Western Michigan University is one of the most highly-regarded public institutions in the Midwest. It is located slightly west of Kalamazoo city centre. A pharmaceutical and life sciences hub, Kalamazoo, which is the birthplace of Gibson Guitars and Bell’s Brewery, was previously nicknamed Celery City for its tradition of celery farming.
Founded in 1903, WMU now offers around 250 degree programmes across seven colleges.
One of the largest universities in the region, it owns more than 1,250 acres of land and has a large student intake. It also has its own aviation campus at W.K. Kellogg Airport in nearby Battle Creek.
WMU is 70 miles south east of state capital Lansing and 140 miles east of Detroit, and has campuses in both. It also has a presence in four more Michigan cities: Muskegon, Grand Rapids, Benton Harbor and Traverse City. Lake Michigan is 40 miles east of the university, and Chicago, Illinois is 140 miles away.
Legendary singer-songwriter Luther Vandross, Tim Allen, the actor who voiced Buzz Lightyear in Toy Story and Loretta Long, who played Susan Robinson on Sesame Street, are all WMU alumni.
