Education
School Districts
In Michigan, an Intermediate School District (ISD) is a governmental agency organized at the county or multi-county level that partners and assists a local school district in providing programs and services. The following ISDs are key partners in educating students from birth through high school in the Southwest Michigan Region:
- Berrien County
- Branch County
- Calhoun County
- Cass County
- Kalamazoo County
- St. Joseph County
- Van Buren County
The Kalamazoo Promise
In the fall of 2005, a group of anonymous donors interested in the economic strength and quality of life in the city of Kalamazoo made an amazing gift: every Kalamazoo Public School graduate is provided the opportunity to attend post-secondary education with up to a 100% tuition scholarship. All students who graduate from Kalamazoo Public Schools, reside in the district and have been students four years or more are given funding for college tuition and mandatory fees at any public university or community college in the state of Michigan. In 2014, the program extended to also include the Michigan Colleges Alliance liberal arts colleges in the state.
On June 7, 2010, President Obama delivered the first ever presidential commencement speech at a high school at Kalamazoo Central High School as a direct result of the national attention The Kalamazoo Promise has brought to the Southwest Michigan Region.
Higher Education
More than 51,285 students are preparing to enter the workforce at one of Southwest Michigan’s colleges or universities, with an additional 344,595 studying just beyond our region’s physical border and within a two-hour drive. There are many notable colleges and universities within a close proximity.
Colleges and Universities in Southwest Michigan
Albion College | Albion, MI
Andrews University | Berrien Springs, MI
Glen Oaks Community College | Centreville, MI
Kalamazoo College | Kalamazoo, MI
Kalamazoo Valley Community College | Kalamazoo, MI
Kellogg Community College| Battle Creek, MI
Lake Michigan College | Benton Harbor, MI
Southwestern Michigan College | Dowagiac, MI
Western Michigan University | Kalamazoo, MI
Selected Colleges and Universities in Proximity
Aquinas College | Grand Rapids, MI
Calvin College | Grand Rapids, MI
Central Michigan University | Mount Pleasant, MI
Davenport University | Grand Rapids, MI
Eastern Michigan University| Ypsilanti, MI
Ferris State University | Big Rapids, MI
Grand Valley State University| Allendale, MI
Hillsdale College | Hillsdale, MI
Hope College | Holland, MI
Loyola University | Chicago, IL
Michigan State University | East Lansing, MI
Northwestern University | Chicago, IL
Oakland University| Rochester, MI
Trine University | Angola, IN
University of Illinois at Chicago | Chicago, IL
University of Michigan | Ann Arbor, Dearborn, Flint, MI
University of Notre Dame | South Bend, IN
Valparaiso University | Valparaiso, IN
Wayne State University | Detroit, MI
Western Theological Seminary | Holland, MI
Internship Programs
MIINTERNSHIP.com is a one-stop web resource for employers and 
students to post and apply for internship, apprenticeship, fellowship and co-op positions in the Southwest Michigan Region.
The Monroe-Brown Internship Program, a collaboration between
Southwest Michigan First and the 
Kalamazoo-based Monroe-Brown Foundation delivers one of the nation’s most rewarding internship experiences. College and university students get not only funding for higher education — up to $3,500 in scholarships plus wages — but, more importantly, applied career experience in the Southwest Michigan business community.
