Madonna University

Private · Moderately Selective · MI

Photo: Ppizzo278 (CC BY-SA 4.0)

School data & stats

TypePrivate

LocationMI · Midwest

SettingUrban

Undergrads1,632

Student:faculty11:1

Outcomes

4-yr grad rate40.6%

6-yr grad rate60%

Drop-out rate28.5%

Study abroad—

Cost

In-state tuition$28k

Out-of-state tuition$28k

Application fee—

Community

Racial diversity39%

Gender diversity64.2%

International10.1%

IdentityRoman Catholic

Overview

Madonna University is a Catholic university in Livonia, Michigan, a Detroit suburb, founded by the Felician Sisters. It serves a large population of commuter, transfer, and working-adult students alongside traditional undergraduates, with a mission grounded in Franciscan values of service and respect for the individual. The university has built a reputation well beyond its size in a handful of specific health and education fields rather than trying to be broad and prestigious across the board.

Academics

Nursing is Madonna's strongest and best-known program, and the university was an early national leader in hospice and palliative care education, offering some of the first degree coursework of its kind in the country. Teacher education is another long-standing strength, and its sign-language studies and interpreter-training programs are recognized well beyond Michigan, drawing students specifically for that specialty. Class sizes stay small, and many programs are built around returning and part-time students' schedules.

Campus & student life

Madonna's campus sits in a residential part of Livonia, and student life leans commuter rather than residential-quad culture — many students work, raise families, or transfer in from community colleges, and evening and weekend course scheduling reflects that. Catholic identity is present in campus mission but the student body includes many non-Catholic students, especially in nursing and adult-completion programs.

Worth knowing

The hospice and palliative care program is a genuine rarity — few universities anywhere offer dedicated coursework in the field, and Madonna's early move into it gave it a reputation among Michigan health systems. The sign-language studies program similarly punches above the school's general profile, producing interpreters who work throughout the Detroit area and beyond.

madonna.edu ↗

Admissions

Acceptance rate63.4%

Enrolled mid-50%SAT 880–1080

Test policyoptional

Rec letters0

Deadlines (2026–27 cycle)

AdmissionRolling

Applying