Photo: Lonepointe · CC BY-SA 3.0Ross College-Grand Rapids North is 9.9 miles from Sparta
No college sits inside Sparta’s boundary, but Ross College-Grand Rapids North’s campus in Grand Rapids, with 267 students on campus, is 9.9 miles from the center of town, and Grand Rapids Community College is 13.3 miles away in Grand Rapids. About 6% of Sparta’s residents are enrolled in college, about the same as 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 Sparta. Colleges are described, not graded.
What stands out about college from Sparta
Facts about the town and its distance to campus; each college’s own figures follow.
Colleges within 15 miles of Sparta
Four private colleges within 14.2 miles, and Grand Rapids Community College 13.3 miles away. The nearest public four-year college, Grand Valley State University, is 16.1 miles away.
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 and the nearest public four-year college. Pick your family’s income.
Starts at $48–75k, where Sparta’s median household income ($60,728) 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: 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: Ross College-Grand Rapids North (7).
Questions about college near Sparta
Is Sparta a college town?
No. About 6 of every 100 Sparta residents are enrolled in college (Census, 2020–24), about the same as Michigan (6). The nearest campus, Ross College-Grand Rapids North, is 9.9 miles away in Grand Rapids.
What colleges are near Sparta?
Within 15 miles: Ross College-Grand Rapids North (9.9 miles, 267 students on campus), Kuyper College (11.1 miles, 152), Grand Rapids Community College (13.3 miles, 7,986), Cornerstone University (13.5 miles, 1,315) and Aquinas College (14.2 miles, 1,269).
What is the closest community college to Sparta, and what does it cost?
Grand Rapids Community College in Grand Rapids, 13.3 miles away. Tuition and fees are $4,179 a year for Michigan residents; the federal net price, $8,621, counts housing and food at full cost.
How much does Grand Valley State University cost if we live in Michigan?
Tuition and fees are $15,140 a year in-state and $21,548 from out of state. After grants, families on federal aid paid an average of $12,272 (under $30,000 income) to $22,534 (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 Sparta. 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 →