FAFSA lower earnings list

Michigan schools on the FAFSA “lower earnings” list

42 schools in Michigan are flagged "lower earnings" in the Department of Education's March 2026 release, the list the 2027-28 FAFSA uses, out of 135 Michigan schools with an earnings figure. The December 2025 release, which earlier news coverage reported, flagged 58: 18 came off and 2 were added.

A Michigan school is flagged when its graduates’ median earnings four years after completing are below $32,616, the median for Michigan high school graduates aged 25 to 34 (March 2026 release, January 2026 dollars). A school that mostly enrolls out-of-state students or operates in several states is compared with the national median, $34,635, instead.

Data period: March 2026 release, completers of 2017-18 and 2018-19, earnings measured in 2022 and 2023. Nationally: 999 schools flagged now, 1,365 in December 2025. National report and method

Last verified: September 25, 2026.

Flagged in the March 2026 release (42)

Names as the Department lists them. A linked name opens the school’s CampusPin profile, which shows its earnings and benchmark.

  • Abcott Institute
  • Bayshire Academy of Beauty Craft Inc
  • Creative Hair School of Cosmetology, new since December (had no figure)
  • David Pressley School of Cosmetology
  • Dorsey School of Beauty
  • Douglas J Aveda Institute
  • Elevate Salon Institute
  • Empire Beauty School-Michigan
  • French Academy of Cosmetology
  • Hillsdale Beauty College
  • Irene's Myomassology Institute
  • L'esprit Academy
  • Lakewood School of Therapeutic Massage
  • M J Murphy Beauty College of Mount Pleasant
  • Marketti Academy of Cosmetology
  • Michigan Career and Technical Institute
  • Michigan College of Beauty-Monroe
  • Michigan College of Beauty-Troy
  • Nuvo College of Cosmetology
  • P&A Scholars Beauty School
  • Paul Mitchell the School-Farmington Hills, new since December (had no figure)
  • Paul Mitchell the School-Grand Rapids
  • Paul Mitchell the School-Great Lakes
  • Paul Mitchell the School-Michigan
  • Protege Academy
  • Protege Academy
  • Ross Medical Education Center-Battle Creek
  • Ross Medical Education Center-Canton
  • Ross Medical Education Center-Flint
  • Ross Medical Education Center-New Baltimore
  • Ross Medical Education Center-Port Huron
  • Ross Medical Education Center-Portage
  • Ross Medical Education Center-Roosevelt Park
  • Ross Medical Education Center-Saginaw
  • Ross Medical Education Center-Taylor
  • Ross Medical Education Center-Warren
  • Sharp's Academy of Hairstyling
  • Taylor Andrews Academy of Hair Design-Hair Lab Detroit Barber School
  • The Michigan Barber School
  • The Salon Professional Academy-Battle Creek
  • Twin City Beauty College
  • West Michigan College of Barbering and Beauty

Flagged in December 2025, not now (18)

The reason is given for each. Because the benchmark and the graduating cohort changed too, coming off is not by itself evidence that graduates earn more.

  • Arizona College of Nursing-Southfield, now above the benchmark
  • Brighton Institute of Cosmetology, no earnings figure now
  • Cadillac Institute of Cosmetology, no earnings figure now
  • Dorsey College, now above the benchmark
  • Dorsey College-Dearborn, now above the benchmark
  • Dorsey College-Grand Rapids, now above the benchmark
  • Dorsey College-Roseville, now above the benchmark
  • Dorsey College-Saginaw, now above the benchmark
  • Dorsey College-Wayne, now above the benchmark
  • Dorsey College-Woodhaven, now above the benchmark
  • Port Huron Cosmetology College, no earnings figure now
  • Ross College-Grand Rapids North, now above the benchmark
  • Ross Medical Education Center-Ann Arbor, now above the benchmark
  • Ross Medical Education Center-Brighton, now above the benchmark
  • Ross Medical Education Center-Davison, now above the benchmark
  • Ross Medical Education Center-Kentwood, now above the benchmark
  • Ross Medical Education Center-Lansing, now above the benchmark
  • Ross Medical Education Center-Midland, now above the benchmark

What the notice does and does not mean

  • It is informational: it does not affect federal aid eligibility, and a flagged school can still be listed and attended.
  • It describes a whole school, not a program. The Department says earnings differ by credential and field.
  • It covers graduates who received federal aid and were working and not enrolled when earnings were measured.
  • A school with no earnings figure shows no notice. That is an absence of data, not a pass.
Add the Michigan FAFSA notice card to your website (counselors, college-access programs, schools)

Plain HTML with no script and no tracking: the state's flagged count, the previous release and the benchmark, with the notice's caveats and the source, linking back to this page and its full list of schools.

Questions about Michigan

How many Michigan schools are on the FAFSA lower earnings list?
42 schools in Michigan are flagged "lower earnings" in the Department of Education's March 2026 release, the list the 2027-28 FAFSA uses, out of 135 Michigan schools with an earnings figure. The December 2025 release, which earlier news coverage reported, flagged 58: 18 came off and 2 were added. Every one is named on this page.
Why did 18 schools in Michigan come off the list?
Of the 18 schools flagged in December 2025 and not now, 15 now clear the benchmark, 3 no longer have an earnings figure. The Department replaced the data on 22 March 2026 with a newer group of graduates (completers of 2017-18 and 2018-19, earnings measured in 2022 and 2023) and a re-estimated high school benchmark, so coming off the list is not by itself evidence that a school's graduates earn more.
What earnings benchmark are Michigan schools compared with?
$32,616: the median earnings of Michigan high school graduates aged 25 to 34 in the March 2026 release, in January 2026 dollars. The December 2025 release used $33,281, in June 2025 dollars and from an earlier survey, so the two are not a like-for-like comparison. A school that mostly enrolls out-of-state students or operates in several states is compared with the national median instead, $34,635.
Does the lower earnings notice affect financial aid?
No. The Department says the notice is informational only. It does not affect eligibility for federal aid, the Student Aid Index or how the FAFSA is processed, and students can still list and attend a flagged school. It is shown only to first-year undergraduates.

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Sources, methodology & citation

Data snapshot: March 22, 2026. Last verified: September 25, 2026.

Sources used across this page

Not every source informs every figure. Each data point draws on the source appropriate to it see the relevant section and the data dictionary for field-level provenance.

Where a value is unavailable it is shown as unavailable, never as 0, free, or a negative judgment. Always confirm final details with the institution before applying.

Methodology Data dictionary Report a correction

Suggested citation

CampusPin. (2026). Michigan schools on the FAFSA "lower earnings" list. Retrieved from https://campuspin.com/research/fafsa-lower-earnings-colleges/michigan