More Michigan freshman choosing out-of-state schools, all of higher education in Michigan is losing out

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First-time college freshman from Michigan who choose to pursue a bachelor's degree have a variety of institutions in Michigan where they can pursue their higher education. In 2008, nearly 54,000 first-time college students attended one of the many institutions in the state, both public and independent.

Since 2008, however, the number of first-time college students from Michigan choosing to stay in the state for college has declined steadily, falling by a total of 4,800 (nine percent). While Michigan has had a slow decline in the overall number of students enrolled in higher education, the number leaving the state to pursue a degree grows.

Approximately 48 percent of the first-time colleges students who leave Michigan attend an institution in Ohio (25 percent), Indiana (12 percent), or Illinois (11 percent).

Ohio, in particular, has seen a 58 percent increase in the number of first-time freshman from Michigan who choose to attend college in Ohio rather than staying in-state in Michigan.