Western Michigan University

Quick Stats

1903 W. Michigan Avenue
Kalamazoo, MI 49008: [map]

Phone: (269) 387-1000

2011-2012 Tuition

$9,606: in-state

$22,338: out-of-state

Students

19,966: enrolled

51%: male /

49%: female

Admissions

84.3%: accepted

More Information

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U.S. News Rankings

Ranking score and category

U.S. News rank	Category Name
#181	National Universities

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Summary

Western Michigan University is a public institution that was founded in 1903. It has a total undergraduate enrollment of 19,966, its setting is urban, and the campus size is 1,200 acres. It utilizes a semester-based academic calendar. Western Michigan University's ranking in the 2012 edition of Best Colleges is National Universities, 181. Its in-state tuition and fees are $9,606 (2011-12); out-of-state tuition and fees are $22,338 (2011-12).

Western Michigan University (WMU) is a public institution located in the city of Kalamazoo, midway between Detroit and Chicago. The university offers about 140 undergraduate programs and several master’s degrees as well, including those in the Haworth College of Business, the College of Engineering and Applied Sciences, and the College of Education. Graduate students can also enroll in WMU’s health programs, which include highly ranked offerings in speech-language pathology, physician assistance, rehabilitation counseling, and audiology.

Outside the classroom, WMU students can get involved by exploring more than 300 student organizations, playing a recreational sport, or pledging for one of the nearly 30 fraternities and sororities. Off campus, WMU students can check out Kalamazoo’s zoo, theater, and festivals, or drive 40 minutes to the Lake Michigan beaches of South Haven. Student athletes can try out for the many WMU Broncos varsity sports teams, which compete in the NCAA Division I Mid-American Conference. Notable WMU alumni include Tim Allen, who starred in the television program Home Improvement and voiced Buzz Lightyear in the animated Toy Story movies.

School mission (as provided by the school):

Western Michigan University is a dynamic, globally engaged institution that combines the resources of a national research university with the support and personal attention often found at a small college. Taking full advantage of that combination gives students an edge in graduate school, the workplace and life.
WMU is ranked by U.S. News & World Report as one of the nation's top-100 public universities and is among fewer than 100 public U.S. universities to be granted a chapter of Phi Beta Kappa, America's premier honor society. Still, two-thirds of all classes have 30 or fewer students and most are taught by full-time professors. Advisors, career specialists, mentors and tutors are close at hand, as are dedicated offices to assist groups such as first-year and transfer students, military veterans, and students who have aged out of foster care.
WMU also is among the most affordable of Michigan's 15 public universities, ranking 10th from the top in tuition and required fees. Plus, the Western Edge compact offers undergraduates a merit-based retention scholarship, four-year freeze on room and board rates, and rapid path to degree completion.
WMU is located in Kalamazoo, an ideal college town of more than 72,000 situated midway between Detroit and Chicago just 40 miles from scenic Lake Michigan. The region encompasses strong businesses, including Haworth, Kellogg, Stryker and Whirlpool, many of which offer internships to WMU students. And with its rolling hills, small lakes and dense woodlands, outdoor recreation abounds.
Students often rub elbows with faculty members at Kalamazoo's Art Hops, Mixers on the Mall and annual festivals. The city also offers a variety of museums, theatres, music, minor league sports teams, eateries, brew pubs and coffee houses.
On campus, WMU supports more than 300 Greek, academic, personal-interest and other student groups. It also fields 16 NCAA Division I-A sports teams and offers nationally recognized arts programs, a lively cultural calendar, and extensive service-learning, intramural and fitness activities.
Minority and international students make up 21 percent of the university's diverse student body and graduate students make up 20 percent. Although not mandatory, about 90 percent of first-time freshmen live on campus. The residence halls offer numerous options and amenities, and focus on such themes as athletics, multiculturalism, health and fitness, and specific areas of study.
WMU offers 239 degree programs encompassing arts and sciences, aviation, business, education, engineering, fine arts, and health and human services. Academically talented students may join the Lee Honors College, which is among the oldest honors programs in the nation and has a student profile rivaling that of the most elite private colleges.
WMU places equal emphasis on undergraduate and graduate education, and with 140, offers the second most bachelor's programs in Michigan. Many offerings rank among the top programs of their kind in the country, giving WMU a national or international reputation in such varied fields as aviation, atomic physics, creative writing, fine arts, graph theory, jazz studies, medieval studies, paper engineering and occupational therapy.
Instructional programs are designed so graduating students are ready to immediately add value to their employers. Courses are taught by well-established faculty members who bring a global perspective to the classroom and have a passion for research as well as teaching. They not only share their cutting-edge work in the classroom, but also welcome undergraduate and graduate students alike into their research laboratories and creative studios.
Further bolstering WMU's robust educational environment are some of the best academic and cultural facilities in the Midwest; worldwide partnerships providing countless opportunities to find internships, conduct research and study abroad; and national award-winning environmental sustainability initiatives.

General Information

School type	public, coed college
Year founded	1903
Religious affiliation	N/A
Academic calendar	semester
Setting	urban
2010 Endowment	$168,667,537

Applying

Interested in applying to Western Michigan University? Scores for either the ACT or SAT test are due August 1. The application fee at Western Michigan University is $35. It is selective, with an acceptance rate of 84.3 percent.

For more information about the tests, essays, interviews, and admissions process, visit the Applying to College knowledge center.

Selectivity	selective
Fall 2010 acceptance rate	84%
Application deadline	N/A
SAT/ACT scores must be received by	August 1

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Academic Life

The student-faculty ratio at Western Michigan University is 19:1, and the school has 36.0 percent of its classes with fewer than 20 students. The most popular majors at Western Michigan University include: Business, Management, Marketing, and Related Support Services; Education; Health Professions and Related Programs; Communication, Journalism, and Related Programs; and Engineering. The average freshman retention rate, an indicator of student satisfaction, is 74.0 percent.

Class sizes

Student-faculty ratio

19:1

4-year graduation rate

22% - Low

Five most popular majors for 2010 graduates

Business, Management, Marketing, and Related Support Services	24%
Education	13%
Health Professions and Related Programs	8%
Communication, Journalism, and Related Programs	6%
Engineering	6%

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Student Life

Western Michigan University has a total undergraduate enrollment of 19,966, with a gender distribution of 50.9 percent male students and 49.1 percent female students. 25.9 percent of the students live in college-owned, -operated, or -affiliated housing and 74.2 percent of students live off campus. Western Michigan University is part of the NCAA I athletic conference.

See what students are saying about life at Western Michigan University.

Total enrollment	25,045
Student gender distribution

Undergraduate men who are members of a fraternity

Undergraduate women who are members of a sorority

Collegiate athletic association	NCAA I

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Campus Info & Services

Western Michigan University offers a number of student services including nonremedial tutoring, women's center, placement service, day care, health service, and health insurance. Western Michigan University also offers campus safety and security services like 24-hour foot and vehicle patrols, late night transport/escort service, 24-hour emergency telephones, lighted pathways/sidewalks, student patrols, and controlled dormitory access (key, security card, etc). Of the students at Western Michigan University, 34 percent have cars on campus. Alcohol is permitted for students of legal age at Western Michigan University.

Students who have cars on campus	34% - Low
Health insurance offered	Yes
Students required to own/lease a computer	No

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Paying for School

At Western Michigan University, 83.7 percent of full-time undergraduates receive some kind of need-based financial aid and the average need-based scholarship or grant award is $4,800.

Paying for college doesn't have to be difficult or devastating. Go to the Paying for College knowledge center to get advice on raising cash and reducing costs.

In-state tuition and fees	$9,606 (2011-12)
Out-of-state tuition and fees	$22,338 (2011-12)
Room and board	$8,249 (2011-12) - Medium
Financial aid statistics

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Student Reviews Ratings data provided by Unigo

I dont know that I could pick one thing as the best thing about Western. I would probably change some of the building they all look the same and its pretty boring. I would say the school is just right size, it is big enough to get the university feeling but you can still walk pretty much anywhere on campus in 15 minutes. Some people react by saying something about all the parties but others just say that its a good school. When I'm not in my dorm I spend most of my time on campus at the college of business or the Bernhard center in one of the computer labs. Kalamazoo is a great college town, the downtown area is really sweet and there are tons of places to eat and several movie theaters close by. Our new president is really cool he walked up to me one day in the lunch line and just started talking to me, he is really down to earth. The biggest recent controversy was that the university spend a ton of money on a dumb little parking lot thing with tables and plants in it and it never gets used. I would say that people are pretty proud to be a bronco. I will always remember sledding on lunch trays down the massive hill behind East Hall. The most frequent complaints are that there isn't enough parking on campus.

Brad Sophomore

I love the campus, but the one thing i would change is the bus route. it'd be nice to have it really planned out. I think the size of western is perfect, it's a little big college with the perks of a big and little university. people tell me i go to wastern when i tell them where i go and it's irritating. I spend most of my time on campus because i live and work in the dorms and have friends who live here with me. There is NO COLLEGE TOWN things are very widely spaced here and it is irritating and difficult to not have a car. The administration here is good. I love the psych department and they always do they're best to help me when i have questions. I think there is moderate pride-it won't be out and out but people like this school. WMU is a typical college but i love it. I think it's irritating just how spread out things are. but that's about it

lydie Sophomore

The best thing about WMU is that there are things to do that are relatively close to the campus. No one feels that they are in the boonies, and just have dirt to play with. I would change WMU's parking stickers. I think that anyone that has a sticker can park anywhere on campus. It sometimes is difficult to find a parking spot. The school's size is just right. Most of my town goes to WMU, so they really don't 'raise an eyebrow' when I tell them where I go. Kalamazoo is defintely a college town. I really don't have an opinion about the administration. Controversy? @ WMU? Where? I think there is a lot of school pride at times. I think Lawson Lunatics show a lot of love for the hockey team. The Lunatics stick by the team through thick and thin. There is nothing about WMU that is unusual. The one experience I will remember is picking up my books for the first time. What a hectic experience. The most frequent student complaint is about the parking, or lack there of on campus.

Urma

More student reviews

* Overview details based on 2010 data

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Summary

General Information

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