Western Michigan University

Overview

Rankings

• #1 Best Business Colleges in Michigan
• #5 Best MBA Programs in Michigan
• #9 Best Education Colleges in Michigan
• #10 Best Online Colleges in Michigan
• #10 Best Engineering Colleges in Michigan
• #11 Best Colleges in Michigan
• #12 Best Psychology Colleges in Michigan
• #13 Best Bachelor's Programs in Michigan

Academics & Admissions

Is It Hard to Get Into Western Michigan University? Acceptance Rate & Requirements

Western Michigan University, located in Kalamazoo, Michigan, admits most of the students who apply; the acceptance rate is roughly 85%. Admitted students typically arrive with a mid-range ACT score around 24. The graduation rate is roughly 58%.

Acceptance Rate

85%

Retention Rate

81%

ACT Midpoint

24

Full-Time Faculty

63%

Faculty Salary (mo)

$10,830

Student–Faculty Ratio

16:1

Diversity Index

0.52

First-Gen Students

29%

Applicants

20,501

Admitted

17,334

Inside the Admissions Office

School-reported Common Data Set · 2024-25

The acceptance rate tells you how hard Western Michigan University is to get into. Its Common Data Set tells you what happens once you are admitted: how many students say yes, how many arrived without test scores, and whether applying early tilts the odds.

Submitted SAT

54%

of enrolled freshmen

Submitted ACT

5%

of enrolled freshmen

Cost & Financial Aid

How Much Does It Cost to Attend Western Michigan University? Tuition, Net Price & Aid

Published tuition at Western Michigan University is $19,034, but few families pay that. The number to watch is net price, what students actually pay each year after federal grants and institutional scholarships. Here it averages about $15,273. Students from families earning under $30,000 typically pay closer to $5,263 after need-based grants. The median graduate leaves with about $26,188 in federal student loans.

In-State Tuition

$15,252

Out-of-State

$19,034

Avg Net Price

$15,273

Median Debt

$26,188

Pell Grant Rate

27%

Federal Loan Rate

47%

Students Like You

Tell us a little about yourself to see what students like you have typically experienced at Western Michigan University — the net price for your income, your admission odds, and the outcomes that follow. These are patterns from federal data, not predictions.

Graduate Outcomes

Is Western Michigan University Worth It? Graduate Earnings & ROI

Ten years out, alumni of Western Michigan University earn a median of $53,562, roughly in line with the national average for college graduates.

6 Years After Entry

$45,356

8 Years

$48,394

10 Years

$53,562

Debt-to-Earnings

0.49x

Earning > $25K

61%

Social Mobility

Data: Raj Chetty's Mobility Report Card · 30M+ anonymized tax records

Does Western Michigan University Drive Upward Mobility? Economic Mobility & Low-Income Outcomes

Western Michigan University is a measurable contributor to upward mobility. Its mobility rate, the share of students who start in the bottom income quintile and climb to the top, is 1.01%, in line with strong performers nationally. Access is narrower: only about 3.5% of students come from the bottom income quintile, typical of more selective, higher-income institutions. Among bottom-quintile students who attend, roughly 29.1% go on to reach the top of the income ladder. The median family income of students sits near $112,200, a snapshot of the campus's socioeconomic mix.

Mobility Rate

1.01%

Bottom 20% → Top 20%

Success Rate

29.1%

If bottom 20% get in

From Bottom 20%

3.5%

Share of students

Parent Median Income

$152,441

today's $ (2015 cohort data)

Social Capital

Data: Opportunity Insights Social Capital Atlas

How Connected Is Western Michigan University? Social Capital & Cross-Class Networks

Social capital, the web of cross-class friendships that researchers link to long-run upward mobility, runs high at Western Michigan University. Its economic connectedness score is 1.56, where about 1.0 is the national norm. Its friending bias is low (0.02), a sign that students from different economic backgrounds actually mix rather than self-segregate. Around 7% of students take part in civic and volunteering activity.

Economic Connectedness

1.56

Cross-class friendships

Friending Bias

0.02

Lower = more inclusive

Volunteering Rate

7.1%

Support Ratio

0.98

Community support

Innovation & Knowledge Creation

Patents, inventors, and research influence · Opportunity Insights & Times Higher Education

Western Michigan University produces inventors at a measurable rate, with 137 patents tied to its graduates.

Inventor Rate

0.43%

Top 51% nationally

Patents Produced

137

Linked to graduates

Patent Citations

377

Downstream influence

Inventors From Low-Income

0.15%

Bottom-20% families

Institutional Finances

Data: NCES IPEDS

Investment Income

$-29,558,717

Top Programs

The fields Western Michigan University awards the most degrees in, by share of completions. Where federal field-of-study data exists, we show what graduates in that major earned early in their careers. Each links to its degree guide — or see what someone with your income, scores, and major would pay and earn here in the Students Like You simulator.

• Business & Marketing 28% $63,994 early-career
• Engineering 8% $87,406 early-career
• Health Professions 7% $74,412 early-career
• Visual & Performing Arts 7% $53,409 early-career
• Education 6% $46,195 early-career
• Transportation 6% $53,521 early-career
• Psychology 6% $37,114 early-career
• Biology & Biomedical 3% $39,403 early-career

Early-career median earnings by major (typically 1–2 years after completion, bachelor's level where available), in today's dollars (CPI-adjusted). Source: U.S. Dept. of Education College Scorecard field of study. Distinct from the school-wide 10-year median; suppressed for small programs.