Spotlight on Michigan Engineering
Everything about applying to Michigan Engineering & what life is like at UMichigan. Get the facts, figures, and an international student loan.
The University of Michigan was founded in 1814 and the first dean to the College of Engineering was appointed in 1895, making it among the first several schools added to this prestigious institution.
With several Nobel Prize winners among the alumni ranks of the University of Michigan, it’s not surprising it’s such a popular choice for engineers with a keen interest in research and new developments.
Where is the University of Michigan?
City: Ann Arbor, Michigan (MI)
City population: 120,782, with a metropolitan population of 3,734,090
Region: Midwest
Climate: Midwestern humid continental climate type: winters are cold and snowy (Jan avg: -4.2°C/24.5°F); summers are warm to hot and humid (Jul avg: 22.6°C/72.6°F)
Nearest airport: Detroit Wayne County (DTW)
Time zone: EST from November-March (GMT -5); EDT from March to November (GMT-4)
University of Michigan fast facts
Public university
University enrollment: 48,090
Living alumni: 611,000+
Graduate students: 16,824
International enrollment: 7255
International grad students: 4778
Engineering grad students: 3608
Engineering masters students: 1870
Most represented countries in engineering: China, India, South Korea, Taiwan (China), Iran
What can you study at Michigan Engineering?
In 2018, Michigan Engineering spent $303,645,000 and the wonderfully high rankings of their engineering departments reflect this investment.
The school offers a variety of Masters of Science, Masters of Science in Engineering, and Masters of Engineering degrees - although the specific options vary by department.
Michigan Engineering job placement
Michigan Engineering has its own career resources center and offers a variety of resources.
The Engineering Career Resource Center offers a complete guide to marketing yourself to employers, with specific tips for international students.
There are 4 annual engineering career fairs:
SWE/TBP Engineering Fall Career Fair
Winter Engineering Career Fair
ASCE Civil and Environmental Engineering Career Fair
IISE Industrial and Operations Engineering (IOE) Career Fair
Career fairs are only open to Michigan Engineering students and it’s easy to access the recruiting company lists.
Summer internship salaries range between $1906 - $10,053 per month.
The majority of Michigan Engineering grad students remain for employment in the US. International students have access to resources to find work and secure the appropriate visas.
The top destination states for Michigan grads are:
Michigan (35%)
California (23%)
Washington (9%)
Illinois (5%)
Texas (4%)
New York (3%)
$85,922 : average base salary for all engineering grads
$109,154 : average salary for computer science engineering grads
47% : of Engineering grads remain in the Midwest region
$110K : median salary for grads in software industry
There is an enormous amount of support for Michigan Engineering students in their job search or additional research pursuits.
International students should be certain to reach out to the Engineering Career Resource Center as early as possible as the employment process in the United States is often very different from grad students find in their home country.
What's it like to live at the University of Michigan Ann Arbor?
Ann Arbor is a “college town” that falls within the greater Detroit metropolitan area, and it has a number of accolades behind its name over the past couple of years. Those include falling in the top ten of these amazing lists from a variety of sources:
Most Creative Cities
Best Places for New College Grads
Happiest Cities in America
Greatest Main Street in America
Best Places for New College Grads
There are plenty of off-campus apartments available, but the graduate student housing at Michigan are reputed to be excellent. There are plenty of on-campus graduate apartment options for single students as well as those with families - and around 80 nationalities are represented in these facilities.
Whether you live on or off-campus, there are excellent campus meal plans available to suit a variety of dining options. And, even on-campus graduate apartments are located near enough to grocery stores.
The university operates a bus service as well as vanpooling options that moves students around campus and connects them to the surrounding communities. Reaching more distant corners, such as Detroit may require carpooling or hiring a car. Companies such as ZipCars are designed to meet students’ needs for just such occasions.
How to get into Michigan Engineering
The University of Michigan is one of the most prestigious public universities in the world - and especially in the School of Engineering. Getting into the university is a competitive process. You should expect that every other candidate has amazing test scores and you’ll need to use your statement of purpose and personal statement to really shine.
It’s important to demonstrate your unique strengths and how these will benefit the university community. Communication and interpersonal relationships are just as important as the marks on paper and you may want to consider these aspects when assessing your overall application.
Don’t neglect your analytical side, however, and keep in mind the following averages when preparing your essays. If your test scores or undergraduate GPA fall under these figures, you may want to take the chance to discuss it - and show how your other strength compensate, maybe even making you a stronger applicant.
Average undergrad GPA: 3.63
Average GRE scores: 154 verbal, 167 quantitative, 3.6 analytical writing
Michigan Engineering admissions
Fall admission deadline: 15 January
Application fee: $90
SOP essay: 1-3 pages, plus 500-word personal statement
Recommendations: 3, faculty recommendations are encouraged
GRE test: required, departments may state minimums
GPA: no min specified, but it is competitive
Language test: required for all non-native English speakers, with specific exemptions; TOEFL, MELAB, IELTS, and ECPE tests are accepted
Min TOEFL score: 88 iBT, 570 pBT
Min MELAB score: 80
Min IELTS score: 6.5
Michigan engineering cost of attendance (for 19/20 academic year)
Tuition and fees: $48,532
Housing and meals: $16,426
Books and supplies: $1192
Personal and misc: $6574
Total CoA for 1 year: $72,724
*Healthcare is included in these costs and required for all international students. For more information, contact the international office.
Does the University of Michigan offer scholarships to international students?
The University of Michigan offers a certain number of scholarships specifically for international students. Included are:
The Barbour Scholarship
Chia-Lun Lo Fellowship
Latin American Scholarship Program of American Universities (LASPAU)
Rackham International Student Fellowship
Robin Wright Graduate Fellowship
Some of these are offered based on geography while the Rackham International Student Fellowship provides assistance to select international students who “may be ineligible for other kinds of support because of citizenship”.
Check with the financial aid office to learn more about these and other financial aid opportunities for international grad students at Michigan.
Prodigy Finance international student loans for the University of Michigan
Prodigy Finance offers loans for international masters students at Michigan Engineering at the University of Michigan.
Students from supported countries pursuing masters programmes that can be completed in less than 2 years are eligible to apply.
Maximum loan amount: up to 100% of the school-provided cost of attendance (tuition plus living expenses)
Minimum loan amount: $15,000
All loans disbursed directly to the university according to due dates
GET A LOAN FOR UNIVERSITY OF MICHIGAN SCHOOL OF ENGINEERING
Prodigy Finance also supports loans for University of Michigan students pursuing masters degrees in these schools:
Ready for a University of Michigan Engineering masters?
Prodigy Finance provides loans to international masters students pursuing their masters degrees at top universities, including Michigan Engineering.
Prodigy Finance Ltd is authorised and regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority.
If you want to go ahead and know the difference between master of science and master of engineering, or if you want to know what and where to study, try our Study Centre which is filled with expert opinions on a range of topics.
For any other information about Prodigy Finance, or our student loan process, feel free to browse through our site, or register for a webinar to have your questions answered by one of our team.