coney Island American-style diners. The Southwest sector of Detroit is referred to as Mexican Town by the locals due to its many popular Mexican dining options. If fine dining is what you’re looking for, downtown is the place to be. Detroiters take food seriously!

  • Detroit offers a lot of tech and automobile-related work opportunities. Given that the rent in Detroit is somewhat high, it’s advisable to have a job ready before arriving, if possible.

CONS

  • Many residents in Detroit agree that although the vast majority of the time it doesn’t affect you, the city has a crime problem. Carjacking is a particular problem for Detroit, so if you have a car the ideal solution would be to find a place to live that provides secure interior parking.

  • The prices for renting apartments are excessive in most cases according to a significant number of locals, and it’s not recommended to do your grocery shopping in the midtown or downtown area because the options are limited to WholeFoods supermarket, which is prohibitively expensive for many people.


4 out of 4 Universities in Detroit Ranked in at least one ranking

26 Different Rankings list Universities in Detroit (19 institution and 7 subject rankings)

3 Global Rankings rank Universities in Detroit Among TOP 200

Population: 678000

Elevation: 183 m. above sea level

Time: GMT -5

District/province: Michigan, Wayne County

Living costs for students in Detroit:

* 100 = prices in London

  • Living costs without accommodation 82* (18% cheaper than London)
  • All costs including accommodation 66* (34% cheaper than London)
  • Meals (grocery & lower cost restaurants) 71* (29% cheaper than London)
  • Average Big Mac price 5.15 US$
  • Plug Type A
    • Residential voltage: 120 V
    • Frequency: 60 Hz
  • Plug Type B
    • Residential voltage: 120 V
    • Frequency: 60 Hz

Map with location of universities in Detroit

google static map google map control google map control

Useful related pages

Links below are handpicked for usefulness. We might earn a commission on purchases.

FAQ

Wayne State University ranks #1 in Detroit in our meta ranking composed of 112 university rankings.

Among all universities in Detroit Wayne State University is listed in the largest number of rankings. See all 31 rankings where Wayne State University is listed.

Wayne State University is ranked best in Detroit for Law (Law). See all rankings for the Wayne State University.

Wayne State University is ranked best in Detroit for Medicine & Health (Nursing & Health Care). See all rankings for the Wayne State University.

Wayne State University is ranked best in Detroit for Natural Sciences (Physics). See all rankings for the Wayne State University.

University of Detroit Mercy is ranked best in Detroit for Engineering (Engineering). See all rankings for the University of Detroit Mercy.

Wayne State University is ranked best in Detroit for Education (Education). See all rankings for the Wayne State University.

Wayne State University is ranked best in Detroit for Computer Science (Computer Science). See all rankings for the Wayne State University.

Wayne State University is ranked best in Detroit for Mathematics (Mathematics). See all rankings for the Wayne State University.

Wayne State University is ranked best in Detroit for Social Studies & Humanities (Psychology). See all rankings for the Wayne State University.

Ranking publishers

4icu

view methodology

British Quacquarelli Symonds, UK

Criteria used in ranking -QS World University Rankings:

Academic Reputation 40% Employer Reputation 10% Faculty/Student Ratio 20% Citations per faculty 20% International Faculty Ratio 5% International Student Ratio 5%

view methodology

view methodology

CWUR Center for World University Rankings

Criteria used in ranking -CWUR Center for World University Rankings:

Research Performance: 40%

  • Research Output: 10%
  • High-Quality Publications: 10%
  • Influence: 10%
  • Citations: 10%

Quality of Education: 25%

Alumni Employment: 25%

Quality of Faculty: 10%

view methodology

Centre for Science and Technology Studies, Leiden University, Netherlands

Criteria used in ranking -CWTS Leiden Ranking:

Scientific Impact Number of Publications Collaboration Open Access Gender Diversity

view methodology

Forbes

view methodology

Kiplinger

Criteria used in ranking -Kiplinger's Best College Values:

Quality Criteria 55% Cost Criteria 45%

view methodology

MONEY

Criteria used in ranking -MONEY Best Colleges in America, ranked by value:

Quality of education 33.33% Affordability 33.33% Outcomes 33.33%

view methodology

NTU ranking

Criteria used in ranking -NTU Performance Ranking of Scientific Papers:

Research Productivity: 25%

  • # Articles last 11 years: 10%
  • # Articles current year: 15%

Research Impact: 35%

  • # Citations last 11 years: 15%
  • # Citations last 2 years: 10%
  • Average # citations last 11 years: 10%

Research Excellence: 40%

  • H-index last 2 years: 10%
  • # Highly cited papers last 11 years: 15%
  • # Articles current year in high-impact journals: 15%

view methodology

Nature Index

Criteria used in ranking -Nature Index - Academic:

Article count (AC) Fractional count (FC) Weighted fractional count (WFC)

view methodology

Payscale

Criteria used in ranking -Payscale College Salary Report - Best Universities (Bachelors only):

Ranking is based on ROI

view methodology

view methodology

RUR Ranking Agency (Moscow, Russia)

Criteria used in ranking -RUR World University Rankings:

Teaching: 40%

  • Ratio Faculty/Student: 8%
  • Ratio Faculty/Bachelor Degrees Awarded: 8%
  • Ratio Faculty/Doctoral Degrees Awarded: 8%
  • Ratio Doctoral Degrees Awarded/Bachelor Degrees Awarded: 8%
  • World Teaching Reputation: 8%

Research: 40%

  • Citations per Academic/Research Staff: 8%
  • Doctoral Degrees per Accepted PhD: 8%
  • Normalized Citation Impact: 8%
  • Papers per Academic/Research Staff: 8%
  • World Research Reputation: 8%

International Diversity: 10%

  • International Faculty: 2%
  • International Students: 2%
  • International Co-Authored Papers: 2%
  • Reputation Outside Geographical Region: 2%
  • International Level: 2%

Financial Sustainability: 10%

  • Institutional Income per Faculty: 2%
  • Institutional Income per Student: 2%
  • Papers per Research Income: 2%
  • Research Income per Academic/Research Staff: 2%
  • Research Income per Institutional Income: 2%

view methodology

Criteria used in ranking -RUR Academic Rankings:

Normalized citation impact (Citations of research publications from all university authors compared with world averages) 20% Citation per papers 20% Papers per academic and research staff 20% International research reputation 20% Share of research publications written in international co-authorship 20%

view methodology

Criteria used in ranking -RUR Reputation Ranking:

Teaching Reputation 50% Research Reputation 50%

view methodology

Scimago Institutions

Criteria used in ranking -Scimago Institutions Rankings:

Research 50% Innovation 30%
Societal 20%

view methodology

ShanghaiRanking Consultancy

Criteria used in ranking -ARWU Academic Ranking of World Universities - ShanghaiRanking:

Quality of Education 10%

  • Alumni winning Nobel Prizes/Field Medals 10%

Quality of Faculty 40%

  • Staff winning Nobel Prizes/Field Medals 20%
  • Highly Cited Researchers 20%

Research Output 40%

  • Papers published in Nature and Science 20%
  • Papers indexed in Science Citation Index-Expanded & Social Science Citation Index 20%

Per Capita Performance 10%

view methodology

StuDocu

view methodology

THE Times Higher Education, UK

Criteria used in ranking -THE World University Rankings:

30% Teaching (the Learning Environment)

  • Reputation survey: 15%
  • Staff-to-student ratio: 4.5%
  • Doctorate-to-bachelor’s ratio: 2.25%
  • Doctorates-awarded-to-academic-staff ratio: 6%
  • Institutional income: 2.25%

30% Research (Volume, Income and Reputation)

  • Reputation survey: 18%
  • Research income: 6%
  • Research productivity: 6%

30% Citations (Research Influence)

7.5% International Outlook (Staff, Students and Research)

  • Proportion of international students: 2.5%
  • Proportion of international staff: 2.5%
  • International collaboration: 2.5%

2.5% Industry Income (Knowledge Transfer)"

view methodology

view methodology

Urap

view methodology

Us News

view methodology

view methodology

Wallstreet Journal USA & THE Times Higher Education, UK

Criteria used in ranking -Wall Street Journal/Times Higher Education US College Rankings:

Outcomes 40% (employability) Resources 30% Engagement 20% (teaching) Environment 10% (diversity)

view methodology

Washington Monthly

Criteria used in ranking -Washington Monthly - National Universities:

Social Mobility 33.33%
Research 33.33%
Community and National Service 33.33%

view methodology

Webometrics

Criteria used in ranking -Webometrics Ranking Web of Universities:

Visibility 50% Excellence 35% Transparency 10% Presence 5%

view methodology