LPN SCHOOLS IN MICHIGAN — Federal Data, September 2026
LPN Schools in Michigan, Ranked On What Graduates Owe And Earn
18 accredited institutions in Michigan report enough federal data on this program to be compared. They are ranked here on a single measure: how many months of gross pay it takes a graduate to cover the median debt.
See The RankingU.S. Department of Education data. No school paid to be listed.
Across the 18 ranked programs in Michigan, the median graduate needs 5.6 months of gross pay to cover a median federal debt of $19,941, against median earnings of $44,383 one year after completion.
That is slower than the national median of 4.3 months for this field, measured across the 650 institutions in our national LPN schools ranking. The best performer in the state is Gogebic Community College in Ironwood, at 2.7 months.
Every figure on this page is recalculated on Michigan institutions only. Nothing is carried over from the national page.
At A Glance
What the federal data says about LPN schools in Michigan
The Ranking
18 LPN schools in Michigan, ranked by months of gross pay to cover the debt
Lower is better.
| # | School | Type | Award | Months | Debt | Earnings | Completion |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Gogebic Community CollegeIronwood, MI | Public | Certificate | 2.7 | $14,000 | $62,799 | 36% |
| 2 | Delta CollegeUniversity Center, MI | Public | Certificate | 3.1 | $14,038 | $54,108 | 27% |
| 3 | Muskegon Community CollegeMuskegon, MI | Public | Certificate | 3.1 | $15,601 | $60,995 | 28% |
| 4 | Schoolcraft Community College DistrictLivonia, MI | Public | Certificate | 3.4 | $21,575 | $75,104 | 18% |
| 5 | Grand Rapids Community CollegeGrand Rapids, MI | Public | Certificate | 3.5 | $13,413 | $45,946 | 21% |
| 6 | St Clair County Community CollegePort Huron, MI | Public | Certificate | 3.8 | $15,931 | $50,656 | 34% |
| 7 | Ross Medical Education Center-BrightonBrighton, MI | for-profit | Certificate | 4.2 | $15,575 | $44,383 | 65% |
| 8 | Ross Medical Education Center-MidlandMidland, MI | for-profit | Certificate | 4.2 | $15,575 | $44,383 | 82% |
| 9 | Detroit Business Institute-DownriverDetroit, MI | for-profit | Certificate | 5.4 | $23,450 | $52,535 | 100% |
| 10 | Dorsey CollegeMadison Heights, MI | for-profit | Certificate | 5.8 | $19,941 | $41,283 | 54% |
| 11 | Dorsey College-WayneWayne, MI | for-profit | Certificate | 5.8 | $19,941 | $41,283 | 50% |
| 12 | Dorsey College-RosevilleRoseville, MI | for-profit | Certificate | 5.8 | $19,941 | $41,283 | 35% |
| 13 | Dorsey College-SaginawSaginaw, MI | for-profit | Certificate | 5.8 | $19,941 | $41,283 | 65% |
| 14 | Dorsey College-DearbornDetroit, MI | for-profit | Certificate | 5.8 | $19,941 | $41,283 | 35% |
| 15 | Dorsey College-WoodhavenWoodhaven, MI | for-profit | Certificate | 5.8 | $19,941 | $41,283 | 48% |
| 16 | Abcott InstituteSouthfield, MI | for-profit | Certificate | 6.4 | $11,542 | $21,658 | 93% |
| 17 | Davenport UniversityGrand Rapids, MI | nonprofit | Certificate | 7.5 | $34,520 | $55,249 | 57% |
| 18 | Northern Michigan UniversityMarquette, MI | Public | Certificate | 7.7 | $21,500 | $33,683 | 52% |
Source: U.S. Department of Education, College Scorecard, Most Recent Cohorts by Field of Study and by Institution (published 9 June 2026). Debt is the median federal Stafford and Grad PLUS loan debt of completers in this program; earnings are median earnings one year after completion. Where a school offers the program at both certificate and associate level, the shorter payback is shown. Completion is the institution’s published rate, not the program’s.
The Top Five, In Detail
The five fastest payback programs in Michigan, one by one
Gogebic Community College
Ironwood, MI
Gogebic Community College is a public institution in Ironwood. Its practical nursing graduates leave with a median federal debt of $14,000 and report median earnings of $62,799 a year after completing, so the debt is covered by 2.7 months of gross pay: the fastest payback in the state, and 2.9 months faster than the Michigan state median of 5.6. The award measured here is a certificate. The institution reports a 36% completion rate.
Delta College
University Center, MI
Delta College is a public institution in University Center. Its practical nursing graduates leave with a median federal debt of $14,038 and report median earnings of $54,108 a year after completing, so the debt is covered by 3.1 months of gross pay: the second fastest in the state, and 2.5 months faster than the Michigan state median of 5.6. The award measured here is a certificate. The institution reports a 27% completion rate.
Muskegon Community College
Muskegon, MI
Muskegon Community College is a public institution in Muskegon. Its practical nursing graduates leave with a median federal debt of $15,601 and report median earnings of $60,995 a year after completing, so the debt is covered by 3.1 months of gross pay: the third fastest in the state, and 2.5 months faster than the Michigan state median of 5.6. The award measured here is a certificate. The institution reports a 28% completion rate.
Schoolcraft Community College District
Livonia, MI
Schoolcraft Community College District is a public institution in Livonia. Its practical nursing graduates leave with a median federal debt of $21,575 and report median earnings of $75,104 a year after completing, so the debt is covered by 3.4 months of gross pay: fourth in the state, and 2.2 months faster than the Michigan state median of 5.6. The award measured here is a certificate. The institution reports a 18% completion rate.
Grand Rapids Community College
Grand Rapids, MI
Grand Rapids Community College is a public institution in Grand Rapids. Its practical nursing graduates leave with a median federal debt of $13,413 and report median earnings of $45,946 a year after completing, so the debt is covered by 3.5 months of gross pay: fifth in the state, and 2.1 months faster than the Michigan state median of 5.6. The award measured here is a certificate. The institution reports a 21% completion rate.
Read It Carefully
What this ranking does not measure
Absence from this page is not a verdict. The Department of Education suppresses figures for programs with small cohorts, so a small, excellent school will often have no publishable data at all. Schools that enroll no students on federal aid are outside this dataset entirely.
The measure is a ratio, not a repayment plan, and it counts federal loan debt only. Cash payments, private loans and employer sponsorship are invisible here. Local wages shape earnings as much as the school does, which is exactly why comparing inside one state, as this page does, is more informative than comparing across the country.
Other States
The same program, another state
Other Programs in Michigan
Comparing a different trade in Michigan
For MICHIGAN School Operators
Want to know how your program ranks against these?
We run this analysis for individual schools against their own federal data and show them where they sit against both the Michigan median and the national one. Where the answer is good, it is the strongest recruitment argument a school owns.
Book Your Free Enrollment AuditBy application only — reserved for trade and vocational school operators enrolling 50+ students a year.