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Student Success

Southwestern Michigan College students continue to demonstrate a strong success rate both as SMC students and upon transfer to a four-year university.

Students rank in the top 10% nationally for course success according to the National Community College Benchmarking Project (NCCBP). The project is a sampling of performance data from more than 250 community colleges from around the country.

Regionally, our students continue to demonstrate a strong student success rate when they transfer to Western Michigan University or Ferris State University.

On average, SMC graduates who transfer to Western Michigan University earn a higher grade-point average at Western, demonstrating they consistently outperform students who began their education at WMU.

Similar data from Ferris State University shows that our students who transferred to Ferris earned a significantly higher GPA than Ferris students in general.

Western Michigan University
SMC Graduate WMU Students
3.06 GPA 2.93 GPA
Ferris State University
SMC Graduates Ferris Students
3.32 GPA 3.11 GPA

Statistics for the 2015-2016 academic year

  • About SMC

    Southwestern Michigan College is a community college in Michigan committed to the student experience. From providing mentoring programs and career counseling to being one of only a few Michigan community colleges with dorms, Southwestern Michigan College has all the resources and services you need to succeed at community college and beyond.

    You should know...

    Associate in Applied Science degrees are designed for you to get a two-year degree and then begin working.

    Associate in Arts and Associate in Science degrees are basically the first two-years of a bachelor’s degree. They allow you to complete all your general education requirements before transferring to another school.

    We do have a few specific AA/AS programs such as business and engineering, but you can actually get an AA or AS in just about anything you want. So even if you don’t see your major listed here, it doesn’t mean we don’t offer it; we can get you started on almost anything you want to study. See Areas of Study for more options or speak with an advisor for more information.

    Bachelor’s degrees are offered on the Dowagiac campus through Ferris State University and Bethel College.

    Certificates, like AAS degrees, are designed to get you working. They are a great option for those who don’t necessarily need a degree but want a solid credential to help gain a job or promotion or who want to expand their skill set. They can typically be completed in one year. Specialty certificates take less than one year to complete.