The most interesting mass of humanity east of UC Berkeley. U-M is among the nation’s leaders in many subjects, but undergraduates must elbow their way to the front to get the full benefit. Superb honors and living/learning programs are the best bet for highly motivated students. Out-of-state families may need a second mortgage to cover pricey tuition.

One of the nation’s elite public universities, Michigan offers an excellent faculty, dynamite athletics, an endless number of special programs, and the most interesting collection of students east of Berkeley. Boasting more than 630,000 living alumni, it also produces more Fulbright scholars than any other U.S. university. “Michigan is a special place because it has a deep history and reputation,” says a senior. “It is an excellent school and no matter what degree you have, it is respected.”

Situated on 3,207 acres, Michigan’s campus is so extensive that newcomers may want to call on their GPS to find their way to class. The university is divided into two main sections. Central Campus, the heart of the university, houses most of Michigan’s 19 schools and colleges. North Campus, which is two miles northeast of Central, is home to the College of Engineering; the School of Music, Theatre, and Dance; the Stamps School of Art and Design; and the Taubman College of Architecture and Urban Planning. Other campus areas include the Medical Center Complex, containing seven hospitals and 15 outpatient facilities, and South Campus, featuring state-of-the-art athletic facilities. A university bus system helps students get around. Architecturally, the main drag of campus features a wide range of styles, from the classical Angell Hall to the ultracontemporary Museum of Art addition. Recent construction includes the Trotter Multicultural Center and the Biological Science Building.

Founded in 1817 in what was then the Michigan Territory, U-M offers more than 600 active degree programs, including over 275 undergraduate majors, as well as individualized concentrations. No courses are required of all freshmen at Michigan, but all students must complete some coursework in English (including composition), foreign languages, natural sciences, social sciences, and humanities. Students in the College of Literature, Science, and the Arts (LSA)-Michigan’s largest school, offering the most undergraduate majors-must also take courses in quantitative reasoning and race or ethnicity.

For students with global interests, LSA’s menu of 40 foreign languages includes several that can’t be found at many other places, such as Dutch, Filipino, Hindi, Persian, Swahili, and Turkish. The notable screen arts and cultures major balances studies and production, with approximately one-third of a student’s coursework devoted to creative, hands-on projects. The College of Engineering and Ross School of Business are well respected, and the university’s programs in health-related fields are also top-notch. Preferred admissions programs guarantee top high school students admission to Michigan’s outstanding programs in architecture, business, education, information, and pharmaceutical sciences, provided they make satisfactory progress during their first years. Also worth mentioning are offerings in art, design, and music. The most popular majors are computer science, business administration, economics, and psychology.

Students describe Michigan courses as challenging but by no means cutthroat competitive. “Academics come first, and everybody around you will be putting in the effort required to succeed,” says a civil engineering major. Fifty-five percent of classes have fewer than 20 students, and one student says, “The professors here are intelligent and seem to enjoy teaching.” Students report that there is excellent academic and career advising available, but only for those who seek it. The campus Career Center provides individual and group career counseling/planning and works with 950 companies annually in recruiting graduating U-M students. The LSA Opportunity Hub connects LSA students with liberal arts–oriented internships, practical workshops, alumni, and employers.

Michigan’s special academic programs seek to offer the best of both worlds-personalized attention and a large university setting. The First Year Experience is a themed living community, paired with an introductory course taught in the residence halls, designed to support students through the transition to college; past programming has included movie nights, ice cream socials, rock climbing, and a trip to Michigan’s Upper Peninsula to learn dog sledding. The university’s long-established honors program, considered to be one of the best in the nation, offers qualified students honors courses and seminars, opportunities to participate in individual or collaborative research, and access to dedicated academic advisors. About 1,500 students each year work outside the classroom with a small group of students and a faculty member of their choice through the Undergraduate Research Opportunities Program. Service-learning courses are plentiful, and students have the chance to study abroad in nearly 140 countries. Specific programs include a year abroad in a French or German university, a business program in Paris, summer internships in selected majors, and special short-term trips organized by individual departments.

Fifty-three percent of undergraduates hail from Michigan, and 7 percent come from abroad. The student body is notably diverse for a Midwestern state university. African Americans make up 4 percent of the student body, Hispanics 7 percent, Asian Americans 16 percent, and multiracial students 5 percent. Michigan’s Program on Intergroup Relations has served as a national model for supporting diversity on college campuses, offering a variety of intergroup dialogues, courses and workshops on social justice, and community outreach programs. There are large and well-organized Jewish and LGBTQ communities here too. While the student body is more conservative today than it was a few decades ago, it is still “most noticeably liberal,” says a history major, and political issues flare up from time to time on campus. Students can vie for hundreds of merit scholarships averaging $5,900, as well as more than 700 athletic scholarships for men and women. Michigan is the only public university in the state that meets the full demonstrated financial need of all in-state students, and Michigan residents with family incomes of $65,000 or less qualify for the Go Blue Guarantee of four years of free tuition. At roughly triple the in-state tuition rate, U-M charges out-of-state students more for tuition and fees than any other flagship university in the country.

Dormitories at U-M traditionally have well-defined personalities. East Quad, as the home of the Residential College, the Michigan Community Scholars Program, and the Gender-Inclusive Learning Experience, is perhaps the most “open-minded” dorm on campus. North Quad is the newest dorm and the focal point for international and intercultural programming. On-campus housing is said to be mostly comfortable and well maintained, and 31 percent of students reside there. “Freshmen are guaranteed housing, but not every sophomore is lucky enough to secure on-campus housing, and virtually no juniors and seniors get to live in the dorms,” reports a student. Alternatives include fraternity and sorority houses, a large number of college-owned and private co-ops, and plenty of off-campus rentals. Campus residents take their meals at the many dining halls located inside dorms. As for concerns about safety on campus, a student says, “Campus security is pretty good and most people I know feel safe.” A Special Victims Unit of the university police deals with instances of interpersonal violence, including sexual assault.

Detroit is a little less than an hour away, but most students become quite fond of the picturesque town of Ann Arbor. “Ann Arbor is a quintessential college town, with a wide range of cultural opportunities and ways for students to get involved,” a sophomore says. A surprising variety of visual and performing arts are offered in town and on campus. A huge art fair held each summer in Ann Arbor draws craftspeople from throughout the nation and Canada. The Huron River and many lakes and swimming holes lay only a short drive away and seem to keep the large summer-term population happy. Michigan winters, though, are known for being cold and brutal. Nine percent of the men and 13 percent of the women go Greek. As one sophomore says, “There is a large Greek party scene, and if that is what you are looking for, you won’t be disappointed.” Campus alcohol policies are described as “moderately effective.”

Division I football overshadows nearly everything each fall as students gather to cheer, “Go Blue.” Attending football games is an integral part of the U-M experience, students say, and the Little Brown Jug football competition with Minnesota and games against Ohio State are especially popular. Several of U-M’s 29 varsity teams have brought home Big Ten championships in the past few years, among them men’s basketball, men’s and women’s gymnastics, and women’s tennis and softball. Intramurals, which were invented at the University of Michigan, provide students with a more casual form of athletics, and some 30 club sports are also active. The university’s Solar Car Team has won numerous American Solar Challenge competitions.

The University of Michigan strives to offer its students a delicate balance between academics, athletics, and social activities. On one hand, this is an American college with the usual interest in football and fraternities. But it’s also a world-class university with a fine faculty and top-rated programs, intent on making America competitive in the 21st century. For assertive students who crave spirit and action as well as outstanding academics, Michigan is an excellent choice.

-Fiske Guide