Skip to content
Best College Rankings

Private nonprofit · Suburban campus · verified rankings · federal data

Cleary University

Students comparing Cleary University on federal cost, completion, and earnings data who will layer in fit, location, and program strength separately.

CompareOfficial site
Howell, Michigan738 undergraduatesMean consensus percentile 73Private nonprofitSmall enrollmentResearch university

The short answer

Cleary University: Washington Monthly ranks it #1484 on Best Colleges for Your Tuition (and Tax) Dollars (2026); Niche ranks it #1208 on Best Colleges (Overall) (2026). It enrolls 738 undergraduates, admits 67.5% of applicants, and posts a 41.5% six-year graduation rate. Out-of-state tuition is $26,102; aid recipients pay $22,143 on average. Median earnings ten years after entry: $54,186.

The six numbers that matter most

Acceptance rate
67.5%

Below the dataset median of 76%

U.S. Dept. of Education College ScorecardMost recent reported entering class, College Scorecard June 2026 release

Average net price
$22,143

43% below the $39,002 published price

U.S. Dept. of Education College ScorecardAverage for full-time first-time aid recipients, College Scorecard June 2026 release

Median earnings, 10 yrs
$54,186

About the dataset median

U.S. Dept. of Education College ScorecardMedian earnings 10 years after entry, working and not enrolled, College Scorecard June 2026 release

6-year graduation rate
41.5%

Below the dataset median of 56%

U.S. Dept. of Education College ScorecardMost recent six-year cohort, College Scorecard June 2026 release

Median debt at graduation
$19,500

Above the dataset median of $23,250

U.S. Dept. of Education College ScorecardMedian federal loan debt of completers, College Scorecard June 2026 release

SAT middle 50%
Not reportedCleary University reports that it neither requires nor recommends admissions test scores, and does not report a score range to the Department of Education.

U.S. Dept. of Education College Scorecard

Where Cleary University ranks, and why the answers differ

Each publisher's position, the list it belongs to, and how many institutions it was drawn from.

SourceListRank
US News2026National universities, liberal arts, regional and specialty listsNot ranked by this source
Forbes2026America's Top CollegesNot ranked by this source
Washington Monthly2026Best Colleges for Your Tuition (and Tax) Dollars#1484of 1,504Tuition & tax value (WM)
WSJ2026Best Colleges in the U.S.Not ranked by this source
Niche2026Best Colleges (Overall)#1208of 2,605Overall (Niche)
Money2026Best Value CollegesNot ranked by this source
Princeton Review2026Best Colleges (Overall)Not ranked by this source
QS2026World University RankingsNot ranked by this source

Methodology sensitivity: Cleary University's position moves 52 percentile points depending on which published list you read. That is a wide spread, so which list you consult substantially changes the impression you get. How we compute this

Ranking positions are the editorial property of their publishers and are reproduced here with attribution for comparison and commentary. Follow each source link for its full list and methodology.

About Cleary University

Cleary University is a private nonprofit institution in Howell, Michigan. Federal data show 65.8% first-year retention and a 21:1 student-faculty ratio. Figures on this page come from College Scorecard and IPEDS; publisher rankings shown here are transcribed from named sources and checked in our dataset.

Strengths and honest considerations

Strengths

  • Cost and outcome metrics on this profile come directly from federal collections, not self-reported marketing sheets.
  • Net price $22,143 reflects what aid recipients actually paid in the most recent federal reporting year.

Considerations

  • This school may not appear on every publisher list we track; an empty rankings table means no tracked publisher ranked it, not missing federal data.
  • Compare $39,002 sticker cost against $22,143 net price before ruling a school in or out on price alone.
  • Publishers we have not loaded yet, or lists that omit this school, show as “not ranked by this source” — that is expected.

Who this school genuinely fits

Students comparing Cleary University on federal cost, completion, and earnings data who will layer in fit, location, and program strength separately.

What it costs

Published price, then what families actually pay after grants and scholarships.

Tuition & fees
$26,102

U.S. Dept. of Education College ScorecardMost recent reported academic year, College Scorecard June 2026 release

Undergraduates on Pell grants
29.9%

U.S. Dept. of Education College ScorecardShare of undergraduates, College Scorecard June 2026 release

Room & board
$12,900

U.S. Dept. of Education College ScorecardMost recent reported academic year, College Scorecard June 2026 release

Published cost of attendance comes to roughly $39,002 a year, but the average family pays $22,143 — a 43% difference. 29.9% of undergraduates receive Pell grants, the federal marker of low family income.

Net price varies enormously by income band, so run Cleary University's net price calculator for your own household before drawing conclusions. Why net price is the only cost number that matters.

Programs and academics

Most popular majors

  1. 1Business
  2. 2Biology
  3. 3Psychology
  4. 4Computer Science
  5. 5Economics

Standout programs

    Student-faculty ratio
    21:1

    IPEDS / National Center for Education StatisticsIPEDS 2023 fall enrollment

    First-year retention
    65.8%

    U.S. Dept. of Education College ScorecardMost recent first-year cohort, College Scorecard June 2026 release

    Undergraduate enrollment
    738

    U.S. Dept. of Education College ScorecardMost recent reported year, College Scorecard June 2026 release

    Cleary University: questions families ask

    Out-of-state tuition is $26,102 and on-campus room and board is $12,900, for a published total of $39,002 before aid. The average net price for first-time full-time students receiving aid is $22,143.

    The most recent federal admissions rate reported to the Department of Education is 67.5%. Test policy as reported in IPEDS: see the admissions section on this page for the institution's own category.

    Similar colleges

    Matched on institutional character, overlapping majors and comparable cross-source standing.

    Cleveland Institute of Art

    Cleveland, OHPrivate nonprofit

    Verified publisher rankings · federal data

    Cleveland Institute of Art: Washington Monthly ranks it #1372 on Best Colleges for Your Tuition (and Tax) Dollars (2026); Niche ranks it #1397 on Best Colleges (Overall) (2026); Money lists it on Best Value Colleges (2026) — 3 stars. It enrolls 539 undergraduates, admits 61.4% of applicants, and posts a 57.7% six-year graduation rate. Out-of-state tuition is $49,400; aid recipients pay $29,208 on average. Median earnings ten years after entry: $42,509.

    Acceptance rate
    61.4%
    Average net price
    $29,208
    Median earnings (10 yr)
    $42,509
    6-yr graduation rate
    57.7%
    Washington Monthly · Tuition & tax value (WM)#1372 of 1,504Niche · Overall (Niche)#1397 of 2,605Money · Best value (Money)Listed · 3 stars

    539 undergraduates · mean consensus percentile 72 (across ranked lists; lower is better)

    Tiffin University

    Tiffin, OHPrivate nonprofit

    Verified publisher rankings · federal data

    Tiffin University: U.S. News ranks it #141 on Regional Universities (Midwest) (2026); Washington Monthly ranks it #1362 on Best Colleges for Your Tuition (and Tax) Dollars (2026); Niche ranks it #1139 on Best Colleges (Overall) (2026). It enrolls 2,051 undergraduates, admits 80.0% of applicants, and posts a 39.9% six-year graduation rate. Out-of-state tuition is $34,790; aid recipients pay $26,500 on average. Median earnings ten years after entry: $35,942.

    Acceptance rate
    80.0%
    Average net price
    $26,500
    Median earnings (10 yr)
    $35,942
    6-yr graduation rate
    39.9%
    US News · Regional univ. (Midwest)#141 of 165Washington Monthly · Tuition & tax value (WM)#1362 of 1,504Niche · Overall (Niche)#1139 of 2,605

    2,051 undergraduates · mean consensus percentile 73 (across ranked lists; lower is better)

    Newman University

    Wichita, KSPrivate nonprofit

    Verified publisher rankings · federal data

    Newman University: U.S. News ranks it #131 on Regional Universities (Midwest) (2026); Washington Monthly ranks it #1325 on Best Colleges for Your Tuition (and Tax) Dollars (2026); Niche ranks it #1230 on Best Colleges (Overall) (2026). It enrolls 851 undergraduates, admits 74.0% of applicants, and posts a 52.8% six-year graduation rate. Out-of-state tuition is $35,500; aid recipients pay $19,971 on average. Median earnings ten years after entry: $55,041.

    Acceptance rate
    74.0%
    Average net price
    $19,971
    Median earnings (10 yr)
    $55,041
    6-yr graduation rate
    52.8%
    US News · Regional univ. (Midwest)#131 of 165Washington Monthly · Tuition & tax value (WM)#1325 of 1,504Niche · Overall (Niche)#1230 of 2,605

    851 undergraduates · mean consensus percentile 72 (across ranked lists; lower is better)

    Compare Cleary University against these