Adrian College

Private · Moderately Selective · MI

Photo: Dwight Burdette (CC BY 3.0)

School data & stats

TypePrivate

LocationMI · Midwest

SettingRural

Undergrads1,604

Student:faculty16:1

Outcomes

4-yr grad rate36.7%

6-yr grad rate48.4%

Drop-out rate34.6%

Study abroad—

Cost

In-state tuition$42k

Out-of-state tuition$42k

Application fee—

Community

Racial diversity40.4%

Gender diversity42.6%

International6.3%

IdentityUnited Methodist

Overview

Adrian College, in southeastern Michigan, is a Methodist-affiliated liberal arts college that pursued a deliberate and unusual growth strategy starting in the mid-2000s: adding dozens of varsity athletic and co-curricular programs, from ice hockey to competitive bass fishing, specifically to give a large share of its student body a team or activity to belong to.

Academics

Pre-professional tracks in business, education, and health-related fields anchor the curriculum, taught in the small classes typical of a college this size. The athletics-driven growth strategy has meant the college now fields a wide range of varsity programs, including a competitive ice hockey team that is unusual for a school of its size in Michigan.

Campus & student life

Student life at Adrian is heavily organized around athletic and club participation — the sheer number of teams means a large proportion of students are athletes or club members, which shapes campus culture and gives the school a busy, activity-driven daily rhythm distinct from a typical small liberal arts campus.

Getting in

Athletic recruitment plays a larger role in Adrian's admissions pipeline than at most liberal arts colleges its size, a direct consequence of the growth strategy — students considering Adrian for a specific sport should expect coach involvement in the process.

adrian.edu ↗

Admissions

Acceptance rate72.5%

Enrolled mid-50%SAT 873–1140 · ACT 21–27

Test policyoptional

Rec letters—

Deadlines (2026–27 cycle)

AdmissionRolling

Applying