Hillsdale College

Hillsdale, MI · Private nonprofit · 1,573 undergrads (small, town) · website ↗

Undenominational
Test-optional
No application fee

What you'll actually pay

Average net price per year — tuition, fees, room & board minus grant and scholarship aid — for in-state students by household income.

Household income	Avg net price / year
Under $30,000	—
$30,000 – $48,000	—
$48,000 – $75,000	—
$75,000 – $110,000	—
Over $110,000	—
All incomes (average)	—

Sticker tuition and fees: $33,189 in-state — before aid, from the same earlier College Scorecard release as the net prices above.

These are averages. For an estimate for your family, use Hillsdale College's own net price calculator — every college that takes federal student aid must publish one.

Net price calculator ↗

Other costs of attendance, 2025–26

The college's own estimate for a full-time undergraduate for the year, before aid, from the October 2026 College Scorecard. It is a newer year than the tuition and net prices above, so don't add the two together.

Housing and meals, on campus	$14,020
Housing and meals, off campus (not with family)	$14,020
Books and supplies	$1,200
Other expenses, on campus	$2,000
Other expenses, off campus	$2,000

Grants and loans for first-year students, 2022–23

What the college reported for its full-time, first-time students (385 of them) in 2022–23; 97% got some kind of aid, loans included. Each average is over the students who received that kind of aid, not over everyone. It is an older year than the 2025–26 costs above.

Type of aid	Students awarded	Average amount
Any grant or scholarshipFederal, state, local and the college's own	97%	$20,505
Federal Pell GrantNeed-based, from the federal government	0%	—
The college's own grants and scholarshipsNeed- or merit-based, funded by the college	97%	$20,505
Federal student loansBorrowed by the student; repaid with interest. No Parent PLUS or private loans	0%	—

IPEDS, U.S. Department of Education, Student Financial Aid 2022–23 (SFA2223, provisional release); full-time, first-time degree- or certificate-seeking undergraduates; public domain.

Admissions & outcomes

Acceptance rate: 21%
Average SAT: 1415
Median ACT: 32
Students with Pell grants: 0%
Graduation rate (6yr): 90%
Freshman retention: 97%
Median earnings @ 10yr: —
Median debt at graduation: —
International undergrads: 0 (0%)

For comparison, the median across all 1,596 four-year colleges on this site: graduation rate 56%, earnings ten years after entering $54,869, debt at graduation $23,250.

Admission policy, test scores and teaching

SAT/ACT policy: Test-optional
Application fee: None
Students per faculty member: 8 to 1
Faculty who are full-time: 100%
Open admission: No

Middle 50% of test scores, fall 2024

25th to 75th percentile of enrolled first-year students who submitted scores. A quarter scored below the first figure and a quarter above the second. Section ranges can't be added together into a total-score range.

SAT Reading and Writing: 680–750
SAT Math: 640–740
ACT composite: 30–33

What the college considers in admission decisions, fall 2023

How the college said it used each item when deciding on first-time, degree- or certificate-seeking applicants for fall 2023. For SAT and ACT scores, see the fall 2024 policy above.

High school GPA	Required
High school class rank	Not considered
High school record	Required
Completion of a college-preparatory program	Considered if submitted
Recommendations	Required
Formal demonstration of competencies (e.g. portfolio)	Not considered
English proficiency test (for applicable students)	Considered if submitted
Other test (Wonderlic, WISC-III, etc.)	Considered if submitted
Work experience	Considered if submitted
Personal statement or essay	Required
Legacy status	Not considered

First-time applicants: 2,773
Admitted: 571
Enrolled: 353

Counts of first-time, degree- or certificate-seeking students, including early decision and early action. The acceptance rate higher up this page comes from a different College Scorecard release, so it may not match these counts.

IPEDS, U.S. Department of Education, Admissions 2023–24 (ADM2023, provisional release), fall 2023; open admission from IPEDS Institutional Characteristics 2023–24 (revised); public domain.

Most popular fields of study

Share of bachelor's degrees awarded.

Social Sciences16%

Business13%

Biology & Life Sciences12%

History11%

English & Literature9%

Mathematics & Statistics8%

Kinesiology & Sports Science8%

Philosophy & Religion6%

Foreign Languages6%

Visual & Performing Arts5%

Contact and accreditation

Address: 33 E College St, Hillsdale, MI 49242
Phone: (517) 437-7341
Institutional accreditor: Higher Learning Commission

Is Hillsdale College a reach, target, or safety for you?

Take the 5-minute quiz and see how it stacks up against 1,595 other colleges — ranked by fit and by what your family would actually pay.

Find my matches →

Sources: U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard (most recent cohorts) and IPEDS Fall Enrolment for international student counts. College Scorecard, October 2026 release: net price calculator link, mission flags and religious affiliation (2025–26), enrolment shares, test policy, SAT/ACT ranges and student-to-faculty ratio (fall 2024), cost-of-attendance components (2025–26), and earnings and debt by field of study. IPEDS Institutional Characteristics 2023–24 for the application fee and the IPEDS 2024 directory for the phone number. IPEDS Admissions 2023–24 (ADM2023, provisional release) for admission requirements and first-time applicants, admits and enrolments (fall 2023). IPEDS Student Financial Aid 2022–23 (SFA2223, provisional release) for grants and loans to full-time, first-time students. All are U.S. Department of Education data in the public domain. Verify current costs and requirements with the school.

Similar colleges in the United States

Picked by control, selectivity, mix of majors, location and size, from the same data as this page — not a judgement of quality.