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School data & stats
Outcomes
Cost
Community
Overview
Alma College, in central Michigan, is a Presbyterian-affiliated liberal arts college built around its distinctive Scottish heritage — a kilted marching band and a nationally known bagpipe program are genuine campus fixtures, not decoration. It is small enough that undergraduate research and close faculty relationships are the norm rather than a selling point reserved for honors students.
Academics
Health-science preparation, particularly pre-med and related fields, is a real strength, helped by the college's guarantee of funded research or off-campus experience for every student through its venture grants — a structural commitment built into the curriculum rather than a marketing line. The rest of the curriculum follows a traditional liberal arts model with small classes throughout.
Campus & student life
Beyond the bagpipe band and Highland-themed traditions, campus life centers on a small-town central Michigan setting, NCAA Division III athletics, and a residential campus where most students live on-site for all four years.
Getting in
Admissions is holistic, and the venture-grant guarantee and small size are central to how Alma pitches itself to students weighing a small college against a larger public option. Merit aid is a significant part of how the college competes for students.
Worth knowing
The bagpipe program is a genuine point of distinctiveness — Alma is one of the only U.S. colleges with a serious competitive pipe band, and it draws some students specifically for that. The guaranteed venture-grant funding for research or travel is unusual among colleges this size.
Admissions
Deadlines (2026–27 cycle)
Applying
alma.edu ↗High school coursework
Required4 units of English · 3 units of Mathematics · 3 units of Science · 3 units of Foreign Language
Recommended2 units of lab science recommended (within the required Science units)
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