Kettering University

Private · Moderately Selective · MI

Photo: Colin Venable (CC0)

School data & stats

TypePrivate

LocationMI · Midwest

SettingUrban

Undergrads1,205

Student:faculty11:1

Outcomes

4-yr grad rate18.2%

6-yr grad rate70.8%

Drop-out rate5.7%

Study abroad—

Cost

In-state tuition$48k

Out-of-state tuition$48k

Application fee—

Community

Racial diversity26.6%

Gender diversity20.2%

International3%

Identity—

Overview

Kettering University is a STEM-focused private university in Flint, Michigan, founded originally as General Motors Institute to train engineers directly for GM. That industrial origin still defines the school: professional cooperative education is not an optional add-on but the structure of the entire degree.

Academics

Mechanical engineering is the flagship program, with other applied engineering and computer-science fields close behind. Students alternate between full-time academic terms on campus and full-time paid work terms with employer partners, starting as early as their first year — a five-year path that produces graduates with several years of real industry experience by the time they finish their degree, not just a single summer internship.

Campus & student life

Campus life runs on the same alternating rhythm as the academics — because a significant share of students are off on co-op work terms at any given time, the on-campus population and social scene shift throughout the year in a way that differs from a typical four-year residential college. The academic culture is intense and technical, reflecting the engineering-heavy student body.

Getting in

Kettering's admissions process looks for students ready for a demanding, applied STEM curriculum and comfortable with the co-op commitment from the start — strong math and science preparation matters more here than at a typical liberal-arts-adjacent school.

After graduation

The co-op structure means many students are hired by their co-op employer after graduation, and Kettering has particularly deep, long-standing ties to the automotive and manufacturing industries given its GM origins, along with a broader reach into engineering employers nationally.

Worth knowing

Applicants should understand the co-op system typically stretches the degree to five years rather than four, and that alternating work and study terms is mandatory, not elective — it is the core structure of a Kettering education, not a bonus.

kettering.edu ↗

Admissions

Acceptance rate78.7%

Enrolled mid-50%SAT 1160–1330 · ACT 26–30

Test policyoptional

Rec letters0

Deadlines (2026–27 cycle)

AdmissionRolling

Applying