R2 ResearchPublic

Western Michigan University

Kalamazoo, Michigan·Public, 4-year or above·Great Lakes·wmich.edu
6-yr Graduation
58%
—
Total enrollment
16,744
peer median 14,423
Avg net price
$15,273
-$67 vs R2 Research
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AdmissionsOutcomesProgram outcomesAccreditationCostFederal aidLoan defaultsAcademic programsEnrollment trendsAthleticsCampus safetyFacultyPeersIR OfficeCommon Data Set

Admissions & acceptance rate

First-time freshman admissions: how selective the college is, and how many admitted students choose to enroll.

IPEDS
Applied
21,701
21,701 candidates competed
Admitted
18,359
84.6% acceptance rate
Enrolled
2,484
13.5% yield

Graduation rate & outcomes

Completion, retention, and the equity gap between Pell and non-Pell students.

IPEDS
Overall completion
58%
4-year graduation
32%
6-year graduation (bachelor’s)
58%
Full-time retention
81%

Pell equity

15.1pp gap
Pell recipients
47%422 of 896
Non-Pell (all)
62%1297 of 2090
Subsidized loan, no Pell
60%398 of 660
No Federal Aid
63%899 of 1430

Non-Pell students graduate at a 15.1-point higher rate than Pell recipients.

Source: IPEDS Graduation Rates (GR) — Pell/SSL cohort, 2024 cohort.

Program outcomes

Federal Program Performance Data: how each program's graduate earnings and debt measure up under Financial Value Transparency and Gainful Employment.

FVT/GE

Of 239 Title IV programs, 73 pass the federal Gainful Employment test and 1 fails. 165 have graduate earnings too small to publish, so they carry no pass/fail verdict.

Total programs
239
Passing
73
30.5% of portfolio
Failing (GE)
1
0.4% of portfolio
Fail rate
0.4%
-0.2pp vs 0.6% national

Pass / fail distribution

239programs
  • Passing73 · 30.5%
  • No Data165 · 69.0%
  • Failing1 · 0.4%

Severity spectrum

Critical
1
Severe
0
Recoverable
0
At Risk
3
Watch
8
Safe
62
No data
165

Tiers band programs by how far graduate earnings sit above or below the benchmark, from Critical (below −15%) through Safe (above +25%). No data means earnings were privacy-suppressed.

Earnings premium gap

Graduate earnings versus the federal benchmark, worst gaps first.

74
Music
Master's Degree · Visual And Performing Arts
-18.9%
$33,453 vs $41,236
Mental and Social Health Services and Allied Professions
Master's Degree · Health Professions And Related Clinical Sciences
+6.2%
$61,613 vs $58,014
Mental and Social Health Services and Allied Professions
Graduate Certificate · Health Professions And Related Clinical Sciences
+6.8%
$61,943 vs $58,014
Music
Bachelor Degree · Visual And Performing Arts
+9.9%
$36,254 vs $32,989
Fine and Studio Arts
Bachelor Degree · Visual And Performing Arts
+11.0%
$36,615 vs $32,989
Communication Disorders Sciences and Services
Master's Degree · Health Professions And Related Clinical Sciences
+11.3%
$64,565 vs $58,014
Romance Languages Literatures and Linguistics
Bachelor Degree · Foreign Languages, Literatures, And Linguistics
+12.2%
$37,013 vs $32,989
Sports Kinesiology and Physical Education/Fitness
Master's Degree · Parks, Recreation, Leisure, And Fitness Studies
+17.7%
$54,611 vs $46,411

Debt vs earnings

Median completer debt against median graduate earnings, highest burden first.

69
Mental and Social Health Services and Allied Professions
Master's Degree · Health Professions And Related Clinical Sciences
101%
$61,933 debt · $61,613 earn
Anthropology
Bachelor Degree · Social Sciences
75%
$31,000 debt · $41,490 earn
Social Work
Master's Degree · Public Administration And Social Service Professions
74%
$44,654 debt · $60,283 earn
Fine and Studio Arts
Bachelor Degree · Visual And Performing Arts
74%
$27,000 debt · $36,615 earn
Music
Bachelor Degree · Visual And Performing Arts
73%
$26,601 debt · $36,254 earn
Student Counseling and Personnel Services
Master's Degree · Education
73%
$39,601 debt · $54,002 earn
Allied Health Diagnostic Intervention and Treatment Professions
Master's Degree · Health Professions And Related Clinical Sciences
72%
$89,124 debt · $123,892 earn
Romance Languages Literatures and Linguistics
Bachelor Degree · Foreign Languages, Literatures, And Linguistics
72%
$26,500 debt · $37,013 earn

Accreditation status & history

Who accredits the institution, current standing, and any past actions.

DAPIP
AccreditedInstitutional accreditor

Higher Learning Commission

Accredited since 1915Next review Aug 2031

Programmatic accreditations · 23

Action history · 27

  1. Sep 2025Renewal of Accreditation
    Commission on English Language Program Accreditation · English Language
  2. May 2025Loss of Accreditation or Preaccreditation: Voluntary Withdrawal
    American Speech-Language-Hearing Association, Council on Academic Accreditation in Audiology and Speech-Language Pathology · Clinical doctoral program in Audiology
  3. Jul 2024Renewal of Accreditation
    American Speech-Language-Hearing Association, Council on Academic Accreditation in Audiology and Speech-Language Pathology · Speech-Language Pathology (SLP) - Graduate degree programs
  4. Dec 2023Loss of Accreditation or Preaccreditation: Voluntary Withdrawal
    American Occupational Therapy Association, Accreditation Council for Occupational Therapy Education · Occupational Therapy (OTM) - Programs leading to a Master's Degree
  5. Oct 2023Renewal of Accreditation
    Liaison Committee on Medical Education · Medicine (MED) - Programs leading to the M.D. degree

Source: U.S. Dept. of Education

Tuition & cost

What families actually pay, broken down by family income.

College Scorecard

Net price by family income

Aid exceeds costFamily pays
$0–30k$5,263
$30–48k$5,734
$48–75k$13,833
$75–110k$18,307
$110k+$23,625

Negative values mean aid exceeds the published cost of attendance for that income band.

Avg net price
$15,273
vs R2 Research median $15,340
Federal loans
47.1%
In-state tuition
$15,252
Out-of-state
$19,034

Federal aid volume & trends

Pell grants and federal Direct Loan volume disbursed to students, and how they've trended.

Federal Student Aid

In AY 2024–25, 4,378 students received $25.1M in Pell grants, alongside $75.0M in federal Direct Loans.

Pell recipients
4,378
AY 2024–25
Pell disbursed
$25.1M
$25,127,078 total
Direct Loans
$75.0M
10,100 loan awards

Pell recipients · 5-year trend

5k
’20
4k
’21
4k
’22
4k
’23
4k
’24

Loan volume by type · AY 2024–25

Subsidized$15.1M
3,460 loan awards
Unsubsidized · UG$19.0M
4,410 loan awards
Unsubsidized · Grad$16.9M
939 loan awards
Parent PLUS$17.7M
953 loan awards
Grad PLUS$6.3M
338 loan awards

Loan awards count each loan type a student holds, not unique borrowers; one student may carry several (e.g. subsidized and unsubsidized), so the per-type figures are the reliable detail.

Source: U.S. Dept. of Education

Student loan default rate

The share of student borrowers who default on federal loans within three years, against the national benchmark.

Cohort Default Rate

Of 5,161 borrowers who entered repayment, 107 (2.0%) defaulted within three years — below the 2.3% national rate.

Default rate
2.0%
-0.3pp vs 2.3% national
Borrowers in repayment
5,161
Defaulted
107
Measurement window
3 years
Federal CDR standard

Default rate vs national, by cohort

2016
7.0%
2017
7.8%
2018
5.6%
2019
2.0%
2020*
0.0%
This institutionNational rate

* Cohorts 2020 and later read near 0% because the federal COVID-19 payment pause (CARES Act) suspended defaults nationwide. These years reflect a national policy, not institutional performance; the 2019 cohort is the last measured under normal repayment.

Source: U.S. Dept. of Education

Academic programs at Western Michigan

Top program areas ranked by completions.

IPEDS
Distinct CIP programs243
UndergraduateOffered
GraduateOffered

Top program families by completions

3,577 total completions
01Business
96527.0%
02Education
63417.7%
03Health Professions
49013.7%
04Engineering
3088.6%
05Multi/Interdisciplinary
2567.2%
06Psychology
2386.7%
07Visual/Performing Arts
2246.3%
08Transportation
2005.6%
09Parks/Recreation
1323.7%
10Computer Sciences
1303.6%

Enrollment trends & demographics

Fall headcount, 12-month unduplicated enrollment, and student body composition.

IPEDS
Fall total
16,744
12-mo unduplicated
18,507
Undergraduate
14,038
Graduate
4,469

Gender split

Men
45%8,412
Women
55%10,095

Race / ethnicity composition

White
68.1%
Hispanic
9.3%
Black
8.2%
Two or more
4.8%
Non-resident
4.1%
Asian
2.9%
Unknown
2.3%
American Indian / Alaska Native
0.3%
Native Hawaiian / Pacific Islander
0.1%

Athletics & Title IX gender equity

How athletic participation, aid, and spending are split between men and women.

EADA
Athletes
390
233 M · 157 W
Women athletes
40.3%
Athletic aid
$8.4M
Total student aid
Budget
$43.7M
Total expenses

Men vs women · spending splits

Athletic student aid
$5.2M
$3.2M
Recruiting expense
$733K
$147K
Head-coach salaries
$366K
$111K
Men Women

Sport-by-sport · 11

Football
113 M · —
$11.4M
Track and Field and Cross Country (combined)
— · 78 W
$1.1M
Soccer
31 M · 33 W
$1.9M
Baseball
33 M · —
$923K
Basketball
16 M · 15 W
$4.1M
Ice Hockey
29 M · —
$3.1M

Source: U.S. Dept. of Education

Campus safety & crime statistics

Reported on-campus crimes over the last three years, including violence and hate crimes.

Clery Act
Criminal offenses · per 1,000 students
2.70
45 offenses · 16,693 students

3-year trend

2.572 yrs ago2.291 yr ago2.70Latest
Offenses · 3-yr
131
Last three years
VAWA · 3-yr
38
DV, dating, stalking
Hate crimes · 3-yr
5
Res-hall fires · 3-yr
3

Criminal offenses by type

Motor vehicle theft
16
Burglary
9
Aggravated assault
9
Fondling
4
Rape
3
Robbery
3
Statutory rape
1

By location

45total
  • On campus30
  • Non-campus6
  • Public property9

Includes 8 in residence halls (a subset of on-campus, not added to the total).

VAWA offenses

13
Domestic violence
0
Dating violence
2
Stalking
15 total under the Violence Against Women Act.

Hate crimes by bias

  • Race2
  • National origin1

Arrests vs disciplinary referrals

CategoryArrestsReferrals
Weapons32
Drugs60
Liquor01

Residence-hall fires

No residence-hall fires reported.

Data quality: 7 reports were later determined unfounded across the reporting period and are excluded from the totals above.

Source: U.S. Dept. of Education

Student-faculty ratio

Student-to-faculty ratio and instructional staff counts.

IPEDS
Student-to-faculty
16.0:1
Instructional staff (full-time equivalent)
735

Western Michigan vs Peer comparison

The peer institutions Western Michigan selected for federal comparison reporting.

IPEDS
GraduationRetentionSelectivityEnrollmentAffordabilityYield
This institutionPeer median

A larger shape on any axis means this institution outperforms its peers on that dimension. For acceptance rate and net price, lower raw values are inverted so "more selective" and "more affordable" appear larger.

Carnegie
SubjectWestern Michigan University
58%—16,744$15,273R2 Research
Oakland University
58%87.8%15,768$9,120R2 Research
Central Michigan University
59%89.8%14,488$17,597R2 Research
Eastern Michigan University
46%79.6%12,631$15,407R2 Research
Michigan Technological University
68%92.4%7,403$14,182R2 Research
University of Toledo
58%92.0%14,358$17,249R2 Research
Peer group median58%89.8%14,423$15,340

Institutions like Western Michigan

Explore the federal data for institutions in Western Michigan's comparison group.

IPEDS

Western Michigan Institutional Research office

The IR team responsible for the institution's federal reporting.

Office
Office of Institutional Research
Phone
269-387-4422
Address
1903 W Michigan Ave, Kalamazoo, MI 49008-5245 USA, 4th Floor Ellsworth Hall, Mail Stop 5245

The Office of Institutional Research serves the University community by providing data, analysis, and research needed to make informed, data-driven decisions in a timely manner. The Office leads data governance at Western Michigan University by deliberately managing, ensuring, and promoting the integrity of data in order to foster a culture that values using information to improve the effectiveness of current activities and plan for the future.

Visit IR office page
Team
8 members
  • Jason Jach
    Director, Institutional Research
  • Will Stutz
    Data Scientist and Associate Director, Institutional Research
  • Tonya Dean
    Administrative Assistant Senior
  • Jason Matar
    Business Intelligence Developer
  • William McQuitty
    Institutional Research Analyst
  • Nusrat Nabi
    Business Intelligence Analyst - Enrollment Management
  • Becca Sly
    Business Intelligence Analyst
  • Ewa Urban
    Director, Assessment/Effectiveness

Common Data Set

Western Michigan's own annual Common Data Set: the most detailed self-reported reference for selectivity, cost, outcomes, and the student body.

Acceptance rate
84.5%
Accessible
Yield
85.1%
of admitted students enroll
Student–faculty ratio
16 to 1
Est. net price (aided)
$15,022
after avg need-based grant
01

Selectivity & Admissions

Admissions funnel

C1
Applied
21,701
Admitted
18,359
Enrolled
2,484

21,701 applied → 18,359 admitted (84.5%) → 2,484 enrolled.

Selectivity

C1
Acceptance rate
84.5%

Accessible — 84.5% acceptance rate.

Admit rate by gender

C1
Men83.1%
Women85.8%
Unknown100.0%

Admit rates are similar across genders (Men 83.1%, Women 85.8%).

SAT range (middle 50%)

C9
25th
980
Median
1100
75th
1200

Middle 50% SAT 980–1200 (median 1100).

ACT range (middle 50%)

C9
25th
22
Median
26
75th
29

Middle 50% ACT 22–29 (median 26).

High-school class rank

C10
Top tenth of high school graduating class0.168%
Top quarter of high school graduating class0.41%
Top half of high school graduating class0.759%
Bottom half of high school graduating class0.241%
Bottom quarter of high school graduating class0.043%

Share of enrolled first-years by HS class-rank band.

What matters in admission

C7
Very Important4
Rigor of secondary school recordClass rankAcademic GPAStandardized test scores
Considered2
Application EssayRecommendation(s)

Relative importance of each admission factor.

02

Affordability & Value

Cost of attendance

G
Total$30,201
Tuition
$15,12650%
Fees
$1260%
Room & board
$12,17440%
Books
$1,1284%
Other
$1,6475%

Total sticker cost of attendance is $30,201 (2025-2026).

Sticker vs. net price

G+H
Sticker COA
$30,201
Net (aided)
$15,022
Avg need grant
$15,179

Sticker $30,201 → about $15,022 net for aided students after the average need-based grant ($15,179); 73% of demonstrated need is met.

Where grant aid comes from

H1
Institutional47.1%
Federal30.0%
State15.6%
External7.2%

47% of need-based grant dollars come from the institution itself.

Graduate debt

H4/H5
Grads with debt
62%
Avg debt
$39,102

62% of graduates borrowed; those who did owed $39,102 on average.

03

Academic Experience

Class-size distribution

I3
2-9 students338
10-19 students544
20-29 students529
30-39 students239
40-49 students98
50-99 students82
100+ students34

47% of classes have under 20 students; 6% have 50+.

Faculty profile

I
Student–faculty ratio
16 to 1
Faculty with terminal degree
59%
Women faculty
54%

Key faculty indicators.

Degrees by discipline

J
Business/marketing26.18%
Transportation and materials moving8.04%
Engineering7.83%
Education7.01%
Health professions and related programs6.92%
Visual and performing arts6.8%
Interdisciplinary studies6.53%
Psychology5.08%

STEM-dominant: ~16% of bachelor's degrees are in computing, engineering, math & sciences.

04

Transfer Path

Transfer admissions

D1
Applied
2,058
Admitted
1,597
Enrolled
934

2,058 transfer applicants → 1,597 admitted (77.6%) → 934 enrolled — more selective than first-year admission.

Source publications

Frequently asked questions about Western Michigan University

Quick answers to the questions most often asked about Western Michigan.

What is the graduation rate at Western Michigan University?

Western Michigan University reports a 6-year graduation rate of 58% per the latest IPEDS.

How many students attend Western Michigan University?

Western Michigan University reports a total enrollment of 16,744 students per the latest IPEDS.

What is the average net price at Western Michigan University?

The average net price at Western Michigan University is $15,273 per the latest College Scorecard. Net price is the published cost of attendance minus grant aid.

What is the yield rate at Western Michigan University?

Western Michigan University's yield rate is 13.5%, the share of admitted students who enrolled, per the latest IPEDS.

Where is Western Michigan University located?

Western Michigan University is located in Kalamazoo, Michigan 49008-5200.

Who runs Institutional Research at Western Michigan University?

Western Michigan University's IR work is done by the Office of Institutional Research.

About the data on this page

Every figure comes from an official federal or public source. Here is each one and the release it is currently on.

IPEDS2025 provisional data (Fall 2025–26 release, July 28, 2026)
Enrollment, completions, graduation rates, tuition, financial aid, staffing, and finance for every U.S. institution in federal student aid programs.
National Center for Education Statistics, U.S. Department of Education
College ScorecardJune 10, 2026 release (merged 2025–26 files)
Institution and field-of-study costs, graduate earnings, debt, completion, and admissions outcomes compiled from federal aid records, tax data, and IPEDS.
U.S. Department of Education
FVT/GE program performanceProvisional preview, May 18, 2026 release
Program-level debt-to-earnings and earnings-premium measures behind the FVT/GE and STATS accountability frameworks.
U.S. Department of Education
DAPIP accreditationContinuously refreshed
Accreditation status for institutions and programs, reported by recognized accrediting agencies.
U.S. Department of Education, Office of Postsecondary Education
Federal Pell Grant volumeAY 2025–26 (through Q3), through March 31, 2026
Pell Grant recipient counts, award amounts, and disbursements by institution and award year.
U.S. Department of Education, Federal Student Aid
Federal student loan volumeAY 2025–26 (through Q3), through March 31, 2026
Federal Direct Loan recipient counts and disbursement volume by institution and award year.
U.S. Department of Education, Federal Student Aid
Cohort Default RatesFY 2022 official rates
Institution-level federal student loan default rates, measuring borrowers who default within three years of entering repayment.
U.S. Department of Education, Federal Student Aid
Equity in Athletics (EADA)Academic year 2024–25
Athletics participation, coaching, revenues, and expenses by sport and gender for Title IV institutions.
U.S. Department of Education, Office of Postsecondary Education
Campus Safety & SecurityData through reporting year 2024
Criminal offenses, arrests, disciplinary actions, VAWA offenses, and fire statistics reported by campus under the Clery Act.
U.S. Department of Education, Office of Postsecondary Education
Last reviewed July 2026All data sources & release dates →

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