Western Michigan University is a vibrant, nationally recognized student-centered research university with an enrollment of more than 26,000. WMU is focused on delivering high-quality undergraduate instruction, advancing its growing graduate division and fostering significant research activities.

The Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching places WMU among the 76 public institutions in the nation designated as research universities with high research activity. U.S. News & World Report's annual ranking of American colleges and universities includes WMU as one of the nation's top-100 public universities.

Undergraduate students may choose from 141 program offerings while graduate students may choose from 71 master's, one specialist and 29 doctoral programs. A number of programs at both the undergraduate and graduate levels have attained national recognition. Also enriching the quality of campus life are nearly 300 registered student organizations and a full array of NCAA Division I intercollegiate athletic teams.

WMU's commitment to the discovery and dissemination of new knowledge and insight has resulted in initiatives that reward faculty and student research, scholarship and creative activity. In a typical year, University faculty and staff conduct $30 to $40 million in externally funded research on topics ranging from nuclear physics and mathematics education to developing technology that enables citizens with special needs to realize their full potential. Instructional programs are designed to increase students' capacity for learning and service to society as well as meet the needs of an increasingly diverse student population.

The University attracts students from across the United States and more than 100 other countries. Its nearly 1,000 full-time faculty members have been trained at some of the world's finest institutions and they bring to the University a global perspective that enhances the learning environment.

WMU's main campus is located in Kalamazoo, covers more than 550 acres and includes 125 buildings. The new Parkview Campus for the College of Engineering and Applied Sciences and the Business Technology and Research Park is located on 265 acres, three miles southwest of the main campus. Located at W.K. Kellogg Airport in nearby Battle Creek, the College of Aviation enjoys the finest facilities and equipment of any collegiate aviation program in the world.

The University also has an off-campus study site in Kalamazoo and eight branch campuses around the state, all of which provide primarily graduate and professional education to more than 6,000 students each year. Branch campuses are located in Battle Creek, Benton Harbor-St. Joseph, Grand Rapids, Holland, Lansing, Muskegon, South Haven and Traverse City.

Founded in 1903, WMU grew rapidly from a regional teachers college to an internationally regarded institution of higher education. What was once Western Michigan College became Western Michigan University in 1957, when the state designated it as the fourth public university Michigan.