Private nonprofit · College
Alma College
Alma, Michigan · Distant town
- 57.0%
- Admit rate
- $20,694
- Avg net price
- 63%
- Graduation rate
- $54,742
- Median earnings
Alma College is a private nonprofit bachelor's-granting institution in Alma, Michigan (distant town setting), enrolling 1,148 undergraduates. It has a Presbyterian Church (USA) religious affiliation.
About Alma, Michigan
Alma is the largest city in Gratiot County in the U.S. state of Michigan. (Wikipedia)
- Setting
- Distant town
- Highest degree offered
- Graduate
- Nearest big city
- 45 miles to Lansing, MI
- To Great Lakes shore
- 44 miles
- Nearest airport
- 31 miles to MBS (MBS)
How Alma College compares
More selective than 79% · #6 most selective of 43 in Michigan
Higher than 65% · #17 of 44 in Michigan
Higher than 76%
Higher than 53% · #23 of 45 in Michigan
Cheaper than 47% · #31 cheapest of 44 in Michigan
Lower than 11%
Lower than 42%
Larger than 41%
Percentiles compare Alma College with the nation's 2,196 four-year colleges, among schools reporting each statistic. State ranks count four-year colleges in Michigan.
Student body
Undergraduate vs. graduate
- Undergraduate1,14897%
- Graduate383%
Undergraduates by gender
- Women63555%
- Men51345%
Undergraduates by race / ethnicity
- White77%
- Black6.0%
- Hispanic3.6%
- Asian0.9%
- Other or multiracial12%
Graduate gender splits aren't published in this data, so the gender chart covers undergraduates only.
By the numbers
- Undergraduate enrollment
- 1,148
- Graduate enrollment
- 38
- Student–faculty ratio
- 14 : 1
- Pell Grant recipients
- 27%
- First-generation students
- 24%
- Students over 25
- 2%
- Median family income
- $70,073
- Avg faculty salary (academic year)
- $70,911
- Endowment
- $135,964,921
Colleges don't publish true class-size data; student–faculty ratio (IPEDS) is the closest public measure of it.
Admissions
- Admission rate
- 57.0%
- Test scores
- Not considered
- SAT range (25th–75th %)
- —
- SAT average
- —
- SAT reading
- —
- SAT math
- —
- ACT composite
- —
Cost
- In-state tuition
- $49,552
- Room & board
- $14,180
- Books & supplies
- $2,172
- Total cost of attendance
- $63,650
- Average net price
- $20,694
Net price is the total cost minus grants and scholarships — what students actually pay. It varies sharply by family income; see the breakdown below.
Outcomes
- Graduated (within 6 years)
- 63%
- Graduated on time (4 years)
- 57%
- First-year retention
- 85%
- Transferred to another college
- 0%
- Median earnings, 6 years after entry
- $45,720
- Median earnings, 10 years after entry
- $54,742
- Median debt at graduation
- $27,000
- Students with federal loans
- 57%
- Paying down their loans (1 year in)
- 67%
Graduating on time
By student background (4 years)
When these bars run close together, students from every background tend to finish at similar rates — a sign the school supports the ~30% who are first-gen or low-income.
Campus life & athletics
- On-campus housing
- Yes
- Dorm capacity
- 1,314
- Dorm capacity vs undergrads
- 100%+
- Housing charge (year)
- $7,228
- Meal plan (year)
- $5,900
- Application fee
- Free
- Athletics
- NCAA Division III with football
- Football conference
- Michigan Intercollegiate Athletic Association
- Varsity athletes
- 882 (498 men · 384 women)
Housing and fees: IPEDS 2023–24. Athletics rosters: Equity in Athletics data, 2024–25. Dorm capacity can include graduate and family housing, so the share of undergrads can top 100%.
Varsity sports (14)
Athlete counts per sport, Equity in Athletics data, 2024–25.
Campus safety
- Safety grade
- D
- Reported offenses per 1,000 students
- 7.5 / year
- Violent offenses (2022–2024)
- 25
- Property offenses (2022–2024)
- 2
On-campus criminal offenses reported under the Clery Act, 2022–2024, across 1 campus (1,197 students). Counts reflect reports, not convictions — schools with strong reporting cultures often show more, so a higher count doesn't simply mean a more dangerous campus.
Reported offenses in an average year
The same 2022–2024 Clery Act reports, divided down to one year.
By offense type, per year
Averages, not a forecast — a single year can run well above or below this. Bars are scaled against this campus's most-reported offense, so they compare types here rather than against other schools.
What you'll actually pay, by family income
Average net price (total cost minus grants and scholarships) paid by aided students in each family-income band.
College Scorecard / IPEDS, most recent year. Family income is total household income; net price covers tuition, fees, room, board and supplies after grant aid, for students receiving federal aid.
Four-year (or more) true cost
Net price for your family's income, projected across the time it actually takes students here to graduate.
$18,076/year × about 4.1 years — most students here don't finish in exactly four, and each extra term adds cost. A planning estimate from net-price and graduation-timing data, not a bill.
Does the school pay you to attend?
Grant aid from the school's own funds — the discount off sticker, on top of any federal or state help.
Alma College discounts heavily: 100% of freshmen are awarded a grant straight from the school, averaging $34,023. For many families the real price lands well below sticker.
Blends need-based and merit aid — IPEDS doesn't split the two, so a high number can mean generous merit scholarships, deep need-based aid, or both. Figures cover 333 full-time first-year undergraduates, 2022–23. Source: IPEDS Student Financial Aid.
Is it worth it?
A rough return-on-investment read from what graduates earn versus what they borrow.
- Median earnings (10 years)
- $54,742
- Typical debt at graduation
- $27,000
- Debt vs. one year's pay
- 49%
- Out-earn a HS grad
- 61%
Typical debt would take roughly 4.9 years to repay at about a tenth of median earnings.
A reasonable return: earnings comfortably clear the debt over a few years for most students who finish.
Earnings are the College Scorecard median for former students (working, not enrolled) 10 years after entry — not a guarantee, and they vary a lot by major. Debt is the median federal loan balance at graduation.
The pay gap here
Median earnings 10 years after entry, split by gender.
Men out-earn women by $10,330 (21%) a decade out.
Federal figures for former students working and not enrolled, 10 years after they first entered. A gap this wide usually reflects which majors men and women here tend to choose — not different pay for the same job.
Campus climate
- Summer high
- 82°F
- Winter low
- 15°F
- Annual rain
- 34.5″
- Annual snow
- 39.3″
Average temperature
HighLowAverage precipitation (inches)
NOAA 1991–2020 climate normals, Alma, MI US station (1.3 mi from campus).
What Alma College graduates study — and earn
Median earnings of this school's own graduates 1 and 5 years after finishing each program, and median federal-loan debt at completion (College Scorecard). Small programs are privacy-suppressed (—). Click a major to compare colleges nationally.
Colleges similar to Alma College
Schools with a comparable profile — size, selectivity, cost, and graduate outcomes. Compare Alma College side by side →
Ohio Wesleyan University
Delaware, Ohio · Large suburb · 23 mi to Columbus
- Students
- 1,516
- Admission
- 56%
- Net price
- $21k
- SAT
- —
- GPA
- —
- Earnings
- $56k
Averett University
Danville, Virginia · Distant town · 41 mi to Greensboro
- Students
- 1,231
- Admission
- 57%
- Net price
- $23k
- SAT
- 1135
- GPA
- 3.3
- Earnings
- $52k
East Texas Baptist University
Marshall, Texas · Distant town · 36 mi to Shreveport
- Students
- 1,352
- Admission
- 58%
- Net price
- $24k
- SAT
- —
- GPA
- —
- Earnings
- $53k
Russell Sage College
Troy, New York · Small city · 6 mi to Albany
- Students
- 1,244
- Admission
- 53%
- Net price
- $23k
- SAT
- —
- GPA
- —
- Earnings
- $58k
Beloit College
Beloit, Wisconsin · Small city · 16 mi to Rockford
- Students
- 926
- Admission
- 63%
- Net price
- $22k
- SAT
- 1287
- GPA
- 3.6
- Earnings
- $53k
University of Dallas
Irving, Texas · Large city · 9 mi to Dallas
- Students
- 1,403
- Admission
- 53%
- Net price
- $23k
- SAT
- 1227
- GPA
- 3.5
- Earnings
- $58k
Colleges near Alma College
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Saginaw Chippewa Tribal College
Mount Pleasant, MI · Public · Associate · 164 students
M J Murphy Beauty College of Mount Pleasant
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Protege Academy
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Montcalm Community College
Sidney, MI · Public · Associate · 1,122 students
Northwood University
Midland, MI · Private nonprofit · Bachelor's · 1,974 students
Ross Medical Education Center-Midland
Midland, MI · Private for-profit · Certificate · 57 students
Dorsey College-Saginaw
Saginaw, MI · Private for-profit · Certificate · 183 students
Source: US Department of Education College Scorecard (most recent cohorts), IPEDS institutional characteristics, Equity in Athletics (EADA) data, Clery Act Campus Safety and Security data, and NOAA US Climate Normals. Distances are straight-line from campus coordinates. Percentiles compare schools of the same level (four-year vs. two-year) that report each statistic.














