Wayne State University

Detroit, MI · Public

Official website

Navora's full analysis of Wayne State University — where an applicant's profile stands against the published cohort, requirements tracking, essays and deadlines — is free with an account.

See the full analysis — free

Admission rate

Wayne State University admitted 83.6% of applicants university-wide (14,430 of 17,263).

CohortAdmit rateAdmittedApplicants
University-wide83.6%14,43017,263
In-state85.1%12,97315,236
Out-of-state77.1%1,0511,363
International applicants61.1%406664
Men82.3%5,5026,686
Women85.2%8,2319,660

Of 14,430 admitted students, 3,071 enrolled (21.3% yield).

Wayne State University Common Data Set 2025-2026 · Sections C1–C2 · 2025Published cohort admit rates — context, not an applicant-specific probability.

Test scores and GPA of admitted students

SAT (mid-50%)
1060–1290
ACT (mid-50%)
23–28
GPA (mid-50%, 4.0 scale)
3.003.99

Testing policy: Required for some programs

Wayne State University Common Data Set 2025-2026 · Sections C9–C12 · 2025Published admit stats reflect the entire incoming class unless explicitly labeled international-only.

Cost and financial aid

Published cost of attendance: $58,332/yr.

Out-of-state tuition$38,720
Fees, housing, food, books & other$19,612
Sticker cost of attendance$58,332/yr

Average net price by family income (US, federal aid data)

Under $30k$11,090
$30k–48k$10,721
$48k–75k$12,068
$75k–110k$14,828
Over $110k$19,862

U.S. Dept. of Education · College Scorecard — average net price by family income (Title IV, from IPEDS) · 2023

US applicants

Need- and merit-based aid available.

  • WSU Freshman Academic ScholarshipsUp to $16,000 per year (Merit)
  • Distinguished Scholar Award$10,000 per year (Merit)
  • Warrior Scholarship$2,000 - $7,000 per year (Merit)
  • Wayne State Merit Scholarship$1,000 - $5,000 per year (Merit)
  • Wayne State University GrantUp to $5,000 per year (Need Based)
  • College of Engineering ScholarshipsVaries (Departmental)
  • Gold Presidential ScholarshipFull tuition for up to 4 years (Full Tuition)

International applicants

No need-based aid reported for internationals.

  • International Student ScholarshipUp to $16,000 per year (International Aid)
  • WSU Freshman Academic ScholarshipsUp to $16,000 per year (Merit)
  • Distinguished Scholar Award$10,000 per year (Merit)
  • International Transfer Student ScholarshipUp to $10,000 per year (International Aid)
  • Warrior Scholarship$2,000 - $7,000 per year (Merit)
  • Wayne State Merit Scholarship$1,000 - $5,000 per year (Merit)
  • College of Engineering ScholarshipsVaries (Departmental)
  • Gold Presidential ScholarshipFull tuition for up to 4 years (Full Tuition)

Wayne State University Common Data Set 2025-2026 · Sections G–H · 2025

Application requirements

US applicants

  • Official transcripts (secondary and postsecondary) translated into English
  • Test-optional documents (essay and activities list) if not submitting SAT/ACT (optional)
  • Application fee

International applicants

  • Official transcripts (secondary and postsecondary) translated into English
  • Test-optional documents (essay and activities list) if not submitting SAT/ACT (optional)
  • Application fee
  • GPA credential conversion
  • Predicted Class XII marksheet
  • Financial documentation (I-20)

Wayne State University · Application requirements (official admissions pages) · 2025

Essay prompts

Wayne State University requires no supplemental essays.

Prompts from the Common App member feed · verified Jul 4, 2026

Graduate outcomes

Median earnings
$53,493
Median earnings · 10 years after entry
Graduation rate
58.4%
Within 150% of normal time
First-year retention
82%
Return for year two · CDS Section B
Median debt
$21,250
At graduation

Wayne State University · U.S. Dept. of Education College Scorecard (2023 release) · 2023Earnings and debt figures are federal data for aid-receiving graduates — cohort outcomes, not a guarantee for any individual student.

Published rankings

  • U.S. News National: #179
  • WSJ: #413
  • Forbes: #264
  • Niche: #192
  • QS: #781

Deadlines

Academics and campus

Largest degree fields: Business & marketing (22%), Psychology (9%), Computer & information sciences (6%).

Student–faculty ratio: 16:1 · 31% of class sections have under 20 students.

Wayne State University Common Data Set 2024-2025 · Sections E, F, I · 2024Published institutional figures for the reporting year — descriptive of the current student body, not a prediction about your experience.

Similar colleges