Public · University

Western Michigan University

Kalamazoo, Michigan · Small city

84.6%
Admit rate
$15,273
Avg net price
58%
Graduation rate
$53,562
Median earnings

Western Michigan University is a public bachelor's-granting institution in Kalamazoo, Michigan (small city setting), enrolling 12,568 undergraduates.

PublicMidsize · 12,568 undergradsSmall cityAccessible · 85% admitNCAA Division I-FBS · Mid-American ConferenceCold 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
Small city
Highest degree offered
Graduate
Nearest big city
2 miles to Kalamazoo, MI
To Great Lakes shore
36 miles
Nearest airport
5 miles to Kalamazoo/Battle Creek (AZO)

How Western Michigan University compares

Selectivity84.6%

More selective than 36% · #30 most selective of 43 in Michigan

Graduation rate58%

Higher than 56% · #25 of 44 in Michigan

First-year retention81%

Higher than 65%

Earnings, 10 years after entry$53,562

Higher than 49% · #26 of 45 in Michigan

Average net price$15,273

Cheaper than 72% · #17 cheapest of 44 in Michigan

Median debt at graduation$26,188

Lower than 21%

Student–faculty ratio16 : 1

Lower than 28%

Undergraduate enrollment12,568

Larger than 91%

Percentiles compare Western Michigan University 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

16,285students
  • Undergraduate12,56877%
  • Graduate3,71723%

Undergraduates by gender

12,568undergrads
  • Women6,84254%
  • Men5,72646%

Undergraduates by race / ethnicity

  • White68%
  • Black8.2%
  • Hispanic9.3%
  • Asian2.9%
  • Other or multiracial12%

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

By the numbers

Undergraduate enrollment
12,568
Graduate enrollment
3,717
Student–faculty ratio
16 : 1
Pell Grant recipients
27%
First-generation students
29%
Students over 25
9%
Median family income
$51,034
Avg faculty salary (academic year)
$97,470
Endowment
$754,940,001

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

Where students come from

Home state of the 2,472 first-year students who entered in fall 2023.

  • From Michigan78%
  • Other U.S. states21%
  • International1.5%

Most first-years stay in state — Western Michigan University draws overwhelmingly from Michigan.

2% came from outside the U.S. Out-of-state students usually pay a higher tuition rate at public schools — check the cost card above for your bracket. Source: IPEDS residence & migration, fall 2023 entering class.

Admissions

Admission rate
84.6%
Test scores
Not considered
SAT range (25th–75th %)
SAT average
SAT reading
SAT math
ACT composite

Cost

In-state tuition
$15,252
Out-of-state tuition
$19,034
Room & board
$12,174
Books & supplies
$1,128
Total cost of attendance
$29,237
Average net price
$15,273

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)
58%
Graduated on time (4 years)
32%
First-year retention
81%
Transferred to another college
27%
Median earnings, 6 years after entry
$45,356
Median earnings, 10 years after entry
$53,562
Median debt at graduation
$26,188
Students with federal loans
47%
Paying down their loans (1 year in)
50%

About 26% of students who finish here need more than four years — each extra year adds roughly another year of tuition and living costs.

Graduating on time

By student background (4 years)

All students
32%
Low-income (Pell)
45%
First-generation
46%

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
4,775
Dorm capacity vs undergrads
38%
Application fee
$40
Athletics
NCAA Division I-FBS
Football conference
Mid-American Conference
Varsity athletes
435 (233 men · 202 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 (11)

Football113
Track and Field and Cross Country (combined)78
Soccer64
Baseball33
Basketball31
Ice Hockey29
Softball24
Gymnastics20
Tennis19
Volleyball15
Golf9

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

Campus safety

Safety grade
B
Reported offenses per 1,000 students
1.6 / year
Violent offenses (2022–2024)
40
Property offenses (2022–2024)
42

On-campus criminal offenses reported under the Clery Act, 2022–2024, across 6 campuses (16,744 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.

27reported offenses a year
13 violent a year14 property a year

By offense type, per year

Motor vehicle theft
8.0
Rape
7.3
Burglary
5.3
Fondling
3.3
Aggravated assault
1.7
Robbery
1.0
Arson
0.7

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
$5,263
$30–48k
$5,734
$48–75k
$13,833
$75–110k
$18,307
$110k+
$23,625

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.

Est. total to a degree
$64,638

$13,833/year × about 4.7 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.

91%
of first-years get a grant from the school
$6,531
average award, among those who get one

Modest institutional aid: 91% of freshmen get a grant from the school, averaging $6,531. 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 2,578 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)
$53,562
Typical debt at graduation
$26,188
Debt vs. one year's pay
49%
Out-earn a HS grad
59%

Typical debt would take roughly 4.9 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
$48,482
Men
$59,748

Men out-earn women by $11,266 (23%) 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
64.6″

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 (4.6 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 Western Michigan University

Schools with a comparable profile — size, selectivity, cost, and graduate outcomes. Compare Western Michigan University side by side →

Colleges near Western Michigan University

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.