I am not going to tell you whether Albion College is the right college for your child. No one knows that yet—not me, and not the federal government that reports these data. What I can do is show you, precisely, what this school is: how large it is, how it handles admissions, how much it costs, and what happens to those who enroll. From there, you can begin deciding whether it deserves a serious place in your family’s conversation.
Who This School Is and Where It Is Located
Albion College is a private, nonprofit, four-year college devoted to bachelor’s degrees in the arts and sciences. The federal system that classifies colleges designates it as “highly residential”: at least half of its undergraduate students live in housing owned by or affiliated with the institution, and eight out of ten attend full time. That tells you something concrete: this is not a school designed for students to live at home and commute back and forth. It is a school where students are expected to live there.
And “there” is Albion, Michigan, in Calhoun County. The code that classifies its location describes it as a town, far from large urban areas. If your family does not live nearby, this has an immediate practical consequence: you need to work out separately where your child would live, how your child would get there, and how far from home it would feel on an ordinary weekend. The data only place the school on the map. They do not measure the distance between that school and your kitchen.
One thing Albion College is not: it does not appear among the institutions designated as historically Black colleges or universities, tribal colleges or universities, or land-grant institutions. These are specific designations, and among the 3,012 institutions in the federal directory, 138 have at least one of them. Albion’s absence from that list says nothing about which students it serves today or how your child would feel there. Those are questions to ask directly: what student organizations exist, what cultural centers are available, and whom your child could speak with in Spanish if needed.
Nor should you be guided solely by the sticker price, which we will discuss carefully later. The published price is not what determines the decision.
A Medium-Sized Campus, With Few Latino Students
Albion College had 1,354 students enrolled in the most recently reported fall. It is a medium-sized school: neither enormous nor tiny. Compared with the 941 selective, private, four-year institutions in this federal census, its size falls right in the middle of the group. All of those students are undergraduates; there is no graduate enrollment to report in this count.
Now, something many Latino families want to know from the outset: out of every 100 undergraduate students, 13 are Hispanic or Latino. It is a small minority. Compared with those same 941 selective private institutions, Albion ranks above the midpoint of the group without reaching the top quartile. It is not the worst figure you will see, but you also will not find a campus where Spanish is heard in every hallway.
That does not remove the school from your list. What you do need to do, if this matters to you, is ask during the visit: is there a Latino student group? A cultural center? Someone in the admissions or financial aid office who speaks Spanish? That comparison among schools also does not account for the state where each one is located, and that matters here: being a small minority in an area with a large Latino population is not the same as being a small minority in a Michigan town.
The campus is fairly balanced between men and women (53 out of every 100 are women), and there are almost no adult students: only 1 out of every 100 is between the ages of 25 and 64. If your child imagines a classroom with peers of the same age and educational path, that aligns with what the numbers show.
How the Academic Programs Are Structured
The academic year at Albion College is organized into semesters: two long terms of about 15 weeks each. It is the standard calendar you probably already know.
The school reports that it accepts credit for AP exams and also for military training. It did not indicate that it awards credit for life experience. And pay attention here, because this is an area where families often assume too much: accepting AP does not mean the school awards credit for every score or that those credits count toward your child’s specific major. Ask for the equivalency evaluation in writing before calculating any savings. Do not include it in your budget as an assumption.
As for what students can study: in the most recently reported year, Albion College awarded 281 bachelor’s degrees across 21 different fields-of-study families. None accounted for a large share—not even business and management, the largest, reached 16 out of every 100 degrees awarded that year. Compared with nearly a thousand similar schools, Albion falls within the quartile offering the greatest variety of fields-of-study families. It is a school with a broad range of offerings, not one specializing in two or three areas.
But be careful with the easy arithmetic: 21 fields-of-study families are not 21 majors, and a row may report no degrees awarded that year. If your child already has a field of study in mind, verify the exact program, not just the category.
The student-to-instructional-staff ratio is 11 to 1—a low figure compared with similar schools. It is an aggregate number constructed using full-time equivalents. It does not tell you the actual size of a first-year class, and the file does not explain how the institution arrived at that figure. It is an indicator, not a guarantee of personalized attention.
Regarding structured pathways, the institution reports that it offers study abroad and teacher-certification preparation programs, with state approval for initial certification. If your child is interested in teaching or spending a semester outside the country, these are concrete points to ask admissions about and find out what they involve in practice.
Getting In: The Door Is Wider Than It Appears
This is where many families become nervous unnecessarily. Let’s take it slowly.
Albion College does not have open admissions—it reviews criteria before saying yes. Of the nine considerations it reports to the federal government, only one is required: the high school GPA. Everything else—the complete academic record, class rank, college-preparatory coursework, essay, letters of recommendation, and English-language exam for applicants to whom it applies—is considered if submitted, but is not an admission requirement. The undergraduate application is also free: the published fee is $0.
And now for the numbers that really matter. In the most recent cycle, Albion received 5,438 first-time undergraduate applications. It admitted 4,522. That is 83 out of every 100. Put another way: for every six young people who apply, five receive a yes. Compared with nearly a thousand selective private institutions, that rate places it just above the midpoint of the group—neither among the most difficult nor among the most open.
Your child has a real reason to apply here. Your child also has a reason to submit a complete application on time, because that figure comes from a single cycle—if there are more applicants in your child’s year and the number of places does not increase, the figure will decrease on its own.
Here is something that confuses many families, so I want to be direct with you. Out of every 100 students Albion admitted, only 8 ultimately enrolled. Out of every 13 young people who receive a yes, roughly one decides to attend. The others already had a place here and chose something else.
Do not read this as a blemish on the school. The federal record does not say why each person made that decision. What this figure does tell you is something useful: what others decided does not predict what your child will be offered. Wait for your financial aid letter, which contains the real figure—the net price—before drawing any conclusion about whether this school stays on or comes off the list.
Regarding standardized tests, Albion reported that it does not consider the SAT or ACT in the admissions decision, even if applicants submit them. This does not cover scholarships or course placement; ask about those separately.
And regarding transfers: in the most recent fall, 35 students entered Albion after previously studying at another institution. It is a low count compared with similar schools, but remember that it is a number of people, not a proportion, and it goes hand in hand with the school’s size. How many credits Albion accepts for incoming transfer students is a question to ask the school directly—the federal file does not include that information.
The Sticker Price: What the Brochure Says Before Aid
At Albion College, among a first-time, full-time, credential-seeking population numbering 83 whose members received federal Title IV aid and whose EFC records showed family income below $30,000, the average net price was $11,241. Among a population of 66 otherwise equivalent students with EFC family income from $48,001 to $75,000, it was $14,936; among a population of 92 otherwise equivalent students with EFC family income above $110,000, it was $25,793. For dependent students, the band combines their parents’ income with their own.
Between the average for the lowest-income band, whose population numbered 83, and the average for the highest-income band, whose population numbered 92, there is a difference of $14,552. These are group averages, not a prediction of your family’s price. Among first-year students who received any grant or scholarship aid, the average was $18,470.
Among the 937 schools of the same type and control included in this census that reported this figure with the same time coverage, Albion falls within the least expensive quartile for the lowest-income families after grants and scholarships are subtracted. That does not mean it will be inexpensive for your family. It is a data point that matters when you assemble the list of schools to which your child will apply.
Because the price changes so much from one income band to another, correctly identifying yours comes first. The income bands in this profile describe first-time, full-time, credential-seeking students who received federal Title IV aid; at public institutions, they use the in-state or in-district rate. The overall average with grant or scholarship aid, when shown, describes first-time, full-time, credential-seeking students who received federal, state, local, or institutional grants or scholarships. The aid letter sent to you is what ultimately matters.
Aid and Loans: The Discount Is Real, and So Is the Debt
At Albion, 100% of degree-seeking students received some form of financial aid or scholarship—practically all of them. Among recipients, the average was $47,952 for the year. And 46 out of every 100 students received a Pell Grant, the federal aid for low-income families.
$47,952 is real money. But it is not a price: it is an average among aid recipients, and that average includes grants and scholarships that are much larger and much smaller. What determines the decision is not the size of the discount—it is the amount remaining afterward, and you will know that only when your letter arrives.
Now for the part I want to tell you without softening it: at Albion, financing with a federal loan is common. Out of every 100 undergraduate students, 67 took out a federal student loan in the most recently reported year—more than six out of ten. Compared with similar schools, that proportion is on the high side: seven out of ten similar schools have a smaller proportion of students taking on debt.
Those who borrowed took out an average of $6,833 that year. If your child borrowed a similar amount each year throughout the program’s four years, the total would be about $27,332—not counting interest and excluding Parent PLUS loans that parents sometimes sign for, as well as bank or credit-card debt. That calculation should be made before the first signature, not at the end.
The fact that borrowing is common here does not determine whether your child will need it. That comes from the aid letter and the difference between the net price and what the family can actually contribute. If the offer includes debt, ask for the estimated monthly payment before accepting anything.
The institution also reports a tuition installment payment plan and participation in a Promise-type program. It is worth asking directly how they work and to whom they apply.
Living There: Campus, Sports, and Support
Albion has its own housing and meal plans, with a fixed number of meals per week under the largest plan. Living on campus is not mandatory for all students—the institution responded that it does not require this universally—although that does not rule out the possibility that a specific program may require it. The reported maximum housing capacity is 1,448 students. The existence of housing does not guarantee an available bed: ask in writing for the rate for the year, the application deadline, and whether you are guaranteed a place or placed on a waiting list.
ROTC is available, with the Army branch confirmed in writing; the Navy and Air Force are not marked. Their absence from the record does not mean participation is impossible—it means you should ask directly if your child is interested in another branch.
In sports, Albion competes at the intercollegiate level and is affiliated with the NCAA, with reported programs in football, basketball, baseball, and cross-country or track and field, among others. This does not tell you which division each sport competes in or whether athletic scholarships are available—ask the coach of the team your child is interested in directly, and have the answer provided in writing.
Regarding distance education, the school offers some online undergraduate courses, but in the most recent count no student was taking an entire course load through distance education, and the institution reported that it does not offer a complete program that can be taken entirely online. If this is relevant to your child, confirm it in writing for the specific program.
The library has employed staff and physical and digital collections, and it participates in interlibrary lending. Among the services the institution reports are combined academic and career counseling, employment assistance for current students, placement services for graduates, participation in the Yellow Ribbon program for veterans, a dedicated point of contact for military families, and a webpage for services for students with disabilities. The existence of these services on paper does not measure their quality or how accessible they are in practice—ask about that in person.
What Happens After Students Enroll: Staying and Graduating
This is perhaps the most candid section we can have, because here the numbers stop being about getting in and start being about what happens afterward.
Of the cohort that entered Albion in the fall of 2022—418 first-time, full-time students—288 were still enrolled or had already graduated one year later. That is 69 out of every 100. Compared with similar selective private institutions, Albion ranks in the lower part of the group: seven out of ten similar schools retained a larger proportion of their cohort.
I want to be clear with you here, without dramatizing or softening it: 130 students from that cohort do not appear in the official retention outcome. The data do not tell you what happened to them. It does not mean they gave up. They may have transferred, paused their studies, started working, or left for any other reason that the federal record simply does not capture.
As for graduation, of the 515 first-time, full-time, bachelor’s-degree-seeking students who entered in 2017, 294 had graduated from Albion within six years—57 out of every 100. At four years, the figure is 46 out of every 100, eleven percentage points lower. Compared with similar schools, Albion ranks below the midpoint of the group.
Here too, there is something I want you to understand clearly: this rate counts only first-time, full-time, bachelor’s-degree-seeking students. It does not include students who transferred in or those who began part time. And if someone does not appear as having graduated from Albion within that period, it does not mean that person left higher education—the student may have continued elsewhere, and this figure does not capture that.
Looking farther ahead—eight years, following the cohort that entered in 2015-16—65 out of every 100 left Albion with a degree or certificate. Within that group, Pell Grant recipients graduated in 56 out of every 100 cases—15 percentage points lower than students who did not receive Pell Grants. It is a real gap, and it is worth asking admissions about directly: what counseling, what emergency aid, and what specific support are available to students with Pell Grants at this school? Have them answer in writing.
What This Article Cannot Tell You
We do not know—and this analysis does not invent—what happens to Albion graduates after graduation: how much they earn, where they work, or how they fare. That requires another source, and it is not included here.
Putting the Pieces Together
You now know Albion College in greater depth than most brochures provide: its size, its community, how it handles admissions, how much it costs on paper and how much that varies by family income, how common debt is there, and what happens to those who enroll.
This is one piece of the map, not the complete map. You still need to combine it with what your child actually wants to study and where your child imagines going, as well as what your family can pay and is willing to take on. A real plan emerges from those three pieces together—the college, the student, and the family.
Your child’s role is to research the program, write the essay, and decide whether Albion feels right. Your role is to handle the FAFSA and the aid letter and to ask the uncomfortable questions about money before your child falls in love with a place. Neither of you does the other’s work. You do it together.
Source note: The information in this article comes from IPEDS (Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System) and reports Albion College submitted to the United States Department of Education, corresponding primarily to the 2022-23 and 2023-24 cycles. Best College Aid does not represent Albion College or the United States government; this article organizes and explains public data and is not a substitute for direct confirmation with the institution.