Western Michigan University
Public Research University in Kalamazoo, MI. Six-year graduation rate 58%. Median 10-year earnings $53,562.
Students who entered Western Michigan University land at a median of $53,562 a decade later, close to what most four-year schools deliver. 58% finish within six years — respectable, though a meaningful share still leave without a credential. Graduates carry a median of $26,188 in debt — in line with the national norm.
Earnings: College Scorecard, median ten years after entry across students who received federal aid — completers and non-completers alike.
- ✓ 3-year loan default 0.0% — below national benchmark
- ! Mobility score 1.0 — limited economic uplift documented
Admissions
An acceptance rate of 85% puts Western Michigan University on the accessible end — a realistic target for a broad range of applicants. 21,701 students applied, a pool deep enough to make the acceptance rate meaningful. Only 14% of admitted students enroll — the great majority of admits go elsewhere or nowhere.
Test score bands (middle 50% of submitters)
These bands describe the enrolled first-years who submitted a score, not the entering class. Where most students apply test-optional the submitters are a self-selected, higher-scoring group.
| Test | 25th–75th percentile | Submitted |
|---|---|---|
| SAT Evidence-Based Reading | — | — |
| SAT Math | — | |
| ACT Composite | — | — |
IPEDS Admissions · 2024
Apply at Western Michigan University →Academics
58% graduate within six years — average, but that average still hides a large group who do not. 81% of full-time first-years return for a second year — a healthy figure. Retention and completion are close, which places the gap between entering and finishing almost entirely in year one. A 27% transfer-out rate accounts for part of that gap: those students left for another institution rather than dropping out, and the graduation rate above counts them as non-completers here. Part-time students fare worse, returning at 64% — relevant if you plan to work while enrolled.
Financial Aid
IPEDS Student Financial Aid · 2023-24 · grant and loan rates against 12,704 degree- or certificate-seeking undergraduates
Net price lands at $17,331 a year on average, neither cheap nor punishing. Net price swings hard on family income here, from $5,263 at the $0–30k band to $23,625 at $110k+. 76% of students receive grant aid, averaging $9,871 — common but not automatic. About 48% borrow federally, roughly the national pattern.
Entering first-year students
A different, smaller group than the rates above: full-time students in their first year of college anywhere. The grant series here also excludes the "other sources" counted in the all-undergraduate figure, so the two are not comparable.
IPEDS Student Financial Aid · 2023-24 · 2,425 students
Net price by family income
The same students as the headline above, limited to those who received Title IV federal aid — a narrower group, with a lower overall average. IPEDS publishes no combined figure across these bands, so they should not be averaged into one.
| Family income band | Average net price |
|---|---|
| $0–30k | $5,263 |
| $30–48k | $5,734 |
| $48–75k | $13,833 |
| $75–110k | $18,307 |
| $110k+ | $23,625 |
IPEDS Student Financial Aid · 2023-24
Federal student loans went to 6,135 of these 12,704 students, totalling $40,276,283 — an average of $6,565 each.
IPEDS Student Financial Aid · 2023-24
Local housing costs
Typical rents near campus (Kalamazoo County) — budget these against any cost-of-attendance housing estimate.
HUD Fair Market Rents (40th-percentile gross rent incl. utilities) · FY2026
Veterans & GI Bill
VA GI Bill Comparison Tool (Veterans Affairs GIDS)