Coleman received a Bachelor of Science with a major in chemistry from Grinnell College in 1965 and a Doctor of Philosophy in biochemistry from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill in 1969.

[11] Time magazine ranked Coleman as one of the ten best American university presidents in 2009, citing her success in fundraising and her emphasis on research.

[12] In July 2010, U.S. Commerce Secretary Gary Locke appointed her as the co-chair of National Advisory Council on Innovation and Entrepreneurship.

[16] Coleman was honored by the University of Michigan with the March 2021 dedication of the building that houses the Life Sciences Institute as the Mary Sue Coleman Hall, the first academic building on the Ann Arbor campus to be named for a woman.

[17] Coleman was appointed interim president of the University of Michigan on January 15, 2022, upon the termination of Mark Schlissel by the Board of Regents.