Best Small Colleges in Michigan 2024

Published: Mar 24, 2021
Updated: Oct 26, 2023

Small colleges in Michigan are a great option for students interested in a more intimate campus experience, more personal attention from excellent professors, and more immediate access to support services. Whether the focus is on the technical or on the liberal arts, small colleges give you the chance to pursue a well-rounded education while working closely with classmates and professors in a dynamic community atmosphere.

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%

Lake Superior State University 17 to 1
Cornerstone University 15 to 1
Olivet College 15 to 1
Jackson College 15 to 1
Adrian College 14 to 1
Northwestern Michigan College 14 to 1
Lake Michigan College 14 to 1
Alma College 13 to 1
Kettering University 13 to 1
Alpena Community College 13 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

Lake Michigan College
Rochester College
Aquinas College
Jackson College
Alpena Community College
Concordia University Ann Arbor
Kuyper College
Davenport University
Northwestern Michigan College
Siena Heights 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%
Lake Superior State University 73%
Calvin University 75%
Adrian College 76%

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

Jackson College $5,700
Lake Michigan College $6,900
Alpena Community College $7,260
Northwestern Michigan College $7,488
Lake Superior State University $13,200
Davenport University $20,964
Finlandia University $24,576
Kuyper College $24,630
Madonna University $24,900
Rochester College $25,462

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

The following list of the best small colleges and universities in Michigan is composed mainly of four-year undergraduate schools (though a handful also offer graduate programs). We’ve identified 26 small colleges in Michigan. The list below of the best small colleges in Michigan. To be included schools must fully accredited, and must have student body populations below 5,000 students.

How do we determine Michigan's best small 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.

Best Small Colleges in Michigan 2023

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Michigan’s Best Small College 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.

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Best Small Colleges in Michigan 2024

10 Best Small Colleges in Michigan 2024

Colleges and Universities in Michigan

What are Michigan’s Colleges & Universities?

Best Small Colleges in Michigan 2023

Career Outlook for degree at Calvin University

Most Influential Alumni

Career Outlook for degree at Hope College

Most Influential Alumni

Career Outlook for degree at University of Detroit Mercy

Most Influential Alumni

Career Outlook for degree at Kalamazoo College

Most Influential Alumni

Career Outlook for degree at Albion College

Most Influential Alumni

Career Outlook for degree at Andrews University

Most Influential Alumni

Andrews University’s Online Degrees

Career Outlook for degree at Kettering University

Most Influential Alumni

Career Outlook for degree at Adrian College

Most Influential Alumni

Career Outlook for degree at Madonna University

Madonna University’s Online Degrees

Career Outlook for degree at Olivet College

Most Influential Alumni

Career Outlook for degree at Lawrence Technological University

Most Influential Alumni

Career Outlook for degree at Lake Superior State University

Most Influential Alumni

Career Outlook for degree at Davenport University

Davenport University’s Online Degrees

Degree Concentrations

Degree Concentrations

Career Outlook for degree at Alma College

Most Influential Alumni

Career Outlook for degree at Concordia University Ann Arbor

Most Influential Alumni

Concordia University Ann Arbor’s Online Degrees

Career Outlook for degree at Spring Arbor University

Spring Arbor University’s Online Degrees

Career Outlook for degree at Cornerstone University

Most Influential Alumni

Cornerstone University’s Online Degrees

Career Outlook for degree at Northwestern Michigan College

Career Outlook for degree at Finlandia University

Career Outlook for degree at Siena Heights University

Most Influential Alumni

Siena Heights University’s Online Degrees

Degree Concentrations

Career Outlook for degree at Kuyper College

Career Outlook for degree at Jackson College

Career Outlook for degree at Aquinas College

Most Influential Alumni

Career Outlook for degree at Lake Michigan College

Career Outlook for degree at Rochester College

Rochester College’s Online Degrees

Degree Concentrations

Career Outlook for degree at Alpena Community College

Michigan’s Best Small College in Your Area of Interest