East Lansing Outranks Ann Arbor Among ‘Best College Towns’

Oooh — shots fired!

A new study ranking America's "Best College Towns for 2025" says East Lansing isn't just the best college town in Michigan, but in the Midwest as a whole.

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To be fair, Ann Arbor also makes the list, however it doesn't perform quite as well among the deciding metrics.

The study was published by rentcafe.com, a website that primarily focuses on connecting potential renters with new homes or apartments.

How the Rankings Were Determined

A dozen metrics were considered, including things ranging from the cost of tuition and fees and the town's cost of living, to recreational opportunities and other amenities, to each town's percentage of residents in their 20s.

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To be considered a "college town", a university's home city had to have a population somewhere between 10,000 and 300,000 residents. Students had to comprise at least 10% of the population.

Why East Lansing Outranks Other Midwest College Towns

After crunching the data, East Lansing lands at #6 overall on this year's RentCafe list, largely on the strength of the city's affordability, quality of living and entertainment options for Michigan State students.

East Lansing also gets credit for being "particularly attractive for college students seeking a balanced lifestyle and good professional opportunities."

Ann Arbor Still Ranks High—Just Not High Enough

Ann Arbor fares well, too, just not as well as East Lansing. The home of the University of Michigan ranks as the 9th best college town in America in the RentCafe study.

The study credits Ann Arbor's "strong job market (especially led by tech companies, including Google) with offering students robust opportunities for career development."

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Curious what other cities make the Top 10? Check out the full rankings here.