Very diverse and renowned university! The campus has so much to offer. From courses, study aboard opportunities, and events. Speaking of the most well known and highly anticipated is Bronco Bash! After a hiatus because of everything back in 2020. It finally came back and it was worth the wait. Just like this art by a fellow student. Can't wait for the next one! read more

Western Michigan University - Colleges & Universities Near Me - Kalamazoo, Michigan

I've been going to this school for 5 years now, and just this year they decided to raise tuition. Understandable because prices go up over the years normally. But I recently started touring other schools and I've now realized below the bar western has become. To start: the math and science departments are both terrible. Organic has such a high fail rate it's been suggested...by Wmu staffers...that I take it at the neighboring community college just to be able to pass it, at a cheaper rate no less. The TA's for the math classes offered at WMU also suggest taking calculus classes elsewhere as the classes aren't designed to help the average student learn adequately enough to pass. Secondly, one of my biggest digressions with this university is what they have done to the nature preserve Asylum Lake. Since buying it, they now ticket people for parking there without a valid university parking pass, yet refuse to put any upkeep into the preserve. Fallen trees on paths, overgrown paths that are still advertised as paths is unacceptable and despicable. I've been running there for five years and this is the first year I've experienced these issues. The reason I give this university three stars and not just one is due to the amazing staff at park view and their outstanding engineering program. No complaints there. The teachers are helpful, in class and out with assisting you and aiding you in learning the material and being competent in the field. For this reason I haven't yet transferred. All in all, if western would spend money in the right places instead of insisting on new dining halls and endless useless fountains, this review would be 5 stars. read more

Oh Western how much money have you taken from me, yet here I am. A proud Alumni and a current student, once again, I'm pleased to share my experiences of this university. Please know that faculty is willing to help students. As one of those students who didn't ask for help at first I never received it. But once I realized I needed guidance and assistance I found that help I needed. Going to see financial aid advisors at bronco express, going to see my course advisors and visiting professors during their office hours was huge. WMU offers A LOT of resources to students, student just need to look and ask for help. Professors are people too and you'd be surprised how understanding and helpful they are if you ask for help when you need it. I've made some meaningful and long term relationships with some faulty (advisors and professors). What I don't like and many don't is the tuition inflation. I've noticed it has gone up every year. It's frustrating but that's not just a Western thing I believe that's all universities. The university is trying to do better with the university to make up I believe, for the inflations. WMU is always renovating and making the campus more appealing. They recently built a new cafeteria, have built new dorms, and are building more dorms with student centers that include games and study areas. All very pleasing to all students. Go Broncos!! read more

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Western as a whole is a great school, but one thing that sets western apart from any other college is its paper engineering program. This program offers a scholarship to help pay for school as well as a vast number of job opportunities once you finish your degree. Not only that the community and staff are always willing to help when you need it. Any student interested in becoming a paper engineer should consider joining westerns paper program. read more

Western Michigan University's Paper engineering program is by far the best and most helpful University program I have ever seen and been apart of. They help you every step of the way and give you tons opportunities to grow and further your career. They inform you of possible job opportunities, hold great events, introduce you to companies, and help with setting up your resume. I have never had a negative experience while being apart of the paper program. read more

Go Broncos! I'm a WMU grad and say that with pride. College, like many things in life, is what you make of it. I graduated in 2009 as a nontraditional student (older than most) and really loved my college experience at WMU. I attended other colleges and found that WMU couldn't be beat. Located in the heart of Kalamazoo, Western is only 2 hours away from Chicago and 2 hours away from Detroit. It's a great central location. Our student population ends up being a great melting pot comprising of students mainly from Michigan, Illinois, Ohio, and Indiana. We also had students from around the globe that provided great diversity. We had over 25,000+ students enrolled but the campus and community still felt close, connected and interested. The size of the school is perfect; it's neither too big nor too small. Everything on campus is within ten or fifteen minutes walking distance. Transportation around the entire city is free with your student ID. I lived off campus between 2006-2009 and got along fine without a car. I worked at their computer lab on campus and loved every moment. WMU has received nationwide recognition for their efforts to create a sustainable campus. This makes it easy for their students to 'go green' in a multitude of facets. The campus is beautiful during all the seasons (yes, even winter). They have plenty of spots for you relax outside. They also have an updated student recreational center with free exercise classes with your student ID. WMU has updated a ton of their academic buildings to ensure they are up to date with the best equipment and technology. I believe they are also in the process of opening a medical school (which would be great for the area). Western supplies their students with a ton of resources for every step of their college career. WMU has a department there to help you select a major, create a resume, practice interviews, search for a job/internship, and even offer various etiquette classes. The tools are at your fingertips. You just have to go get it. Yelp Review #26 2016 read more

While Kalamazoo benefits from having a university in the city, this school is not the best. I took classes there after graduating from Michigan State and I was not pleased with the administration or many of the professors. The financial aid officer workers are horrible - I can't think of a time when I was ever treated worse. The library liked to tack on inappropriate fees (though the Dean of Library Services was a huge help in getting things fixed for me). Many professors that I had were lack-luster and showed little to no interest in their students. As a Kalamazoo native, I know the city benefits from this school, even if it does suck, and that's the only reason it gets any stars at all. read more

Strictly commenting on the Lunch with Santa put on by Western Michigan University. Price came in at about $14 per person, kid was free since she was only 20 months old. Buffet style lunch which included all the kids favorites with the addition to soup, salad, fruit, sandwiches, and a nice desert table. I would say its a nice change to the pancake breakfast I'm used to and the wait in line to see santa was about 4 minutes. Food was actually really good, right down to the chicken fingers. I'm all for this next year, definitely worth looking into. As for the school, it was fun to party at but its no Michigan Tech University ;) read more

I am a current senior attending Western Michigan University studying paper engineering. The program is great. I love having small classes, and a family atmosphere. My favorite part of the program is being able to network with future employers, and the field trips we took before covid occurred. I feel that the school was not accommodating with covid, the classes tended to be very difficult online. After a year of covid, it should have improved, with additional resources to aid students studying at home. read more

It's a mid-sized university like any other... a diverse student body, a sketchy administration, and special schools that set it apart from the rest. My two majors were aviation sciences and aeronautical engineering, and the School of Aviation is a world-class program for which I was very grateful. The offices for financial aid do a very poor job at keeping you properly funded, but perhaps this has improved in the last few years. This review regards the state of the university as it was in 1996. read more

Western Michigan is fine as a university. There have been lots of improvements, new dormitories, apartments, and classroom buildings. There is also now a Law School and a Medical School as well. However, when it comes to the Student Aid (Financial Aid) Office, you may as well be living in the times of Stone Knives and Bearskins. EVERYTHING is done on paper, which leads to a tons of problems and the staff there is NOT HELPFUL AT ALL. Paperwork is frequently misplaced or even lost. Furthermore, they do not accept the parent PLUS Federal Loan for students over the age of 23, EVEN IF THE FEDS APPROVED IT. So parents, after your kid is 23 get ready to pay cash or else take out very expensive private student loans or a big second mortgage. But there is another warning I need to make plain. A BIG, B I G, word of warning to WESTERN MICHIGAN UNIVERSITY students out there who are looking to live in the WESTERN VIEW APTS. If you are a SENIOR who will be graduating at the end of the year or you will be graduating in the spring, PLEASE do not sign any contract to move into WESTERN VIEW without adding that fact to your contract. DO NOT UNDER ANY CIRCUMSTANCES sign the general Residence Life contract!!!!! The small print says that you will be held financially liable to pay the rent until the contract ends, WHETHER YOU CONTINUE TO BE A STUDENT OR NOT!!!!!! Now, if you are a graduating senior who intends to stay there and go right into a Graduate Program, fine. You will be okay because you mean to continue living there for a while. But if you are graduating and, say, you have taken a job elsewhere, get ready for a financial bashing! Even if you are graduating and must move across the nation to a job, YOU STILL HAVE TO PAY THE RENT ON YOUR WESTERN VIEW APARTMENT UNTIL YOUR CONTRACT ENDS!! And the majority of the contracts specify an August to August term. Please be aware that NO ONE IN RESIDENCE LIFE WILL TELL YOU THIS--NO ONE THERE WILL WARN YOU ABOUT THIS AT ALL. This is a big money maker for the school and they are invested in not informing students or parents about this debacle. Residence Life staffers will blithely put that one year contract in front of you and you will sign it, completely unaware of the financial beating you are in for. They have been told NOT TO TELL YOU ABOUT ANY OF THIS!! Suppose you are to graduate in December, but the term of the contract does not expire until the end of the following August. YOU WILL BE FORCED TO PAY RENT FOR THE FOLLOWING SPRING, SUMMER I AND SUMMER II. At about $475 per month this will be an astronomical fee in the thousands of dollars, all due and payable at once. And because you are no longer a student, you cannot get a student loan to cover it, and you cannot legally get out of it. So PLEASE do yourself a big favor. Don't sign the Western View Contract without asking a lot of questions. My daughter was one of 45 students who got financially burned this way. My bill is well over $1000!! I have also posted this on Facebook as a warning to all. Juniors at Western also need to be warned most strongly about this as the new contracts will be coming up this fall. Please, Juniors, look at those contracts very carefully! read more

Business program is top-notch. Sure, like many schools, there are some questionable professors for the gen-ed and elective type courses. However, once you make it into your junior/senior-level major classes it all comes together. These are the courses and professors that give you the tools you need to land a job at the next level. They've been in the field and know the workings of the industry. Even after graduation, you can count on many professors to be there for support and much needed career advice. Spanish department is amazing. Only wish I had taken the chance to study abroad. The best way to describe the teachers is "passionate". I highly recommend taking Spanish courses from WMU. Row the Boat - graduated in 2010, Business - Advertising & Promotion / Spanish read more

My second university and it is great! People are very nice and it is very clean. Full of the smartest people in the world! Would highly recommend this school. The professors have plenty of real world experience and they are very successful. read more

A fantastic school. Loved the business college. The rec center. The hockey games. Good professors. The city is fun. I really enjoyed going to this university, I got a great education here. I go back often, check it out! read more

I recently graduated from Western Michigan University, and loved every minute of it. The academics are up to par with any other school in the state, as we were again named one of the Best 100 public schools in the country, and we're one of five major research universities in the state (along with MSU, U of M, Wayne, and MI Tech). Many great professors here, accompanied by a few bad ones, but overall I was impressed. Some outsiders might be leary of the academics, but WMU has so much to offer in terms of degree programs, organizations, research opportunities, and internships that anything is possible. Along with the good academics, WMU is certainly a party school, which is good and bad. There is chaos in the dorms, house parties galore, and enough good bars to keep one entertained for 4 (or 5-6) years. The only unfortunate thing is that when I tell someone that I graduated from WMU, they ask "How was that party school?". I get annoyed by this, simply because it shows that outsiders don't quite have as much respect for WMU as they do for other schools, which is unfortunate because of how amazing our school really is. As other people have said, WMU is in the MAC, so our sports programs are not as highly valued as much as the Big Ten, but they are still great to watch, and all of our games (football, hockey, basketball....) are free to attend. I'll forever be a die-hard WMU fan, and so are lots of others on campus, but I still wish I didn't see so many MSU and U of M hoodies when I walk around campus. Regardless, lots of students have school spirit, and days like WMU vs CMU make me glad I went to WMU. Overall, I got everything I could have wanted out of undergraduate school at WMU - great classes and professors, a sweet internship, a scholarship-winning research program, volunteer opportunities, lots of great parties, and finally, an acceptance to medical school! I loved WMU, and have never even thought about going somewhere else :) read more

Alert! If your student thinks they will be attending WMU DO NOT Sign up for housing until you are 100% sure. They pressure the kids to sign up in the winter and then if they do not officially choose WMU you will be slapped with a $100.00 bill if you do not cancel before Jul 1st. Our daughter was pressured to sign up to HOLD her a spot but ended up not choosing WMU and NEVER sent in her deposit and even called admissions to refuse her Honors College rewards and they never advised her to make sure she cancelled with Housing and now a $100 bill shows up and she is expected to pay it. In my opinion it is poor communication on behave of the departments and a scam to get the kids to reserve a spot and make them pay if they do not choose WMU. Very disappointed in the process of this University! read more

not bad but the dorms could change and dear god this place is like, wow i think the only reason i got in was people thought i was from another country. not being racist and all but seriously they were being pretty disciminatory read more

I cant begin to tell you that this school is probably the worst school I have ever attended. I was there for two years in the early 2000s, and it was probably the biggest mistake of my life. They will charge you interest on your student loans, threaten to send you to a collection agency if you don't pay. The students are probably the fakest people you will ever meet. This school will never be a Harvard or even Michigan and it shows in the actions of the faculty, the students, and the schools reputation. You have been warned! read more

Poor education and reacher. don't waste your time with this university that depends on students tuition and they go to the staff and professor packets. It's not worth to invest in. read more

This is a college town. Having friends that live and teach here we always stop when we are headed for our weekend jaunt in Michigan. The usual suspects here, college bars, restaurants etc. Visit the Air Plane Museum while in this area. While visiting in Kzoo, pick up your pumpkins at the various food stalls selling cider, homemade donuts and other fruits of the area. read more

This school deserves more credit. I can't speak for all departments, but the business college is exceptional. Haworth College of Business is led by a highly qualified staff who genuinely care about their students. I can tell you that all the professors were willing to build meaningful a relationship with me to help me grow. Professors are typically graduates of institutions like Johns Hopkins, Carnegie-Mellon and North Western. I will be graduating this year and I'm proud to be a Bronco. read more

First and foremost, keep in mind that the experience at every college differs for every student. I don't like WMU for my own personal reasons, such as being born and raised in Kalamazoo, MI and I'm just plain sick of the surroundings. But it's important to look at what Western Michigan really has to offer. Being a large university, WMU has almost any major, club, etc that you can think of. There really is something for everyone, but it all relies on if you go out there and expose yourself. If you stay huddled in a corner depressed about your decision in schools, then your experience will undoubtedly be miserable. But while you're at Western, give it a fair chance. There are good professors, and there are some bad ones. I'll be damned if I could a university that didn't have that same problem. A lot of the professors and classes also depend on your major, some are much stronger than others. WMU is most known for its nationally ranked aviation program, but is also strong in their Education program as well. Other departments could be great as well, such as theater, but I unfortunately do not know much about them. Regardless, because of Western's size, the opportunities are endless, and no matter what major you are in, you will be exposed to a lot. Many classes are difficult, but if you happen to be incredibly abnormally intelligent this school may not be that challenging, but for anyone who's willing to work, you will find this school plenty challenging enough. As for athletics, WMU is no Big 10 school. However, our volleyball and hockey teams do extremely well, and even our football team is pretty good. But we are a MAC school, the sports and school spirit aren't superb. In comparison to UofM and MSU. Well, UofM is one of the best schools academically in the nation. So those of you who can get into UofM and really want that challenge, by all means do so. And MSU has a lot more accredited programs, but when it comes down to it, for many majors, a degree is a degree. Like for communications, a degree from WMU and one from MSU will do the same thing. Employers just want someone who is good at their job and well-prepared. Hopefully I was of some help. read more