Best Private Colleges in Michigan 2024

Published: Mar 24, 2021
Updated: Oct 16, 2023

Private colleges, unlike large public institutions, can be a great option for students wanting a more intimate campus experience, more personal attention from excellent professors, and more immediate access to support services. Here is our list of the best private colleges in Michigan.

Davenport University 98%
Rochester College 98%
University of Detroit Mercy 93%
Hope College 92%
Cornerstone University 91%
Olivet College 89%
Aquinas College 89%
Kettering University 86%
Andrews University 82%
Lawrence Technological University 81%

Cornerstone University 15 to 1
Olivet College 15 to 1
Adrian College 14 to 1
Alma College 13 to 1
Kettering University 13 to 1
Madonna University 13 to 1
Davenport University 13 to 1
Kalamazoo College 13 to 1
Rochester College 12 to 1
Calvin University 12 to 1

Kalamazoo College $54,522
Albion College $53,090
Kettering University $44,380
Alma College $43,872
Adrian College $39,107
Calvin University $38,240
Lawrence Technological University $37,680
Hope College $36,650
Aquinas College $36,134
Concordia University Ann Arbor $31,830

Andrews University $28,656
University of Detroit Mercy $21,276
Adrian College $18,600
Alma College $18,000
Lawrence Technological University $17,836
Madonna University $16,380
Davenport University $16,308
Kettering University $15,128
Cornerstone University $14,160
Concordia University Ann Arbor $12,885

Rochester College
Aquinas College
Concordia University Ann Arbor
Kuyper College
Davenport University
Siena Heights University
Spring Arbor University
Cornerstone University
Finlandia University
Madonna University

Madonna University 52%
Spring Arbor University 60%
Concordia University Ann Arbor 63%
Siena Heights University 68%
Kuyper College 69%
Alma College 69%
Albion College 69%
Calvin University 75%
Adrian College 76%
Finlandia University 78%

Kuyper College 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
Hope College 11 to 1
Aquinas College 11 to 1
Lawrence Technological University 11 to 1
Rochester College 12 to 1
Calvin University 12 to 1

Davenport University $20,964
Finlandia University $24,576
Kuyper College $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
Olivet College $31,104

Kuyper College $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
Kettering University $15,128
Davenport University $16,308

Table of Contents

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

What is the difference between public and private colleges?

Public and private colleges and universities operate under different business models. Public colleges and universities are owned by the state and receive both state and federal funding to operate. Private colleges and universities are private companies with private funding. If you’re looking at the pros and cons of private vs. public colleges, consider that many public colleges provide diverse course offerings, influential professors, and an excellent return on your investment.

Public colleges are schools that receive most of their funding from tax revenues. As a result, the cost of a bachelor’s degree at a public university is often lower than the equivalent cost at a private college — especially for students attending a public school in their home state. Attending a college in-state is usually the cheapest option. Private universities and colleges can be very competitive with their funding opportunities, so do not simply believe that private colleges are always going to be more expensive. According to National Center for Educational Statistics, the average annual cost (tuition, fees, room and board for full-time students) at a public university was slightly over $20,000. In contrast, private universities cost, on average, nearly $43,000 annually. But in the end, the cost of college comes down to each student’s academic and financial situation.

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

Methodology

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.

This list is composed entirely of private colleges and universities that offer bachelor’s degrees. We’ve identified 21 private universities in Michigan. To be included in the list below of the best private universities in Michigan, schools must be fully accredited, private, non-profit institution, and must offer a broad range of bachelor’s degrees.