Wayne State University (WSU) is a public research university in Detroit, Michigan, United States. Founded in 1868, Wayne State consists of 13 schools and colleges offering approximately 375 programs. It is Michigan's third-largest university with nearly 24,000 graduate and undergraduate students.
Wayne State University, along with Michigan State University, Michigan Technological University, and the University of Michigan, comprise Michigan's University Research Corridor. Wayne State is classified among "R1: Doctoral Universities – Very high research activity".
Wayne State's main campus comprises 203 acres linking more than 100 education and research buildings. It also has three satellite campuses in Macomb and Wayne counties. The Wayne State Warriors compete in the NCAA Division II Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (GLIAC).
History
Wayne State University was established in 1868 as the Detroit Medical College by five returning Civil War veterans. The college charter from 1868 was signed by founder Theodore Andrews McGraw, M.D., a University of Michigan graduate (B.A. 1859). In 1885, the Detroit College of Medicine merged with its competitor, the Michigan College of Medicine and they consolidated buildings. After the reorganization, McGraw became the first president and dean. The institutions evolved into the Wayne State University School of Medicine.
In 1881, the Detroit Normal Training School for Teachers was established by the Detroit Board of Education. In 1920, after several relocations to larger quarters, the school became the Detroit Teachers College. The Board of Education voted in 1924 to make the college a part of the new College of the City of Detroit. Eventually it became the Wayne State University College of Education.
In 1917, the Detroit Board of Education founded the Detroit Junior College and would make Detroit Central High School's Old Main Hall its campus. Detroit's College of Pharmacy and the Detroit Teachers College were added to the campus in 1924, and were organized into the College of the City of Detroit. The original junior college became the College of Liberal Arts. The first bachelor's degrees were awarded in 1925. The College of Liberal Arts of the College of the City of Detroit became the Wayne State University College of Liberal Arts and Sciences.
Recognizing the need for a good law school, a group of lawyers, including Allan Campbell, the school's founding dean, established Detroit City Law School in 1927 as part of the College of the City of Detroit. Originally structured as a part-time evening program, the school's first class graduated with the bachelor of laws degree (LL.B.) in 1928 and achieved full American Bar Association accreditation in 1939. The school became Wayne State University Law School.
In 1933, the Detroit Board of Education voted to unify its colleges into a university. In January 1934, that institution was officially named Wayne University, taking its name from Wayne County (in which both the university and the city of Detroit reside), which was itself named after Anthony Wayne, a notable major general in the Continental Army during the Revolutionary War. Wayne University added a School of Social Work in 1935, and the School of Business Administration in 1946. Wayne University was renamed Wayne State University in 1956 and the institution became mandated by an amendment to the Michigan Constitution in 1959. The Wayne State University Board of Governors created the Institute of Gerontology in 1965 in response to a State of Michigan mandate. The institute's primary mission in that era was to engage in research, education and service in the field of aging. Wayne State University in 1973 added the College of Lifelong Learning. In 1985, the School of Fine and the Performing Arts, and the College of Urban, Labor and Metropolitan Affairs further grew the university.
In the early 21st century, WSU constructed the Integrative Biosciences Center (IBio), a facility for interdisciplinary work in the biosciences. More than 500 researchers, staff and principal investigators work out of the building, which opened in 2016. In 2013, M. Roy Wilson became Wayne State's 12th president. In 2018, the new Mike Ilitch School of Business facility opened in The District Detroit. Richard Bierschbach was voted in as the 14th president of Wayne State in 2026 after serving as interim president since 2025.
Campus
Wayne State's main campus in Detroit encompasses of landscaped walkways and gathering spots linking over 100 education and research buildings. The campus is urban and features many architecturally significant buildings, including the University Auditorium (formerly the Helen L. DeRoy Auditorium the Education Building, the Maccabees Building, Old Main, McGregor Memorial Conference Center, Chatsworth Suites, IBio, STEM Innovation Learning Center, M. Roy Wilson State Hall, Hilberry Gateway and the Gretchen Valade Jazz Center. Many buildings have been designed by notable architects such as Albert Kahn and Minoru Yamasaki.
Wayne State University is located in Midtown Detroit near many notable institutions and attractions. The Cass Corridor is one of the university's notable surroundings. Many events have taken place on or near the campus as a result of its unique location.
Tom Adams Field Tom Adams Field is a 6,000-seat football stadium located on the campus. It is primarily used for Wayne State Warriors football of the Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic Conference, a Division II conference of the National Collegiate Athletic Association.
The field was named after Thomas B. Adams, a 1944 graduate and football and track athlete who later served on as a board member at WSU. Due to his athletic, military and business achievements, the Wayne State football field was named in honor of him in 2003. A new 35-foot video board was installed in August 2015. The eight-lane Lowell Blanchard Track, located in the stadium, was first installed in 2006. Mondo surfacing was added to the track in 2011.
Wayne State Fieldhouse The Wayne State Fieldhouse, a 70,000-square-foot arena with seating for 3,000 fans, opened in October 2021. The arena is home to Wayne State's basketball teams as well as the Detroit Pistons' G League team, the Motor City Cruise.
TechTown In 2000, Wayne State, Henry Ford Health and General Motors Co. launched TechTown, a business incubator that works with technology startups and entrepreneurs in Detroit.
Satellite campuses Wayne State has three satellite campuses in the Metro Detroit area. The locations are: Macomb University Center at Macomb Community College, Clinton Township Advanced Technology Education Center, Warren Schoolcraft Center at Schoolcraft College, Livonia
Organization and administration
The university is governed by a Board of Governors consisting of eight members elected by Michigan voters for eight-year terms. Board of Governor members serve without compensation. The board elects the university president. The student body government is headed by a Student Senate. Some colleges of the university have their own Student Senate, which reports back to the main Student Senate. The Law School has its own Student Board of Governors.
Presidents The following is a list of the presidents of the university since its establishment. +No.NameTenure1Frank Cody1933–19422Warren E. Bow1942–19453David D. Patrick 1945–19524Clarence B. Hilberry1952–19655William R. Keast1965–19716George E. Gullen Jr.1971–19787Thomas N. Bonner1978–19828David Adamany1982–19979Irvin D. Reid1997–200810Jay Noren2008–201111Allan Gilmour2011–201312M. Roy Wilson2013–202313Kimberly Andrews Espy2023–202514Richard A. Bierschbach2025-present
Academics
Wayne State's academic offerings are divided among 13 schools and colleges: the Mike Ilitch School of Business, the College of Education, the College of Engineering; the College of Fine, Performing and Communication Arts; the Graduate School, the Law School, the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences, the School of Information Sciences, the School of Medicine, the College of Nursing, the Eugene Applebaum College of Pharmacy and Health Sciences, the Irvin D. Reid Honors College, and the School of Social Work. Fall 2024 enrollment for the university consisted of 23,964 students; freshman enrollment was approximately 4,700, including nearly 3,100 first-year, first time in any college students, a 2% increase over the fall 2023 class.
Wayne State offers approximately 375 undergraduate, postgraduate, specialist and certificate programs in 13 schools and colleges. Its most popular undergraduate majors by 2024 graduates were:
Psychology Business administration Social work Medicine (M.D.) Public health Computer science Marketing Management Finance Global supply chain management
Schools and colleges
The Mike Ilitch School of Business offers undergraduate degrees and graduate degrees, including the M.B.A. and M.S. as well as a Ph.D. The college also offers undergraduate and graduate certificates. The programs are accredited by the Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business. Established in 1986, the College of Fine, Performing and Communication Arts (CFPCA) serves over 1,500 students majoring in 14 undergraduate programs and 12 graduate programs. Many programs are nationally accredited.
The American Library Association first accredited the master of library and information science (MLIS) in 1967. The MLIS is available online with select classes also offered on campus. In September 2017, the school became a member of the iSchool Consortium and added a master of science in information management (MSIM).
Founded in 1868, the Wayne State University School of Medicine enrolls more than 1,500 students in its medical, doctoral, M.D./Ph.D., and master’s programs. The school's research emphasizes neurosciences, pediatrics, obstetrics and gynecology, cancer, cardiovascular disease, diabetes and obesity, and psychiatry and addiction research. One of the school's major assets is the Richard J. Mazurek, M.D., Medical Education Commons, which was designed specifically for students and houses classrooms, student services divisions, the medical library and the Kado Family Clinical Skills Center, a sophisticated patient simulation center.
Admissions
Undergraduate
For the Class of 2028 (enrolled fall 2023), Wayne State received 15,229 applications and accepted 12,401 (82%). Of those accepted, 2,988 enrolled, a yield rate (the percentage of accepted students who choose to attend the university) of 24%. Wayne State's second term retention rate is 92.1%, with 58.4% going on to graduate within six years.
Of the 44% of the incoming freshman class who submitted SAT scores; the middle 50 percent Composite scores were 1000-1199. Of the 4% of enrolled freshmen in 2021 who submitted ACT scores; the middle 50 percent Composite score was between 18 and 29.
Together with Michigan State University, Michigan Technological University, Kalamazoo College, Hillsdale College, Calvin University and Hope College, Wayne State is one of the seven college-sponsors of the National Merit Scholarship Program in the state. The university sponsored 8 Merit Scholarship awards in 2024.
+ Fall first-time freshman statistics 2025 2024 2023 2022 2021 2020 2019 2018 Applicants 17,263 17,699 15,229 14,002 15,305 17,231 15,716 16,210 Admits 14,430 13,781 12,461 10,547 9,603 11,794 11,495 11,533 Admit rate 83 77 82 75 62.7 68.4 73.1 71.1 Enrolled 3,071 3,085 2,988 2,459 2,732 3,120 2,968 3,038 Yield rate 21 22 24 23 28.4 26.5 25.8 26.3 ACT composite*(out of 36) 23-28(2%†) 23-29(2%†) 18-29(4%†) 18-29(6%†) 21-28(8%†) 20-27(19%†) 21-27(21%†) 21-27(24%†) SAT composite*(out of 1600) 1060-1290(40%†) 1060-1260(40%†) 1000-1199(44%†) 1000-1199(67%†) 1010-1220(60%†) 1000-1200(91%†) 1020-1230(88%†) 1010-1210(89%†) * middle 50% range † percentage of first-time freshmen who chose to submit
Graduate