John W. Hunter House · Photo: Andrew Jameson · CC BY-SA 3.0Cranbrook Academy of Art is 2.4 miles from Birmingham
No college sits inside Birmingham’s boundary, but Cranbrook Academy of Art’s campus in Bloomfield Hills, with 119 students on campus, is 2.4 miles from the center of town, and Oakland Community College is 7 miles away in Auburn Hills. About 4% of Birmingham’s residents are enrolled in college, below Michigan (6%).
From the U.S. Department of Education (College Scorecard, June 2026; IPEDS fall 2023 enrollment) and the Census Bureau’s American Community Survey, 2020–24. Straight-line distances from the center of Birmingham. Colleges are described, not graded.
What stands out about college from Birmingham
Facts about the town and its distance to campus; each college’s own figures follow.
Colleges within 15 miles of Birmingham
13 private colleges within 14.9 miles, two public colleges within 14.9 miles, and three community colleges.
Degree-granting colleges with 100 or more students on campus (fall 2023 enrollment, minus students who study only online). Admitted: share of applicants offered a place. Net price: the average a year after grants, for students on federal aid. Graduate: within 6 years (4-year colleges) or 3 (2-year). Earnings: median, 10 years after starting.
What would your family pay?
The average a year after grants, for families on federal aid, at the colleges within 15 miles. Pick your family’s income.
Starts at Over $110k, where Birmingham’s median household income ($153,510) falls.
The average a year after grants and scholarships, for first-time, full-time students on federal aid, from the College Scorecard. Your own price depends on your aid package; every college has a net price calculator. For community colleges the net price counts housing and food at full cost, so tuition is shown beside it. “—”: not reported for that income.
Do students finish, and does it pay?
Each dot is a college within 15 miles of Birmingham: across is the share who graduate, up is what they earn ten years after starting.
Graduation: first-time, full-time students within 6 years (4-year colleges) or 3 years (2-year). Earnings: median, 10 years after starting, for students who got federal aid. *Reported for all the campuses that file together: Chamberlain University-Michigan (15); Dorsey College (7); Dorsey College-Dearborn (7).
Questions about college near Birmingham
Is Birmingham a college town?
No. About 4 of every 100 Birmingham residents are enrolled in college (Census, 2020–24), below Michigan (6). The nearest campus, Cranbrook Academy of Art, is 2.4 miles away in Bloomfield Hills.
What colleges are near Birmingham?
18 colleges are within 15 miles. The largest: Wayne State University (14.9 miles, 20,601 students on campus), Oakland University (9 miles, 14,326) and Macomb Community College (12.7 miles, 10,297).
What is the closest community college to Birmingham, and what does it cost?
Oakland Community College in Auburn Hills, 7 miles away. Tuition and fees are $3,020 a year for Michigan residents; the federal net price, $5,777, counts housing and food at full cost.
How much does Oakland University cost if we live in Michigan?
Tuition and fees are $15,262 a year in-state and $23,188 from out of state. After grants, families on federal aid paid an average of $4,422 (under $30,000 income) to $19,217 (over $110,000), housing and food included.
Neighbors talk college
Students, parents, alumni and the neighbors next door.
Colleges: U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard and IPEDS (Scorecard 06/10/2026 · IPEDS 2024 · fall 2023 enrollment). “On campus” is fall enrollment minus students who study only online. Distances are straight-line from the center of Birmingham. Residents in college, age, rent and poverty (including poverty without college students, table B14006): U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey 2020–24. Colleges are described, not graded; the College town label marks towns where 15% or more of residents are enrolled. How TownRatings describes colleges →