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.
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.
The Office of Institutional Research collects and analyzes data to support decision-making, strategic planning, and assessment of student learning.
The Global Student Satisfaction Awards empower students across the globe to determine the best universities of 2019. By rating institutions on a scale from 1 to 5, on multiple studies-related questions, we found the top educators in the world.
Learn more about the Global Student Satisfaction AwardsWhile it has a celebrated campus and a distinguished history, Kalamazoo College’s campus has present-day needs that must be addressed to ensure the quality of its facilities matches that of its exceptional students, faculty and staff.
During the next five years, instructional spaces will be modernized and technology will be upgraded to encourage active, engaged learning. The College will improve facilities that support healthy co-curricular programs, including athletics. In addition, K will develop a plan for major residence hall renovations to accommodate a student body of 1500.
The Kalamazoo College Library is housed in the Upjohn Library Commons. We are part of the Information Services unit, which also includes Technical and Media Services, Web Services, Administrative Computing, and Educational Technology. The Library includes the College Archives, the A.M. Todd Rare Book Room, and the Learning Commons.
In an effort to ensure all students have access to healthcare, Kalamazoo College requires students to carry adequate health insurance. The Student Health Center only directly bills the college health insurance and it will supply invoices for submission to other insurance plans.
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 theatres 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.
The faculty/staff fitness space is located in the Fitness & Wellness Center, room 106. There are treadmills, elliptical machines, a rower, upright bike, dumbbells and benches. Locker rooms and towels are also available. The faculty/staff fitness space will be opening shortly. More information will be communicated when the space is completed.
Kalamazoo College has over 70 registered student organizations on campus. Among them are the Jewish Student Organization, Asian Pacific Islander Student Association, International Student Organization, Progressive Organization for Women, Black Student Organization, Cirque du K (circus arts), and the Environmental Organization.
In April of 2013 K received formal notification from the Higher Learning Commission that its accreditation had been continued. The reaccreditation came with no conditions or follow-up on the Commission’s part. The next reaffirmation of accreditation will occur in the academic year 2022-2023.
K is an institutional member of the American Council on Education, the Great Lakes Colleges Association, the National Association of Independent Colleges and Universities, and the Association of American Colleges and Universities.
