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Alma College: Thomas Andison Chapel
Photo: Rathtj, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons.

Regional college

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Alma College

Alma, MI · Private nonprofit · 4-year

Your real cost

Average price after aid $20,694 a year

Median debt at graduation: $27,000 (all students)

Estimate your own price · the college’s net price calculator

Rankings

Where this college places on our top lists. Lists are worked out from official data and our own research; places in the top quarter of each list are shown. See every list

In America

In Michigan

Academic Excellence

B+Academic Excellence: B+ (grade B+): 0 to 100 points out of 100, from federal data.
Very good · Top 22%
From federal data, on fixed published scales.

Each measure counts for the share shown.

  • Graduation rate 35% of scoreThis measure counts for 35% of the Academic Excellence score.63%
  • First-year retention 20% of scoreThis measure counts for 20% of the Academic Excellence score.85%
  • Entering students' test scores 15% of scoreThis measure counts for 15% of the Academic Excellence score.Not reported
  • Student-to-faculty ratio 15% of scoreThis measure counts for 15% of the Academic Excellence score.14 to 1
  • Instructional spending per student 15% of scoreThis measure counts for 15% of the Academic Excellence score.$14,519

Bars show points on each measure’s scale. How Academic Excellence is computed.

Source: College Scorecard (College Scorecard, most recent cohorts (data release 06/10/2026))

What families pay, by income

Average yearly price after grants and scholarships, for students who receive federal aid.

Average net price by family income
Family incomePrice after aid
Up to $30,000$17,162
$30,001–$48,000$18,009
$48,001–$75,000$18,076
$75,001–$110,000$18,699
Over $110,000$23,618

Full cost of attendance before aid: $63,650 a year.

Use the college’s net price calculator for your own estimate.

Cost and value

Federal data: what families pay after aid, what graduates earn, and what they owe.

Value and outcomes
Undergraduate students
Fall enrollment (IPEDS)
1,235
Men and women
College Scorecard, fall 2023
Men 47% · Women 53%
First-generation students
College Scorecard
24%
Total students1,273
Average net price (per year)
After grants and scholarships, for students receiving federal aid
$20,694
Cost of attendance (per year)$63,650
Median federal debt at graduation$27,000
Graduation rate
First-time, full-time students finishing within 150% of normal time
63%
Graduation rate for Pell grant recipients
College Scorecard, within 6 years
47%
Graduation rate for first-generation students
College Scorecard, within 6 years
50%
Borrowers paying down their loans within 3 years
College Scorecard, within 3 years
74%
First-year retention85%
Median earnings 10 years after entry$54,742
Admission rate57%
Application fee
IPEDS, 2023–24
No application fee
Typical rent
HUD fair market rent, FY2026
About $742 a month for a one-bedroom
Students receiving Pell grants27%

Value: Good (how it’s computed)

Sources: College Scorecard · IPEDS College Navigator · Net price calculator
College Scorecard, most recent cohorts (data release 06/10/2026); IPEDS 2024-25 directory and institutional characteristics; fall 2023 enrollment.

Earnings by major

Median earnings of bachelor’s graduates a few years after finishing, by major (College Scorecard).

Median earnings by major
MajorMedian earnings
Nursing$80,386
Accounting$77,001
Kinesiology and exercise science$63,641
Business administration$57,287
Communication studies$53,947
Marketing$53,871
Psychology$52,280
English$48,445
Teacher education$44,458

Also offered (no earnings published yet): Allied health, Anthropology, Biochemistry, Biology, Biotechnology, Broadcasting, Chemistry, Computer science, Dance, Economics, Education (general), Engineering Science, Finance, Fine arts, General studies, Health administration, History, International business, International relations, Mathematics, Music, Natural resources and conservation, Neuroscience, Other foreign languages, literatures, and linguistics, Philosophy, Physics, Political science, Public relations, Religious studies, Romance languages, Secondary education, Sociology, Sociology and Anthropology, Special education, Theatre.

What students study most

Share of bachelor’s degrees by field, first majors in 2023–24 (IPEDS).

Most common bachelor’s fields
FieldShare of degrees
Biology23%
Business22%
Education11%
Psychology11%
Health professions6%

Campus life

School colors
SettingTown
Part-time undergraduates2%
Undergraduates aged 25 and older2%
On-campus room and board (per year)$14,180
SportsNCAA Division III · Michigan Intercollegiate Athletic Association
ROTCArmy
Study abroadOffered
Students per faculty member14 to 1
Undergraduates registered with the disability officeAbout 9%IPEDS, 2023–24
Faculty who are full-time62%College Scorecard, fall 2023
Endowment per student$106,342IPEDS, 2023, per student
Nearest airport with airline serviceMBS International Airport (MBS)About 31 miles away · about 1 hour 5 minutes by car
Nearest major airportDetroit Metropolitan Wayne County Airport (DTW)About 105 miles away
Town population9,396Census, 2020–2024
Nearest city of 250,000 people or moreDetroitAbout 105 miles away · about 2 hours 30 minutes by car
Typical weather22°F in January · 71°F in JulyNOAA, 1991–2020, from Alma, MI

Federal data (IPEDS and College Scorecard), except school colors.

Campus safety reports

On-campus crimes reported in 2024, per 1,000 students.

On-campus crimes per 1,000 students
CategoryThis campusU.S. rate
Rape7.520.07
Robbery0.000.01
Aggravated assault0.000.04
Burglary0.000.08
Motor vehicle theft0.000.15

Numbers reflect what each campus reported. They differ with campus size and how reporting is done, so compare with care. U.S. rate: total reported offenses divided by total students at every institution in the report.

Source: Official data: U.S. Department of Education

Questions families ask

What is Alma College’s Compass Score?
Very good (grade B+). It ranks in the top 32% of rated colleges. The grade comes from outcomes (40%: graduation, retention and earnings), entering students (40%: test scores and selectivity), cost (15%: debt and price after aid) and teaching (5%: class size), all from federal data.
How much does Alma College cost after financial aid?
The average net price is $20,694 a year for students who receive federal aid, after grants and scholarships. What your family pays depends on income; the college’s net price calculator gives your own estimate.
How hard is it to get into Alma College?
Alma College admitted 57% of applicants in the most recent federal data.
How do Alma College’s graduates do?
63% of first-time, full-time students graduate within six years; the median earnings of former students ten years after entry are $54,742; the median federal debt at graduation is $27,000.

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