Academic Index Last updated: June 23, 2026

13 Best Universities in Michigan for Sports

We ranked the top 13 universities for Sports in Michigan based on strict academic metrics. To determine these leaders, we isolated 951.3K specialized research publications which collectively generated 37.48M citations. This targeted approach bypasses general university reputation, directly revealing the strongest programs.

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Ranking Methodology Notice

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1

Ann Arbor

University of Michigan – Ann Arbor

For Sports

#3 in United States #4 in North America

16% Acceptance

10,603 Enrollment

1445 Avg SAT

1817 Founded

2

East Lansing

Michigan State University

For Sports

#54 in United States #66 in North America

85% Acceptance

10,603 Enrollment

1270 Avg SAT

1855 Founded

3

Detroit

Wayne State University

For Sports

#71 in United States #84 in North America

81% Acceptance

16,012 Enrollment

1165 Avg SAT

1868 Founded

4

Rochester Hills

Oakland University

For Sports

#237 in United States #271 in North America

88% Acceptance

10,603 Enrollment

1130 Avg SAT

1957 Founded

5

Kalamazoo

Western Michigan University

For Sports

#194 in United States #223 in North America

85% Acceptance

14,074 Enrollment

1080 Avg SAT

1903 Founded

6

Alma

For Sports

#491 in United States #538 in North America

57% Acceptance

1,159 Enrollment

1200 Avg SAT

1886 Founded

7

University Center

Saginaw Valley State University

For Sports

#494 in United States #541 in North America

72% Acceptance

7,500 Enrollment

1045 Avg SAT

1963 Founded

8

Marquette

Northern Michigan University

For Sports

#330 in United States #368 in North America

84% Acceptance

7,895 Enrollment

1065 Avg SAT

1899 Founded

9

Holland

For Sports

#457 in United States #503 in North America

79% Acceptance

16,744 Enrollment

1220 Avg SAT

1866 Founded

10

Berrien Springs

Andrews University

For Sports

#414 in United States #458 in North America

82% Acceptance

1,384 Enrollment

1140 Avg SAT

1874 Founded

11

Ypsilanti

Eastern Michigan University

For Sports

#290 in United States #326 in North America

80% Acceptance

4,397 Enrollment

1045 Avg SAT

1849 Founded

12

Allendale, MI

Grand Valley State University

For Sports

#253 in United States #288 in North America

83% Acceptance

5,734 Enrollment

1065 Avg SAT

1960 Founded

13

Mount Pleasant, MI

Central Michigan University

For Sports

#207 in United States #238 in North America

90% Acceptance

16,744 Enrollment

1080 Avg SAT

1892 Founded