Hillsdale, MI · Private · 1,573 undergraduates · town
Hillsdale College
Highly selective
A large common classical core gives students across very different majors a shared sequence of texts and arguments extending through much of the undergraduate experience.
Institutional profile
Top tier Strong in academic standing, and strong in student experience.Accepts no federal funding, so it is absent from lists built on federal aid data.
- Admission
- 20.6% admitted
- Price by income
- Varies across five income ranges
- Completion
- 85.7%
2,773 applicants in the reported year
Compare recent average annual costs by household income
The strongest comparable outcome available
What sets Hillsdale College apart
Academic design
The core includes classical logic and rhetoric, Great Books, Western and American heritage, the U.S. Constitution, theology, philosophy, mathematics, natural science, and fine arts. Bachelor of Arts students add foreign-language study, while Bachelor of Science students place more emphasis on mathematics and laboratory science.
Campus pattern
The small Michigan campus is organized around a strongly articulated institutional philosophy, honor code, and shared intellectual canon. Student discussion therefore often extends from ordinary coursework into questions of politics, religion, history, liberty, and civic life.
Defining feature
A large common classical core gives students across very different majors a shared sequence of texts and arguments extending through much of the undergraduate experience.
Can I get in?
20.6% admitted
Start with academic preparation, then show why this particular academic and campus environment fits you.
Recent applicant pool
2,773About 21 in every 100 applicants were admitted.
Academic range
Of admitted students, 22% submitted an SAT, and 29% submitted an ACT. Submission rates alone do not settle the choice. Submit a score if it strengthens the application.
With one-year access
Where your GPA sits in the entering class
The full entering-class GPA distribution for Hillsdale College, in nine bands from 4.0 down, with your own record marked on it.
See where I landWith one-year access
What Hillsdale College weighs when it reads a file
See how this college describes the role of grades, testing, essays, recommendations, activities, and demonstrated interest.
- Course rigor
- GPA
- Test scores
- Essay
- Recommendations
- Extracurriculars
- Demonstrated interest
What moves the application
The evidence that separates a strong file
Show preparation for this curriculum
The core includes classical logic and rhetoric, Great Books, Western and American heritage, the U.S. Constitution, theology, philosophy, mathematics, natural science, and fine arts. Bachelor of Arts students add foreign-language study, while Bachelor of Science students place more emphasis on mathematics and laboratory science.
Make the fit specific
Students who actively want a classical liberal-arts education centered on the Western tradition, constitutional government, and a clearly stated conservative institutional philosophy.
Account for the tradeoff
Students seeking a minimal core or an institution that avoids taking an explicit position on major cultural and political ideas may find Hillsdale's model too prescriptive.
How to apply
Rounds, route, and required materials
Build the calendar around the earliest realistic application round and make the school-specific case concrete.
Check eligibility for a fee waiver
Can I afford it?
Compare annual cost by household income.
Start with the average net price for your income range, then set that estimate beside your other realistic options.
College funding
Scholarships and financial aid
Review available aid, application requirements, and renewal terms.
Hillsdale College publishes two merit awards, the largest reaching full tuition or more. No separate scholarship application is required; the college uses the admission application. one renew past the first year.
Open across the university · Merit · Competitive · Renews
Open across the university · Merit · Competitive
With one-year access
These two awards, by name
What each one is called, what it pays, the grades and scores it asks for, and what to send.
- The name of each award
- What it pays
- The grades and scores it asks for
- How to be considered
- What to send, and where
With one-year access
Average annual cost by household income at Hillsdale College
Compare recent average net prices across five federal income ranges and estimate a 4-year cost for yours.
- $0–30k
- $30–48k
- $48–75k
- $75–110k
- $110k+
Is it worth it?
Completion, debt, and earnings
A large common classical core gives students across very different majors a shared sequence of texts and arguments extending through much of the undergraduate experience.
Degree completion across the reported entering cohort
First-year students who return for year two
And what that comes to against what they earn.
Reported 10 years after enrollment
Academic portfolio
Largest bachelor’s fields
How many students finish in each field, and median earnings four years after completing the program.
English Language and Literature, General
Economics
History
Political Science and Government
Biology, General
What is campus life like?
Hillsdale College beyond the classroom
The small Michigan campus is organized around a strongly articulated institutional philosophy, honor code, and shared intellectual canon. Student discussion therefore often extends from ordinary coursework into questions of politics, religion, history, liberty, and civic life.
A defining academic feature
The core includes classical logic and rhetoric, Great Books, Western and American heritage, the U.S. Constitution, theology, philosophy, mathematics, natural science, and fine arts. Bachelor of Arts students add foreign-language study, while Bachelor of Science students place more emphasis on mathematics and laboratory science.
What shapes an ordinary week
The small Michigan campus is organized around a strongly articulated institutional philosophy, honor code, and shared intellectual canon. Student discussion therefore often extends from ordinary coursework into questions of politics, religion, history, liberty, and civic life.
What changes the experience
A large common classical core gives students across very different majors a shared sequence of texts and arguments extending through much of the undergraduate experience.