UDM now ranks among top 9% of universities in U.S. for return-on-investment

University of Detroit Mercy (UDM) now ranks among the TOP 9% of all colleges and universities in the U.S. for career earnings.

Prospective students have an even greater reason to enroll at Detroit Mercy: UDM graduates rank in the top 9% of 4,476 colleges and universities nationwide for salary earned over a period of 15 to 40 years during their career according to Georgetown University’s Center on Education and the Workforce (CEW) research report Ranking 4,476 Colleges by ROI (2025).

This means that Detroit Mercy graduates can expect to earn more than $2.1 million in salary over their 40-year career compared with those who forgo a college education.

This study provides increased justification for the importance of earning a university degree and how it can lead to a higher quality of life for graduates. Specifically, this study examines the net present value of a college or university by focusing on how much a sum of money in the future is valued today. This metric includes costs, future earnings and the length of time it would take to invest and earn a specific amount of money over a fixed length of time.

“A college education is an investment today that can have one of the greatest impacts on our state, our economy and our nation,” said Debbie Stieffel, vice president for Enrollment Management and Student Affairs. “Not only does a Detroit Mercy education give graduates a leg-up on earnings over a lifetime, it also prepares them for meaningful lives by providing excellent student-centered undergraduate and graduate education that seeks to integrate the intellectual, spiritual, ethical and social development of its students.”

For current students, this news provides greater incentive to achieve their educational goals and go on to successful careers.

“I look forward to receiving my degree from a university that has constantly proven itself to be among the best,” said Hisham Almadani, a junior from West Bloomfield who is majoring in Communication Studies. “Such statistics only push me to work harder and prioritize my academics.”

This news comes on the heels of the latest ranking from The Wall Street Journal/College Pulse, which ranked UDM among the top institutions of higher education in the United States for 2026. The University ranked No. 36  in the country, which makes UDM:

• The No. 1 ranked private university in Michigan
• The second-highest ranked university in Michigan
• The No. 2 ranked Catholic university in the Midwest
• The No. 3 ranked Catholic university in the United States
• The No. 2 ranked university among all Association of Jesuit Colleges & Universities in the country