Admit rate has ranged 73%–86% over the last 5 years — notably volatile. Source: IPEDS via Urban Institute.
Acceptance & SAT from Common Data Set / IPEDS; net price, earnings & graduation from the U.S. Dept. of Education College Scorecard. Figures lag ~1–2 years — verify with the school.
Kettering University is a fiercely pragmatic, STEM-obsessed institution in Flint, Michigan, built around a mandatory, integrated co-op program that sends students into industry from day one. It's a place where the line between classroom and career is deliberately blurred, producing graduates who are immediately operational and command some of the highest starting salaries in the state. The culture is intense, collaborative, and deeply connected to the automotive and advanced mobility industries, with a social life heavily anchored in a vibrant Greek system.
Admission requirements
Test-optional — scores considered if submitted
Required
High school transcript
Grade point average
TOEFL (non-native English)
Considered (not required)
Class rank
Letters of recommendation
Test scores (SAT/ACT)
College-prep program
Demonstrated competencies
Source: IPEDS Admissions survey (2022) via Urban Institute. Covers formal factors only — it does not reflect essays, extracurriculars, or other holistic criteria.
3.0 / 3.0Meets the federal financial-responsibility standard
U.S. Dept. of Education Financial Responsibility Composite Score (FY2022-23). Scale −1.0 to 3.0; ≥1.5 meets the standard. Reported for private nonprofit & for-profit institutions only — public universities are state-backed and not scored, so this is a stability signal, not a ranking.
Top-earning majors
Median earnings by field of study (highest credential), ~2 years after completion.
Chemical Engineering$83,177
Mechanical Engineering$80,255
Electrical, Electronics, and Communications Engineering$78,612
Computer Science$77,715
Industrial Engineering$70,009
Business Administration, Management and Operations$54,713
Campus & location
Campus safety
On-campus violent crimes (2024)
0
Per 1,000 students
0.00
On-campus criminal offenses classed as violent (murder/non-negligent manslaughter, rape, robbery, aggravated assault) for the most recent reported year. Source: U.S. Dept. of Education Campus Safety and Security (Clery Act). Counts reflect what’s reported to the school, and urban campuses often report more partly due to non-student incidents nearby — read alongside campus size and setting, not as a standalone safety verdict.
Climate
Pleasant days / yr
92
Summer high
81°F
Winter low
21°F
Annual rain
36.2"
Annual snow
33.4"
Natural-hazard risk
Relatively Moderate
Pleasant days counts days per year with a mean temperature of 55–75°F, a high at or below 90°F, a low at or above 45°F, and little precipitation — a transparent comfort measure, not a weighting we invented. Computed from Open-Meteo ERA5 daily history (2019–2023). Natural-hazard risk is the county’s composite rating from the FEMA National Risk Index.
Deep dive — research, future-scholar output & economic mobility▾
Research output
Institutional h-index
548
Scholarly works
15,313
Institutional research volume and impact from OpenAlex. The h-index reflects large research universities and will be low for teaching-focused liberal-arts colleges — not a measure of undergraduate quality.
Economic mobility
Mobility rate
3.1%
Bottom → top quintile
75%
From bottom quintile
4%
Mobility rate = the share of students who both start in the bottom household-income quintile and reach the top quintile; bottom → top is that chance conditional on starting at the bottom. Source: Opportunity Insights Mobility Report Cards (Chetty, Friedman, Saez, Turner & Yagan). Reflects 1980–82 birth cohorts, so it’s directional, not current.
Quick answers
What is the acceptance rate at Kettering University?
Kettering University's acceptance rate is approximately 79% (Flint, MI), based on the most recent figures we compiled from public and primary sources.
What SAT score do you need for Kettering University?
Admitted students at Kettering University typically score 1160–1330 on the SAT (the middle-50% range). Scores outside this band are still admitted, especially with strong applications.
How much does Kettering University cost?
At Kettering University, the average net price (after aid) is about $34,660 per year. Actual cost varies with financial aid and residency.
How many undergraduates attend Kettering University?
Kettering University enrolls approximately 1,205 undergraduate students.
Where is Kettering University located?
Kettering University is located in Flint, MI.
Admissions
Kettering's admissions process is moderately selective, prioritizing applicants with a clear aptitude for STEM and a readiness for its demanding co-op structure. The university accepts the Common Application and operates on a policy. While the overall is high, the admitted student profile skews toward strong quantitative preparedness. The early acceptance rate is notably higher than the regular decision rate, suggesting a strategic advantage for committed applicants. Admissions decisions are made on a rolling basis after the priority deadline.
Acceptance Rate: 79% (with an early acceptance rate of 88.9%).
Test Scores: The middle 50% SAT range for admitted students is 1090–1300.
Application Policy: Accepts Common Application; test-optional.
Deadline: Regular admission is rolling.
Sources do not provide explicit information on Kettering's policy regarding demonstrated interest, nor do they specify an Early Decision program or rate.
Earnings = median of students working ~10 years after entry; debt = median of graduates. Value divides 10-yr earnings by one year’s net price — read it as earnings per dollar of annual cost, not a full lifetime ROI; it favors lower-cost schools. Source: U.S. Dept. of Education College Scorecard. Figures lag ~2 years and reflect all students, not your intended major.
Source: U.S. Dept. of Education College Scorecard (field-of-study earnings). Figures cover graduates who received federal aid and lag ~2 years; not all programs report data.
The academic engine at Kettering is its suite of STEM and management programs, each rigidly coupled to the university's signature co-op model. Students alternate between terms of academic study on campus and paid, professional work terms with a corporate partner, creating a continuous cycle of theory and practice. The curriculum is intensely hands-on, with every major providing access to high-tech laboratories. Popular majors cluster in engineering, computer science, and the biological sciences, but the program list also includes business-focused tracks like Innovation and Entrepreneurship, Supply Chain and Logistics Management, and Business Analytics. The structure demands discipline—the student body is divided into "A-Section" and "B-Section" cohorts that flip-flop between campus and work site every other term.
Life at Kettering is defined by its intense, cohort-driven rhythm and its location in Flint, Michigan. With a total undergraduate enrollment just over 1,200, the campus is small and close-knit. Social life is dominated by Greek organizations, with nearly half of the student body involved in fraternities or sororities. On-campus housing is centered in Thompson Hall, which offers various living options including gender-neutral and single rooms. Students can choose from more than 50 clubs and competition teams. The urban setting means campus life is self-contained, with the co-op schedule ensuring a constant churn of students leaving for and returning from work terms across the country, which creates a unique, transient-yet-tight community vibe.
Kettering's return on investment is its most powerful selling point. The co-op model ensures graduates enter the workforce with nearly two years of professional experience, making them immediately valuable to employers. Outcomes data is striking: graduates report a median annual earnings of $100,000 just four years after graduation, the highest figure among both public and private institutions in Michigan. The median starting salary is $75,700. The six-year graduation rate is 71%, with female students graduating at a higher rate than their male peers. Long-term earnings remain strong, with a 40-year net present value approaching $2 million and median earnings after ten years exceeding $90,000. The university boasts that graduates receive an average of an 8% annualized return on their educational investment.
The sticker price at Kettering is significant, with tuition and fees listed at $50,650 and total annual attendance costs approaching $65,646. However, the university is aggressive with financial aid, leveraging scholarships, grants, and the earnings students make from their mandatory co-op placements. A substantial 100% of full-time beginning undergraduates receive grant or scholarship aid, with the average aid package reported as $40,987. The average after aid is $34,660. The financial aid office emphasizes helping students navigate the process and highlights scholarships awarded based on achievement. The co-op earnings—which are paid directly to the student—are a critical, built-in component of affordability, allowing students to offset living expenses and reduce loan debt while gaining experience.
Kettering University is not a traditional liberal arts college; it is a professional training ground with the intensity of a tech bootcamp stretched over four years. Its defining feature is the non-negotiable, fully integrated co-op program, which isn't an add-on internship but the core rhythm of the academic calendar. This creates a profoundly different student experience—one where a freshman might be analyzing circuits in a Flint classroom one term and applying that knowledge on the factory floor of a major automaker the next. The result is a graduate who is less a theoretician and more a seasoned practitioner. This model explains the extraordinary earnings outcomes and the deep loyalty of its industry partners. It's a school for the pragmatic, the hands-on, and those who want their education to feel like a job from the very start—because, at Kettering, it literally is.
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