Academic Excellence is a Priority

If the cliche "great minds do great things" is true, the Kalamazoo Region is poised to do great things. We have the educated community and resources to meet your company's needs.

The Kalamazoo Promise
In the fall of 2005, Kalamazoo Public Schools introduced The Kalamazoo Promise. A group of citizens interested in economic strength and quality of life in the City of Kalamazoo made a tremendous contribution on behalf students attending Kalamazoo Public Schools - to provide each Kalamazoo Public School graduate with the opportunity to attend post-secondary education with up to a 100% tuition scholarship. All students who graduate from Kalamazoo Public Schools, are residing in the district and have been students four years or more will be given funding for college tuition and mandatory fees. The funds will be available to use at any public university or community college in the State of Michigan.

Eligibility for the program is relatively simple:

1.  All students who graduate from Kalamazoo Public Schools (KPS), are residing in the district and have been KPS students four years or more are eligible; enrollment and residency must be continuous.

2.  Students must be admitted to and enrolled at a public State of Michigan university or community college.  Students then need to:
a.  Make regular progress toward a degree or certification.
b.  Maintain a 2.0 grade point average (GPA) at the post-secondary institution.  (If the GPA dips below 2.0, a student may be reinstated if they are able to bring their GPA back to at least a 2.0.)
c.  Complete a minimum of 12 credit hours per semester.
Note:  Individual summer school classes will be covered as long as the class applies toward the degree or certification program in which the student is enrolled and is taken at their designated school of choice.  A special permission form must be completed AND approved in order to take summer classes at another institution.

For additional information on the program, the extent of benefits available, elibible schools and information on how the program has benefitted the KPS population to date, please see click here.

Higher Education

Western Michigan University
Among the largest universities in the United States with over 25,000 students, Western Michigan University is listed among U.S. News and World Report's top-100 public universities in the nation. WMU is one of only four public universities in the state to be included among the top three tiers in the magazine's listing of Best National Universities.

WMU produces world-class programs and conducts cutting edge research, including the prestigious Integrated Supply Matrix Management program and innovative nanotechnology research.   WMU offers more than 150 bachelor degree areas and 86 subjects in master's and doctoral level programs.  The university draws students from 110 countries, putting it among the top 60 of 2,400 U.S. higher education institutions reporting international enrollments.

• Arts & Communication


• Business, Management, Marketing & Technology


• Engineering, Manufacturing & Industrial Technology


• Health Sciences


• Human Services


• Natural Resources & Agriscience