Kalamazoo College

The mission of Kalamazoo College is to prepare its graduates to better understand, live successfully within, and provide enlightened leadership to a richly diverse and increasingly complex world.

Together in a fellowship in learning, the members of the Kalamazoo College community are developing a model of an educated citizen that combines scholarship, civic engagement, and in-depth living experiences in other countries.As a highly selective, nationally renowned, and internationally oriented four-year college of arts and sciences, Kalamazoo College has developed a tradition of excellence in the fulfillment of this mission. It is located in Kalamazoo, Michigan. Founded in 1833, Kalamazoo College is among the 100 oldest colleges and universities in the nation.

Kalamazoo College has 100 full-time faculty members, 96 percent of whom hold a PhD or the highest degree in their field. The student-faculty ratio is 13:1. Teaching is the most important responsibility of the faculty.Kalamazoo College enrolls 1,436 students from 43 states and 28 countries. K seeks talented students from diverse backgrounds who are looking for the academic and personal challenges that are offered in a Kalamazoo College education. Admission is very selective and is offered to those applicants whose academic and personal qualities promise success.

Students at Kalamazoo College are members not only of an academic community of teachers, learners and scholars, but also of a large social community of friends and colleagues.K enrolls 1,436 students from 43 states and 28 countries; 32.9 percent of our students are domestic students of color; 8 percent of our degree-seeking students are international students; 15 percent of our students are the first in their families to attend college; and 20 percent of our students who file the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) receive a Pell Grant. The College continues the work to make the K-Plan equitable and accessible to the increasingly diverse group of students choosing K for their undergraduate education.At the heart of campus life is the concept of residential living that provides a vital contribution to the full education and development of students. Many of the faculty and staff attend events and activities with students.Student organizations include interest-based, advocacy/identity-based, social, social action, and political groups. Many students participate in the fine and performing arts, and they enjoy a high level of autonomy in planning campus events.Kalamazoo College students are bright, energetic, highly involved and creative people. Campus life fully reflects these characteristics.

An education is a life-changing experience. The Office of Financial Aid will help make your educational journey affordable. In the 2017-18 academic year, 98 percent of Kalamazoo College students shared more than $44 million in grants and scholarships.

Kalamazoo College offers an excellent learning environment. Its hilltop campus covers nearly 60 acres. At the heart of the campus is the quadrangle (fondly known as the Quad), bordered by academic and administrative buildings, the student center and Stetson Chapel. Beyond the Quad are the fine arts facilities, including theaters and recital halls, the nationally recognized Dow Science Center, classrooms, offices, living/learning houses and residence halls, an athletic center, a racquet center, tennis courts, a swimming pool, and athletic field complex.

Kalamazoo College is committed to fostering a campus climate and academic experience in which our diverse community of learners can thrive.In recent years, K has made great strides in enrolling a significantly more diverse student body in terms of race/ethnicity and country of origin. The student body has also become much more diverse in family income level, geography, and first-generation status. This achievement in representational diversity is indispensable and will continue, but is only one aspect of the work.

Addressing issues of diversity with students and issues of institutional racism within the College is a very important part of a liberal arts education and the work of Kalamazoo College. Our mission guides us to prepare our graduates to “better understand, live successfully within, and provide enlightened leadership to a richly diverse and increasingly complex world.”

Since 1962, Kalamazoo College has offered a nationally-recognized curriculum called the Kalamazoo Plan(often nicknamed the K-Plan), an undergraduate experience of rigorous liberal arts scholarship and opportunities for experiential education in both domestic and international settings.

Kalamazoo College is a premier liberal arts institution and one of the nation’s 100 oldest colleges and universities. K was founded by visionary Baptists in 1833 as The Michigan and Huron Institute.It all started when a young minister named Thomas Merrill arrived in Michigan with $7.00 and a plan to establish a Baptist college on the frontier. In 1833, with the ambitious assistance of Judge Caleb Eldred, Merrill’s dream became real, and the history of Kalamazoo College formally began.

The institution changed its name to Kalamazoo College in 1855, when it earned the ability to grant degrees.In the years that have followed, the College has gone through many eras of growth and change. Buildings, personalities, and academic programs have come and gone. Through it all, we have maintained a tradition of excellence second to none among liberal arts colleges.Today, the College operates independently, acknowledging its historic link with the American Baptist Church.