Guest, Sign inJoin

Post to Mount Pleasant

We’ll email a one-tap link to publish your post. No password, and nothing is public until you click it.
Already a member? Sign in
MountPleasantMI HistoricDistrict2Photo: Magicpiano · CC BY-SA 4.0
Colleges in and near Mount Pleasant

Mount Pleasant is a college town: 38 of every 100 residents are students

Central Michigan University (11,231 students on campus) is inside the city. Across Michigan, 6 of every 100 residents are enrolled in college.

College town38% of residents are studentsCentral Michigan University

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 Mount Pleasant. Colleges are described, not graded.

Within 15 miles
2
11,376 students on campus
Nearest college
0.4 mi
Central Michigan University
Residents in college
38%
Above MI (6%)
Nearest community college
2.5 mi
Saginaw Chippewa Tribal College · $2,730 tuition
Nearest public university
0.4 mi
Central Michigan University · $14,760 in-state
Students on campus in Mount Pleasant
11,231
next to 20,925 residents

What stands out about college in Mount Pleasant

Facts about the town and its distance to campus; each college’s own figures follow.

A college town38 of every 100 Mount Pleasant residents are enrolled in college, against 6 across Michigan.A university in Mount PleasantCentral Michigan University has 11,231 students on campus in Mount Pleasant, 59% of whom graduate within six years.In-state price at Central Michigan UniversityLiving in Michigan, Central Michigan University charges $14,760 in tuition and fees, the same for every student.A community college 2.5 miles awaySaginaw Chippewa Tribal College in Mount Pleasant: tuition and fees $2,730 a year for Michigan residents.
Town & gown

What it’s like to live in Mount Pleasant

How much the colleges shape the town, from the Census Bureau’s survey of residents.

38 of every 100 Mount Pleasant residents are in college (MI: 6).

11,231students on campus at Central Michigan University, next to 20,925 residents (dorm students count as residents)
3,706college students live in Mount Pleasant households rather than dorms
23.9median age · MI 40.2
53%of residents are women · MI 50% (±1.8 points)
64%of homes rented · MI 27%
$922median rent · 18% below the state
Mount PleasantMount Pleasant, MI
Cost of living$922/mo median rentCSafetyCrime reported to the FBIC−HealthCDC estimatesC+Jobs & incomeIncome, jobs, getting aroundC−HandbookTrash day, parking, who to call

How students change Mount Pleasant’s other numbers

Read the town’s other grades with this in mind. How TownRatings handles college towns →

Jobs & income C−

Students who live off campus count in the Census poverty figures: 31.9% of Mount Pleasant residents are below the poverty line, 20.5% when college students are left out (that estimate could be off by 6 points either way). 69% of the students themselves are below the line. In college towns, the Jobs & income grade uses the rate without students and leaves unemployment out.

Cost of living C

The Cost grade leaves out the share of renters paying 30% or more of income on rent wherever students are a quarter of residents or more (38% here): it would mostly measure student incomes.

Health C+

CDC’s estimates follow each place’s age mix, and Mount Pleasant’s median age is 23.9 (Michigan 40.2), so the adult figures describe a young population.

Safety C−

Crime is counted per resident, and students who live here count as residents. A college with its own police department reports its incidents under that department, not the city.

Every college

Colleges within 15 miles of Mount Pleasant

Both are public. Every other college is more than 15 miles from Mount Pleasant.

5 mi10 mi15 miCentral Michigan UniversitySaginaw Chippewa Tribal CollegeMount Pleasant
University or collegeCommunity college
Central Michigan UniversityUniversity or college · Public · 11,231 on campus · In Mount Pleasant90%admitted$18knet price59%graduate$56kearningsSaginaw Chippewa Tribal CollegeCommunity college · Public · 145 on campus · 2.5 mi · Mount Pleasant$12knet price33%graduateTuition and fees: $2,730 a year. The net price counts housing and food at full cost.

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 it costs

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.

Family income

Starts at $30–48k, where Mount Pleasant’s median household income ($44,706) falls.

Central Michigan UniversityIn Mount Pleasant · sticker $30,681$12,139a year
Saginaw Chippewa Tribal College2.5 mi · Mount Pleasant · sticker $19,424 · tuition $2,730—a year

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.

Outcomes

Do students finish, and does it pay?

Each dot is a college within 15 miles of Mount Pleasant: across is the share who graduate, up is what they earn ten years after starting.

$0$20k$40k$60k$80k0%25%50%75%100%Graduate →Central Michigan University
Central Michigan University59% graduate$56k earnings$27k typical debt

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.

Majors

What students study in Mount Pleasant

Share of bachelor’s and associate degrees by field at Central Michigan University, weighted by undergraduates; then the biggest programs.

Business 21%Education 13%Psychology 8%Public administration 8%Biology 6%Parks & recreation 6%Everything else 38%

Biggest programs

Psychology, General215 graduates a year
$53k4 yrs out
Sports, Kinesiology, and Physical Education/Fitness189 graduates a year
$58k4 yrs out
Business Administration, Management and Operations188 graduates a year
$74k4 yrs out
Teacher Education and Professional Development, Specific Subject Areas181 graduates a year
$50k4 yrs out
Community Organization and Advocacy107 graduates a year
$58k4 yrs out
Human Development, Family Studies, and Related Services86 graduates a year
$46k4 yrs out
Marketing80 graduates a year
$76k4 yrs out
Public Relations, Advertising, and Applied Communication65 graduates a year
$60k4 yrs out

College Scorecard: degree shares (PCIP; each college’s six largest fields are kept, the rest count as everything else) and the field-of-study file, median earnings 4 years after graduating.

Questions about college in Mount Pleasant

Is Mount Pleasant a college town?

Yes. 38 of every 100 Mount Pleasant residents are enrolled in college (Census, 2020–24), against 6 across Michigan. Central Michigan University has 11,231 students on campus, next to 20,925 residents.

What colleges are in Mount Pleasant?

Central Michigan University is inside the city. Saginaw Chippewa Tribal College is 2.5 miles away in Mount Pleasant.

Why is Mount Pleasant’s poverty rate so high?

Students who live off campus count in the Census figures. 31.9% of residents are below the poverty line; leaving college students out, 20.5% are (ACS 2020–24, give or take 6 points).

What is the closest community college to Mount Pleasant, and what does it cost?

Saginaw Chippewa Tribal College in Mount Pleasant, 2.5 miles away. Tuition and fees are $2,730 a year for Michigan residents; the federal net price, $11,949, counts housing and food at full cost.

How hard is it to get into Central Michigan University?

Central Michigan University admitted 90% of applicants in the Scorecard’s latest year; the middle half of admitted students scored 960–1,200 on the SAT.

Neighbors talk college

Students, parents, alumni and the neighbors next door.

Town Square →
Start the conversation

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 Mount Pleasant. 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 →