Central Michigan University

Central Michigan University serves more than 15,000 students on its Mount Pleasant campus and through online programs. A CMU education encourages students to put theories learned into practice. Supported by outstanding faculty and staff, academic and student service programs focus on active, hands learning with real-world results, empowering students to achieve their educational and professional goals. No matter their subject, CMU Chippewas graduate with the knowledge and experience they need to excel in their careers. In fact, employers of CMU graduates cite CMU most often as one of the best schools in the state for students who best fi t their needs.

CMU sets the leadership standard by offering one of the nation’s most comprehensive leadership development programs. Every CMU student has access to a wide range of leadership training, which begins before their fi rst year with the unique multi-day programs. Surrounded by a community dedicated to lifting up every individual, CMU students gain the experience necessary to become leaders in life.

Active citizenship is fundamental to the university’s mission, and CMU students learn to leverage their knowledge, skills and abilities to improve lives and communities in Michigan and beyond. CMU’s Alternative Breaks program ranks among the top programs nationally according to Break Away. Thousands of students work through the Mary Ellen Brandell Volunteer Center to help others locally, nationally and around the world.

The CMU community also is passionate about sustainability and its students lead the way. Buoyed by their initiative and work, CMU was named the US Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) 2020 WasteWise College Partner of the Year and winner of the 2021 US EPA WasteWise National Narrative Sustainability Public Education Award; it also earned a Gold STARS rating from the Association for the Advancement of Sustainability in Higher Education. uyuWith the university’s second $10 million EPA grant in six years, CMU researchers lead the way in efforts to protect and restore coastal wetlands vital to the overall health of the Great Lakes through CMU’s Institute for Great Lakes Research.

CMU is classifi ed by the Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching as having a high level of research activity in a smaller university setting. At CMU, students can begin to work alongside outstanding faculty as early as their freshman year, conducting cutting-edge research in Cancer, Parkinson’s and Alzheimer’s diseases, sustainability and environmental preservation, determining the mass of “ghost particles,” and more.

CMU has been recognized for excellence nationally and internationally for academic and student support programs. It is one of four institutions nationally, and 14 globally, certifi ed as a Celonis Academic Center of Excellence for process mining, and CMU was designated as a National Center of Academic Excellence in Cybersecurity by the National Security Agency. The university was ranked 18th in the nation for the number of Gilman Scholars awarded for study abroad programs. Ranked 8th in the nation as a “Best for Vets” school by Military Times, CMU also received a gold level ranking from the Michigan Veterans Affairs Agency. It is one of only two Adobe Creative Campuses in Michigan, empowering students to expand their digital literacy skills while learning to create images, websites, videos, podcasts and more.

Each year, CMU students compete for, and earn, prestigious national scholarships, including Fulbright, Goldwater, Boren, Newman and Udall awards and fellowships. CMU is a NCAA Division I school, and student-athletes compete in 16 men’s and women’s sports in the Mid-American Conference. CMU Chippewas have won more than 100 MAC championships in 15 different sports, and the football program has participated in a post-season bowl game in 11 of the past 16 years. CMU student-athletes have averaged a GPA of 3.0 or higher for 47 consecutive semesters.