Public · Community college

Kalamazoo Valley Community College

Kalamazoo, Michigan · Midsize suburb

#5 best value in Michigan
23%
Transfer rate
$2,979
Avg net price
28%
Grad / completion
$38,618
Median earnings

Kalamazoo Valley Community College is a public associate-granting institution in Kalamazoo, Michigan (midsize suburb setting), enrolling 4,997 undergraduates. Admission is open to all applicants.

PublicMidsize · 4,997 undergradsMidsize suburbNJCAA Division ICold wintersSnowy

About Kalamazoo, Michigan

Kalamazoo is a city in Kalamazoo County, Michigan, United States, and its county seat. Kalamazoo was originally known as Bronson, after Titus Bronson, its founder, who settled here in 1829. In 1836, it was renamed Kalamazoo after the river running by it (a name that had already been adopted by the county in 1830). On the first Friday of each month, the council organizes the 'Art Hop'. (Wikipedia)

Setting
Midsize suburb
Highest degree offered
Associate
Nearest big city
7 miles to Kalamazoo, MI
To Great Lakes shore
34 miles
Nearest airport
7 miles to Kalamazoo/Battle Creek (AZO)

How Kalamazoo Valley Community College compares

Graduation rate28%

Higher than 10% · #80 of 96 in Michigan

First-year retention64%

Higher than 31%

Earnings, 10 years after entry$38,618

Higher than 63% · #11 of 88 in Michigan

Average net price$2,979

Cheaper than 96% · #5 cheapest of 94 in Michigan

Median debt at graduation$9,699

Lower than 50%

Student–faculty ratio14 : 1

Lower than 62%

Undergraduate enrollment4,997

Larger than 91%

Percentiles compare Kalamazoo Valley Community College with the nation's 3,519 two-year and certificate schools, among schools reporting each statistic. State ranks count two-year and certificate schools in Michigan.

Student body

Undergraduates by gender

4,997undergrads
  • Women2,69954%
  • Men2,29846%

Undergraduates by race / ethnicity

  • White61%
  • Black15%
  • Hispanic9.6%
  • Asian2.2%
  • Other or multiracial12%

Graduate gender splits aren't published in this data, so the gender chart covers undergraduates only.

By the numbers

Undergraduate enrollment
4,997
Student–faculty ratio
14 : 1
Pell Grant recipients
28%
First-generation students
38%
Students over 25
33%
Median family income
$24,674
Avg faculty salary (academic year)
$105,543
Endowment
$17,160,232

Colleges don't publish true class-size data; student–faculty ratio (IPEDS) is the closest public measure of it.

Cost

In-state tuition
$4,144
Out-of-state tuition
$9,094
Room & board
Books & supplies
$1,650
Total cost of attendance
$11,386
Average net price
$2,979

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
28%
First-year retention
64%
Transferred to another college
23%
Median earnings, 6 years after entry
$33,553
Median earnings, 10 years after entry
$38,618
Median debt at graduation
$9,699
Students with federal loans
17%
Paying down their loans (1 year in)
24%

Graduating on time

By student background (4 years)

All students
28%
Low-income (Pell)
16%
First-generation
16%

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
No
Application fee
Free
Athletics
NJCAA Division I
Varsity athletes
78 (41 men · 37 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 (4)

Baseball27
Basketball25
Volleyball14
Softball12

Athlete counts per sport, Equity in Athletics data, 2024–25.

Campus safety

Safety grade
A
Reported offenses per 1,000 students
0.2 / year
Violent offenses (2022–2024)
1
Property offenses (2022–2024)
2

On-campus criminal offenses reported under the Clery Act, 2022–2024, across 3 campuses (6,334 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.

1.0reported offenses a year
0.3 violent a year0.7 property a year

By offense type, per year

Motor vehicle theft
0.7
Rape
0.3

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.

< $30k
$1,290
$30–48k
$1,859
$48–75k
$4,119
$75–110k
$6,989
$110k+
$8,353

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.

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.

37%
of first-years get a grant from the school
$1,718
average award, among those who get one

Modest institutional aid: 37% of freshmen get a grant from the school, averaging $1,718. Most of what lowers the price here is federal or state money, not the school's own funds.

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 448 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)
$38,618
Typical debt at graduation
$9,699
Debt vs. one year's pay
25%
Out-earn a HS grad
43%

Typical debt would take roughly 2.5 years to repay at about a tenth of median earnings.

Solid value

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.

Women
$34,429
Men
$43,265

Men out-earn women by $8,836 (26%) 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
83°F
Winter low
18°F
Annual rain
33.2″
Annual snow
109″

Average temperature

HighLow
10°50°90°JFMAMJJASOND

Average precipitation (inches)

0.01.93.7JFMAMJJASOND

NOAA 1991–2020 climate normals, Kalamazoo Battle CK Intl AP, MI US station (6.7 mi from campus).

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 Kalamazoo Valley Community College

Schools with a comparable profile — size, selectivity, cost, and graduate outcomes. Compare Kalamazoo Valley Community College side by side →

Colleges near Kalamazoo Valley Community College

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.