Fast Facts

Western Michigan University 

Established: 1903
Main Campus: Kalamazoo, Michigan
Main phone: (269) 387-1000
Maps and directions: wmich.edu/maps
Fall 2017 enrollment: 22,894
Nickname: Broncos
Mascot: Buster Bronco
Colors: Brown and gold

Top national institution

Western Michigan University is a globally engaged, national research university that promotes success for learners at all levels and stands out among America’s more than 4,600 public and private degree-granting colleges and universities.

The Carnegie Foundation classifies WMU as one of just 157 public and 222 public and private institutions that conduct research at the “higher” or “highest” levels.

Phi Beta Kappa, the nation’s most prestigious honor society, has selected WMU and just 102 other public institutions to shelter one of its chapters.

U.S. News & World Report has designated WMU one of America’s best national universities for 27 consecutive years and has placed it in the top-tier of those universities since 2011.

Washington Monthly categorizes WMU as both a top-100 national university and a Best Bang for the Buck school.

Military Times ranks WMU among the best institutions for veterans, and WMU is the only Michigan school to appear on all eight years of its annual Best for Vets list.

INSIGHT into Diversity consistently honors WMU for its outstanding commitment to diversity and inclusion.

The Sustainable Endowments Institute presented WMU with one of its 2015 Best of GRITS—Green Revolving Investment Tracking System—awards, honoring the University as that year’s large nonprofit institution with the most carbon emissions saved to date.

Campuses and facilities

WMU’s aviation site is home to the largest flight school in the Midwest.

WMU’s campuses encompass some 1,300 acres as well as 170 buildings and feature some of the finest facilities in the Midwest.

Kalamazoo-area campuses

Aviation site—Located at the W.K. Kellogg Airport in nearby Battle Creek, the College of Aviation site serves as the "campus" that houses WMU's aviation-related instructional facilities and sophisticated fleet of aircraft.

East Campus—Located in Kalamazoo just west of the downtown, the East Campus is comprised of landholdings east of Stadium Drive. It has become a hub for health and human services programs and as WMU’s birthplace, features the University’s most historic buildings.

Main Campus—Located in Kalamazoo just west of the downtown, the Main Campus is comprised of landholdings west of Stadium Drive. It is home to a majority of WMU’s academic programs, campus services, instructional buildings and residence halls.

Parkview Campus—Located in Kalamazoo three miles south of the Main Campus, the Parkview Campus is home to the College of Engineering and Applied Sciences as well as WMU’s Business Technology and Research Park.

Major facilities

State-of-the-art buildings are available in areas such as business, chemistry, education, health and human services, science research, and the visual and performing arts. In addition, ongoing improvements to residential neighborhoods across the Main Campus keep a variety of resources and amenities close at hand.

• 

  Outdoor café tables across campus are convenient places to congregate.

  Main Campus apartments, residence halls and apartment-style complexes are able to house more than 7,000 students, and 90 percent of degree-seeking, first-time freshmen typically live on campus each fall semester.
• Five dining centers and seven cafés, including a new facility offering nine distinctive food venues in a restaurant-like atmosphere, provide a variety of meal and takeout options.
• Kalamazoo-area landholdings include two nature preserves that are open to the public and used for research as well as education.

Regional locations and online education

Extended University Programs offers academic classes and programs close to home through its online unit as well as nine regional locations in Michigan and one in Florida. Professional and enrichment programming also is available.

Main offices

• General: (269) 387-4200
• Online Education: (269) 387-4200
• Osher Lifelong Learning Institute at WMU, (269) 387-4200
• Professional Development and Lifelong Learning, (269) 387-4200

Michigan regional locations

• WMU-Battle Creek: (269) 965-5380
• WMU-Grand Rapids, Beltline: (616) 771-9470
• WMU-Grand Rapids, Downtown: (616) 771-4100
• WMU-Lansing: (517) 483-9728
• WMU-MetroDetroit, Auburn Hills: (248) 485-4500
• WMU-MetroDetroit, Clinton Township: (586) 226-4838
• WMU-Muskegon: (231) 777-0500
• WMU-Southwest, Benton Harbor: (269) 934-1500
• WMU-Traverse City: (231) 995-1846

Florida regional location

• WMU-Punta Gorda: (941) 626-2598

Academic colleges

• 

  The Health and Human Services Building is an inviting blend of functionality and sustainability.

  Arts and Sciences, College of: (269) 387-4350
• Aviation, College of: (269) 964-6375
• Business, Haworth College of: (269) 387-5050
• Education and Human Development, College of: (269) 387-2960
• Engineering and Applied Sciences, College of: (269) 276-3253
• Fine Arts, College of: (269) 387-5810
• Graduate College: (269) 387-8212
• Health and Human Services, College of: (269) 387-7367
• Honors College, Lee: (269) 387-3230

Affiliated Professional Schools

• WMU Homer Stryker M.D. School of Medicine: (269) 337-4400
  Main campus in downtown Kalamazoo; various related facilities in Kalamazoo.
• WMU Thomas M. Cooley Law School: (517) 371-5140
  –  In-state campuses: Lansing (main), Auburn Hills, Grand Rapids 
  –  Transitional campus: Kalamazoo (start coursework at WMU)
  –  Out-of-state campus: Tampa Bay, Florida

Number of programs and degrees awarded

WMU offers scores of degree programs at both the undergraduate and graduate levels. It ranks second among Michigan’s 15 public universities in the number of bachelor’s programs offered.

Enrollment (fall 2017)

WMU attracts a diverse, culturally rich student body from around the state, country and globe.

• Total students: 22,894
• Men: 11,116 or 49 percent
• Women: 11,778 or 51 percent
• Minorities: 5,243 or 23 percent
• Place of origin
  –  Michigan: 19,064 or 83.3 percent
  –  U.S. territories, other states: 2,804 or 9.1 percent
  –  Other countries: 1,746 or 7.6 percent
• Undergraduate: 17,936 or 78 percent
• Graduate: 4,958 or 22 percent

Human resources (fall 2017)

This section does not include every employee category.

• Total: 4,219
• Regular staff: 1,886
• Full-time faculty: 874
• Faculty chairs: 52
• Part-time faculty: 525
• Graduate assistants: 882

Financial operations (fiscal year 2016-17)

Research and sponsored programs

Private support*

Economic impact (2010)

Student costs

Although one of the Michigan universities designated by the Carnegie Foundation as a higher research university, WMU ranks eighth in tuition and fees among the state’s 15 public universities.

Information about tuition and fees is available online and includes differential tuition charged to students in the Haworth College of Business, College of Engineering and Applied Sciences, and College of Fine Arts. Information about on-campus housing and dining costs also is available online.

Entering freshman profile (fall 2017)

• Average GPA: 3.4
• Average SAT: 1090

Financial aid and scholarships (fiscal year 2016-17)

WMU awarded nearly $266.8 million in financial assistance to 17,974 students, with $50.4 million going to 3,142 graduate students.

Student life

Campus and community members fill the Sangren Pedestrian Mall each fall for the Bronco Bash welcome-to-Western party.

The student affairs division supports WMU’s academic mission, engages students in learning and personal development, and helps the University maintain its inclusive campus climate. Among its many responsibilities are overseeing the housing and dining system, Career and Student Employment Services, and an accredited health center complete with counselors and psychologists who are dedicated to helping students manage educational, career and personal issues.

When "ESPN College GameDay" featured WMU football in 2016, alumnus Greg Jennings, middle, and ESPN's Lee Corso, wearing the Bronco headgear, correctly predicted WMU would win the contest. Photo credit: ESPN

WMU offers a vibrant climate for arts and entertainment. Students can choose from scores of cultural events; more than 1,400 plays, concerts and exhibitions staged by the fine arts college; and performances by comedians, musicians and other popular entertainers sponsored by such student groups as the Campus Activities Board. WMU also is home to Miller Auditorium, the third largest theatre in Michigan, which presents everything from high-profile concerts and multimedia extravaganzas to Broadway shows and internationally acclaimed performances of ballet, opera, music and dance.

In addition, more than 370 student organizations provide a wealth of additional opportunities for fun and recreation as well as educational, professional, social and spiritual growth. Meanwhile, WMU is an NCAA Division I school in the Mid-American Conference (Football Bowl Subdivision) and National Collegiate Hockey Conference. Committed to gender equity, the Division of Intercollegiate Athletics adds to the vitality of campus life by offering 16 varsity sports.

Men’s sports

• Baseball
• Basketball
• Football
• Hockey
• Soccer
• Tennis

Women’s sports

• Basketball
• Cross country
• Golf
• Gymnastics
• Soccer
• Softball
• Tennis
• Indoor track and field
• Outdoor track and field
• Volleyball

Graduate education

More than one-fifth of WMU’s students are enrolled in one of the University’s 110 graduate programs. They are welcomed into faculty labs and studios and participate in groundbreaking work being done in partnership with business, industry and government across Michigan and around the world.

Many of WMU’s graduate offerings are nationally or internationally recognized, such as creative writing, earth sciences/geosciences, engineering management, evaluation, medieval studies, occupational therapy, physician assistant, psychology, public affairs, rehabilitation counseling, and speech-language pathology.

International education

International students share their cultures at annual events.

WMU was the first American university to require all students to study the non-Western world. Its history of international involvement dates back to 1911, when WMU granted its first degree to an international student. Today, the University hosts 1,746 international students from 96 countries and provides a fully accredited intensive English language program for international students. In addition, it offers more than 100 study abroad programs and exchanges in more than 40 countries as well as access to countless others through worldwide linkages with other universities and organizations.

On campus, students may enroll in a variety of international-related academic programs, including majors or minors that focus on global and international studies, business, politics, select world regions, and languages such as Arabic, Chinese, Japanese and Spanish. Faculty members routinely engage in scholarly activities around the globe, and some 600 of WMU’s domestic students annually study overseas. The campus community is supported by the Haenicke Institute for Global Education, which fosters international exchanges, transnational education programs and other global engagement activities as well as guides and bolsters internationalization of both the academic and campus environments.

Worldwide information resources

Computing facilities are available in classrooms, laboratories and residence halls across the campus. Meanwhile, WMU operates Michigan’s fourth largest university library system and one of the top-100 such systems in the country. Library patrons have access to hundreds of online databases and millions of physical and electronic materials as well as the holdings of 70,000 libraries worldwide.

University Libraries

• Maybee Music and Dance Library: (269) 387-5237
• Swain Education Library: (269) 387-5223
• Waldo Library (main): (269) 387-5059
• Zhang Legacy Collections Center: (269) 387-8490

Alumni (2017)

WMU has more than 250,000 alumni worldwide, living in all 50 U.S. states and some 140 other countries. Of the University's total alumni, about 73 percent —183,831—reside in America and about 51 percent—128,887—reside in Michigan.

• The top six other countries where alumni live, in descending order, are Malaysia, India, Japan, Canada, China and Thailand.
• The top six other states where alumni live, in descending order, are Illinois, New Jersey, Florida, California, Indiana and Texas.
• The largest concentrations of Michigan alumni, in descending order, live in the counties of Kalamazoo, Kent, Oakland, Wayne, Ottawa and Berrien.
• About 91 percent of alumni residing in Michigan live south of a line extending from Muskegon County in the west to St. Clair County in the east.