Western Michigan University (WMU)
Public four-year university in Kalamazoo, MI that costs an average of $13,902 a year after financial aid, admits 85% of applicants and graduates 59% of full-time students.
Net price / year
$13,902
Acceptance rate
85%
Graduation rate
59%
Earnings after 10 yrs
$57,828
PublicSmall city12,568 undergraduates
Cost of WMU
| Total cost of attendance (per year) | $30,098 |
|---|---|
| Tuition and fees, in-state | $15,954 |
| Tuition and fees, out-of-state | $19,908 |
| Housing and food (on campus) | $12,661 |
| Books and supplies | $1,128 |
| Average net price after aid | $13,902 |
Net price by family income
| Family income | Average net price / year |
|---|---|
| $0–30,000 | $5,317 |
| $30,001–48,000 | $5,256 |
| $48,001–75,000 | $10,093 |
| $75,001–110,000 | $15,678 |
| $110,001+ | $23,166 |
Net price is what students actually pay after grants and scholarships (in-state students). Get your own estimate with WMU's net price calculator ↗.
Admissions
| Acceptance rate | 85% |
|---|---|
| Test scores | Neither required nor recommended |
Graduation, earnings and debt
| Graduation rate | 59% |
|---|---|
| First-year retention | 81% |
| Median earnings 6 years after enrolling | $49,938 |
| Median earnings 10 years after enrolling | $57,828 |
| Rank in Michigan (earnings) | 26th of 43 similar colleges |
| Median debt of graduates | $25,000 |
| Typical monthly loan payment | $284 (10-year plan) |
| Students with Pell grants | 32% |
| Students with federal loans | 42% |
Majors and programs at WMU
Earnings one year after graduation and median debt, by program. Click a program for details and comparisons.
Bachelor's degree programs (100)
Certificate programs (6)
| Program | Graduates (2 yrs) | Earnings after 1 yr | Median debt |
|---|---|---|---|
| Communication Disorders Sciences and Services | 1 | — | — |
| Dance | 10 | — | — |
| Geological and Earth Sciences/Geosciences | 6 | — | — |
| Paper Science and Engineering | — | — | — |
| Public Relations, Advertising, and Applied Communication | 1 | — | — |
| Rehabilitation and Therapeutic Professions | 1 | — | — |
Associate's degree programs (1)
| Program | Graduates (2 yrs) | Earnings after 1 yr | Median debt |
|---|---|---|---|
| Music | — | — | — |
Master's degree programs (73)
| Program | Graduates (2 yrs) | Earnings after 1 yr | Median debt |
|---|---|---|---|
| Allied Health Diagnostic, Intervention, and Treatment Professions | 78 | $110,405 | $122,816 |
| Business Administration, Management and Operations | 152 | $100,062 | — |
| Accounting and Related Services | 47 | $71,116 | — |
| Clinical, Counseling and Applied Psychology | 100 | $64,926 | $43,426 |
| Public Administration | 32 | $64,022 | — |
| Rehabilitation and Therapeutic Professions | 28 | $63,797 | — |
| Educational Administration and Supervision | 66 | $62,151 | — |
| Communication Disorders Sciences and Services | 52 | $61,798 | $44,390 |
| Special Education and Teaching | 92 | $61,149 | $31,974 |
| Public Health | 13 | $59,783 | — |
| Teacher Education and Professional Development, Specific Subject Areas | 69 | $59,662 | $40,497 |
| Teaching English or French as a Second or Foreign Language | 54 | $59,503 | — |
| Biology | 27 | $58,107 | — |
| Social Work | 19 | $56,463 | $41,000 |
| Mental and Social Health Services and Allied Professions | 283 | $54,652 | $48,179 |
| Student Counseling and Personnel Services | 36 | $53,410 | — |
| Teacher Education and Professional Development, Specific Levels and Methods | 70 | $49,834 | $20,500 |
| Sports, Kinesiology, and Physical Education/Fitness | 14 | $48,123 | — |
| Music | 40 | $25,465 | — |
| Aerospace, Aeronautical, and Astronautical/Space Engineering | 6 | — | — |
| Anthropology | 1 | — | — |
| Applied Mathematics | 6 | — | — |
| Chemical Engineering | 12 | — | — |
| Chemistry | 10 | — | — |
| Civil Engineering | 16 | — | — |
| Communication and Media Studies | 20 | — | — |
| Computer Engineering | 1 | — | — |
| Computer Science | 17 | — | — |
| Computer/Information Technology Administration and Management | 22 | — | — |
| Construction Management | — | — | — |
| Curriculum and Instruction | 1 | — | — |
| Data Science | — | — | — |
| Dietetics and Clinical Nutrition Services | 15 | — | — |
| East Asian Languages, Literatures, and Linguistics | — | — | — |
| Economics | 20 | — | — |
| Education, Other | — | — | — |
| Educational Assessment, Evaluation, and Research | 5 | — | — |
| Educational/Instructional Media Design | 14 | — | — |
| Electrical, Electronics, and Communications Engineering | 5 | — | — |
| Engineering-Related Fields | 21 | — | — |
| Engineering, Other | — | — | — |
| English Language and Literature | 12 | — | — |
| Geography and Cartography | — | — | — |
| Geography and Environmental Studies | 21 | — | — |
| Geological and Earth Sciences/Geosciences | 17 | — | — |
| History | 9 | — | — |
| Human Development, Family Studies, and Related Services | 5 | — | — |
| Human Resources Management and Services | 16 | — | — |
| Industrial Engineering | 32 | — | — |
| Industrial Production Technologies/Technicians | 2 | — | — |
| Management Sciences and Quantitative Methods | 4 | — | — |
| Manufacturing Engineering | — | — | — |
| Mathematics | 5 | — | — |
| Mathematics and Computer Science | 57 | — | — |
| Mechanical Engineering | 20 | — | — |
| Medieval and Renaissance Studies | 7 | — | — |
| Multi/Interdisciplinary Studies, Other | 4 | — | — |
| Nutrition Sciences | — | — | — |
| Operations Research | — | — | — |
| Paper Science and Engineering | 1 | — | — |
| Philosophy | 15 | — | — |
| Physics | 9 | — | — |
| Physiology, Pathology and Related Sciences | 12 | — | — |
| Political Science and Government | 5 | — | — |
| Psychology | 6 | — | — |
| Public Policy Analysis | 3 | — | — |
| Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing | 11 | — | — |
| Religion/Religious Studies | 8 | — | — |
| Rhetoric and Composition/Writing Studies | 4 | — | — |
| Romance Languages, Literatures, and Linguistics | 16 | — | — |
| Social and Philosophical Foundations of Education | 3 | — | — |
| Sociology | 2 | — | — |
| Statistics | 13 | — | — |
Doctoral degree programs (35)
| Program | Graduates (2 yrs) | Earnings after 1 yr | Median debt |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rehabilitation and Therapeutic Professions | — | $77,941 | $84,381 |
| Clinical, Counseling and Applied Psychology | 36 | $75,566 | $64,717 |
| Biology | 9 | — | — |
| Chemical Engineering | 2 | — | — |
| Chemistry | 3 | — | — |
| Civil Engineering | 6 | — | — |
| Communication Disorders Sciences and Services | — | — | — |
| Computer Science | 3 | — | — |
| Economics | 7 | — | — |
| Education, Other | 8 | — | — |
| Educational Administration and Supervision | 23 | — | $71,375 |
| Educational Assessment, Evaluation, and Research | 15 | — | — |
| Electrical, Electronics, and Communications Engineering | 6 | — | — |
| Engineering, Other | 5 | — | — |
| English Language and Literature | 3 | — | — |
| Geological and Earth Sciences/Geosciences | 5 | — | — |
| Health Services/Allied Health/Health Sciences | 11 | — | — |
| History | — | — | — |
| Industrial Engineering | 4 | — | — |
| Mathematics | 4 | — | — |
| Mechanical Engineering | 7 | — | — |
| Mental and Social Health Services and Allied Professions | — | — | — |
| Multi-/Interdisciplinary Studies | 5 | — | — |
| Paper Science and Engineering | 5 | — | — |
| Physics | 4 | — | — |
| Political Science and Government | 2 | — | — |
| Psychology | — | — | — |
| Public Administration | — | — | — |
| Rhetoric and Composition/Writing Studies | 3 | — | — |
| Romance Languages, Literatures, and Linguistics | 1 | — | — |
| Sociology | 3 | — | — |
| Special Education and Teaching | 2 | — | — |
| Statistics | 10 | — | — |
| Student Counseling and Personnel Services | 8 | — | — |
| Teacher Education and Professional Development, Specific Subject Areas | 9 | — | — |
Professional degree programs (2)
| Program | Graduates (2 yrs) | Earnings after 1 yr | Median debt |
|---|---|---|---|
| Communication Disorders Sciences and Services | 10 | — | — |
| Rehabilitation and Therapeutic Professions | 149 | — | — |
Graduate certificate programs (27)
| Program | Graduates (2 yrs) | Earnings after 1 yr | Median debt |
|---|---|---|---|
| Alternative and Complementary Medicine and Medical Systems | 13 | — | — |
| Biomathematics, Bioinformatics, and Computational Biology | 16 | — | — |
| Business Administration, Management and Operations | 1 | — | — |
| Clinical, Counseling and Applied Psychology | 1 | — | — |
| Computer/Information Technology Administration and Management | — | — | — |
| Data Analytics | 25 | — | — |
| Educational Administration and Supervision | — | — | — |
| Educational Assessment, Evaluation, and Research | 5 | — | — |
| Educational/Instructional Media Design | 2 | — | — |
| Environmental/Natural Resources Management and Policy | 3 | — | — |
| Geography and Cartography | 5 | — | — |
| Geological and Earth Sciences/Geosciences | 6 | — | — |
| Gerontology | 3 | — | — |
| Health and Medical Administrative Services | — | — | — |
| History | — | — | — |
| Human Development, Family Studies, and Related Services | 1 | — | — |
| Human Resources Management and Services | 12 | — | — |
| Legal Research and Advanced Professional Studies | 2 | — | — |
| Mental and Social Health Services and Allied Professions | 13 | — | — |
| Multi/Interdisciplinary Studies, Other | 6 | — | — |
| Music | — | — | — |
| Rehabilitation and Therapeutic Professions | 6 | — | — |
| Special Education and Teaching | 14 | — | — |
| Statistics | 21 | — | — |
| Student Counseling and Personnel Services | 2 | — | — |
| Teacher Education and Professional Development, Specific Levels and Methods | 3 | — | — |
| Teaching English or French as a Second or Foreign Language | 10 | — | — |
Similar colleges in Michigan
| College | City | Net price / yr | Acceptance | Earnings |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Oakland University | Rochester Hills | $11,815 | 88% | $63,565 |
| Wayne State University | Detroit | $11,212 | 81% | $59,525 |
| Eastern Michigan University | Ypsilanti | $16,628 | 80% | $55,390 |
| Central Michigan University | Mount Pleasant | $17,201 | 90% | $59,879 |
| Grand Valley State University | Allendale | $16,495 | 83% | $60,120 |
| Ferris State University | Big Rapids | $8,402 | 91% | $60,457 |
| Northern Michigan University | Marquette | $12,759 | 84% | $51,936 |
| Saginaw Valley State University | University Center | $12,147 | 72% | $55,838 |
About WMU
| Type | Public four-year university |
|---|---|
| Location | Kalamazoo, MI |
| Setting | Small city |
| Undergraduates | 12,568 |
| Student-to-faculty ratio | 16 to 1 |
| Accreditor | Higher Learning Commission |
| Website | wmich.edu ↗ |
Frequently asked questions
What is WMU's acceptance rate?
Western Michigan University admits 85% of applicants.
How much does WMU cost per year?
The full cost of attendance is $30,098 a year (tuition and fees: $15,954 in-state, $19,908 out-of-state). After grants and scholarships the average student pays $13,902 a year, and students from families earning under $30,000 pay about $5,317.
How much do WMU graduates earn?
Former students earn a median of $57,828 a year, 10 years after first enrolling — 26th of 43 similar colleges in Michigan. The best-paid bachelor's program is paper science and engineering ($87,930 a year after graduation).
What is WMU's graduation rate?
59% of full-time students graduate within six years, and 81% of first-year students return for a second year.