Academic and research excellence
With academic excellence and pioneering research at the center of our mission, it’s no wonder that undergraduate and graduate students choose to attend Wayne State. Whether you’re interested in studying medicine or mechanical engineering, or graphic design or geology, you can gain hands-on experience in the classroom and out in the real world courtesy of faculty members who are renowned for innovation and expertise in their fields. We're increasingly known for our interdisciplinary research in areas such as health sciences and disparities, the environment, entrepreneurship and data analytics, human services and education, manufacturing, language and the arts. From the lab to the stage, you can expect to make a measurable impact in our neighborhood and around the world.
- Top 100 public university by U.S. News and World Report, Best Colleges, 2026.
- Top 100 public university by U.S. News and World Report, Best Colleges, 2025.
- Nationally ranked 179 out of 1,500 universities and colleges reviewed by U.S. News and World Report, Best Colleges, 2025.
- Top performer in social mobility, ranking 62 out of 433 national universities and colleges by U.S. News and World Report, Best Colleges, 2025.
- Ranked in the top 1.6% of universities worldwide Center for World University Rankings, June 2024.
- Recognized by the U.S. Department of Education as an Asian American and Pacific Islander Minority Serving Institution.
- One of only 85 universities nationwide to receive the Association of Public and Land-Grand Universities' Innovation and Economic Prosperity designation.
- Only Michigan Carnegie R1 university to be recognized as a Tier 1 institution in economic mobility by Third Way, 2024.
- Recognized by the Michigan Veterans Affairs Agency (MVAA) as a Gold-level Veteran-Friendly Institution, 2024.
- TechTown, Wayne State University’s entrepreneurship hub, has supported more than 6,000 local businesses and raised more than 400ドル million in startup and growth capital since 2004.
- Top-ranked for NIH funding to medical schools and individual departments by Blue Ridge Institute for Medical Research, February 2024.
- Home to the Hilberry Gateway — a state-of-the-art performance complex training for the next generation of actors, dancers, and technicians.
- A proud member of the Research Universities for Michigan with the University of Michigan and Michigan State University, generating 90% of statewide research and supporting economic growth across Michigan.