Best Christian Colleges in Michigan 2023

Best Christian Colleges in Michigan 2023

By James Barham

Published: Mar 24, 2021
Updated: Mar 13, 2023

For prospective college students looking for schools that align with their Christian faith and demonstrate academic excellence, here are the best Christian colleges and universities in Michigan.

10 Best Christian Colleges in Michigan

University of Detroit Mercy

42%

38%

Andrews University

38%

Calvin University

37%

30%

26%

26%

Madonna University

24%

Cornerstone University

22%

Spring Arbor University

21%

Rochester College

98%

University of Detroit Mercy

93%

92%

Cornerstone University

91%

89%

Aquinas College

89%

Andrews University

82%

Finlandia University

78%

76%

Calvin University

75%

Cornerstone University

15 to 1

15 to 1

14 to 1

13 to 1

Madonna University

13 to 1

Rochester College

12 to 1

Calvin University

12 to 1

Spring Arbor University

12 to 1

Siena Heights University

12 to 1

University of Detroit Mercy

11 to 1

$43,872

$39,107

Calvin University

$38,240

$36,650

Aquinas College

$36,134

Concordia University Ann Arbor

$31,830

Andrews University

$31,782

$31,104

Spring Arbor University

$31,080

University of Detroit Mercy

$30,154

Andrews University

$28,656

University of Detroit Mercy

$21,276

$18,600

$18,000

Madonna University

$16,380

Cornerstone University

$14,160

Concordia University Ann Arbor

$12,885

Siena Heights University

$12,456

Calvin University

$11,880

Aquinas College

$11,358

Rochester College

16%

Aquinas College

19%

Finlandia University

20%

Siena Heights University

20%

20%

Concordia University Ann Arbor

20%

Spring Arbor University

21%

Cornerstone University

22%

Madonna University

24%

26%

Madonna University

52%

Spring Arbor University

60%

Concordia University Ann Arbor

63%

Siena Heights University

68%

69%

69%

Calvin University

75%

76%

Finlandia University

78%

Andrews University

82%

9 to 1

Finlandia University

10 to 1

Andrews University

10 to 1

Concordia University Ann Arbor

10 to 1

University of Detroit Mercy

11 to 1

Aquinas College

11 to 1

11 to 1

Rochester College

12 to 1

Calvin University

12 to 1

Spring Arbor University

12 to 1

Finlandia University

$24,576

$24,630

Madonna University

$24,900

Rochester College

$25,462

Cornerstone University

$27,040

Siena Heights University

$28,502

University of Detroit Mercy

$30,154

Spring Arbor University

$31,080

$31,104

Andrews University

$31,782

$5,400

Spring Arbor University

$8,093

Rochester College

$10,512

Aquinas College

$11,358

Calvin University

$11,880

Siena Heights University

$12,456

Concordia University Ann Arbor

$12,885

Cornerstone University

$14,160

Madonna University

$16,380

$18,000

Key Takeaways

Michigan’s population places it in the top ten states in the US. Because of the number of people in the state, it’s not a surprise that Michigan is home to at least 200 accredited colleges and universities.
With more than 200 institutions scattered across Michigan, Bible colleges and Christian colleges also take part of the growing population in the state.
Christian colleges in Michigan are represented by various denominations, including the United Methodist, Church of Christ, United Church of Christ, Christian Reformed Church, Catholic, Evangelical Lutheran Church, Free Methodist, Protestant, Presbyterian, and Interdenominational.

Michigan’s Christian Colleges

Dubbed the “Great Lake State,” Michigan is proud of its highly distinct education landscape with 98 colleges, including 14 Christian colleges. For students who wish to attend college in a faith-based environment, Michigan is the perfect state. Whether you are a devout Lutheran, Catholic, Methodist, Baptist, or Protestant, all the Christian colleges in Michigan welcome all students regardless of their denomination.

Choosing a Christian university is a perfect way for students to further strengthen their relationship with God, engage in smaller classes, expand their spiritual worldviews, join in meaningful service, and even prepare for seminaries.

Choosing the Right Christian College

Choosing the right college for you is crucial, so we have some tips that might help guide your decision.

Find out the school’s religious affiliation: You may attend a Baptist church, and that is familiar and comfortable for you. In that case, attending a Lutheran college may not be a good fit. However, this is a very personal decision. You may visit the school and realize that the teaching style, Bible study, and weekly church and worship services are exactly what you are looking for.

Our best advice? Let the denomination be a starting point, but don’t allow yourself to be bound by it, potentially ruling out a school where you could be very happy.

Check the majors being offered: Make sure that the college major you are most interested in is offered at the school. Also it is important to find out if the major is offered at both the undergraduate and graduate level.

Note that if you are considering a faith-based major like ministry or theology, a Christian college is a great choice.

Evaluate the quality of education: The schools included in this ranking are evaluated on many criteria including graduation rates, academic influence of the faculty, and accreditation, among other factors, so you can be confident in the quality of these programs.

Explore ministry and fellowship on campus: How a faith-based school showcases its faith via student life opportunities is an important factor in finding a Christian college.

Does the school have a Chapel or mass requirement? Is fellowship strongly encouraged? These are crucial questions you should ask especially when you’re visiting schools. Most Christian colleges have fellowship and ministry groups, and some even require their students to attend regular church or worship services.

Learn the school’s missionary and community service opportunities. For students who want to experience service opportunities to help build their résumé while they’re still in school, then check out what the top ranked Christian colleges offer in this respect.

A majority of Christian colleges have solid community and missionary service programs, and these schools take so much pride in them. From local to international opportunities, and even a combination of study abroad and missionary work programs, students can earn school credits while simultaneously doing something good in the world.

Colleges and Universities in Michigan

With over 80 public and private colleges to choose from, students hoping to earn their associate, bachelor’s, master’s, or doctoral degree can find a program that suits their educational needs and budget. Michigan State University and the University of Michigan are the two largest schools, both serving around 42,000 students and costing $16,000 in tuition. Most of the schools in The Wolverine State, however, serve smaller student populations, with tuition fees ranging from $3,000 to $49,000.

Find college admissions consultants in your state.

Additionally, students pursuing their degree at a school with religious affiliations have more than 20 options to choose from, including Sacred Heart Major Seminary in Detroit, Grand Rapid’s Calvin College, and Hope College in Holland. Students attending one of Michigan’s private schools, like Davenport University, can earn their degrees in fields like nursing, education, criminal justice, and history. Michigan, like many other states, also provides a special loan forgiveness program to those in medical, dental, and mental health professions who work in underserved communities. Recipients can receive up to $200,000 of tax-free funds over an eight-year period.

The great state of Michigan famously serves as the major hub of the United States auto industry - and also boasts the longest freshwater coastline in the nation. Students who love the outdoors but are also drawn to the metropolitan energy of big cities like Detroit and Grand Rapids will feel very much at home in Michigan.

To find your degree program, explore some of the top schools in Michigan.

What are Michigan’s Colleges & Universities?

Michigan’s Best Overall

The following list of the best Christian schools consists entirely of colleges and universities that offer four-year undergraduate degrees. We’ve identified 16 Christian colleges in Michigan. In order to be included in this ranking list of best Christian colleges and universities, a school must self-identify as Christian, be fully accredited, and offer a broad range of bachelor degree programs.

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How do we determine Michigan's best Christian colleges and universities?

The people affiliated with a school are ultimately what make it great! If you are serious about finding the best colleges and universities for a bachelor’s degree, you should be asking where the most influential professors are teaching and whether their graduates are themselves advancing the school’s reputation for academic excellence in their fields of study.

Most ranking sites rely on an opaque combination of reputation surveys and arbitrary performance metrics. Concentrated Influence provides a ranking that is freer from bias, insulated from manipulation, and reflective of real-world educational outcomes.

To rank the influence of schools, we first determine the influence of scholars and professionals based on the number of citations and publications they have had over the past 10 years. In addition to publications and citations, we consider the web links to and from these sources, and the page views of those sources. We then match the influential people to their alma maters and institutions of employment, so that their influence is attributed to those schools. Our machine-learning Influence Ranking algorithm produces a numerical score of academic achievements, merits, and citations across Wikipedia, wikidata, Crossref, Semantic Scholar and an ever-growing body of data. If you are interested in exploring how and why we rank by influence, explore our methodology in more depth.

Best Christian Colleges in Michigan 2022

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Michigan’s Best Christian Colleges in Your Area of Interest

2021 Ranking Archive

Many of our 2022 undergraduate focused rankings look considerably different than 2021. That’s because we took a fundamentally different apporach. For 2021 we utilized our Concentrated Influence algorithm, designed to take away the size advantage larger schools have when we rank their faculty and alumni’s academic influence. Concentrated influence highlights smaller schools that are proportionally as successful as larger universities at cultivating influential alumni and faculty.