Northern Michigan University

Northern Michigan University –NMU

I had a wonderful opportunity this past weekend to go and visit Northern Michigan University.  My visit was a great experience as I learned so much about what this university offers for students.  NMU is located in Marquette, MI.  For those of us who have never been to the UP this is 3 hours past the bridge.  It is around 8 hours from Novi, which makes it an option for students who may want to go away to school, but still get in state tuition.

Mackinaw Bridge

NMU is an affordable school.  The total cost to attend this school year is $19,762.44.  There are a lot of opportunities to receive scholarships at NMU.  The following link will show you what scholarships are available to students.  There are some scholarships that are automatic based on academic merit, and some that are awarded during the scholarship competition.

https://www.nmu.edu/financialaid/sites/DrupalFinancialAid/files/UserFiles/Files/Scholarships_2017-18.pdf

Marquette is a small town with a lot of quaint local stores, restaurants, and coffee shops.  There are some well-known stores there as well, Target and Walmart are both in Marquette.  The CEO of Starbucks actually graduated from Northern so there is a Starbucks right on campus.

There are some really amazing academic opportunities at Northern.  It is a small campus, so students are able to get more hands on experience starting their freshman year.  They have the Brain Tumor Research Center, which I toured and I was able to see actual cancer cells through the microscope.  Students in the research center are doing really exciting research, and they are learning valuable skills of using the state of the art equipment in the lab.  Northern is also known for their competitive nursing program and art opportunities including graphic arts and fine arts.

They are also growing new programs.  In the next few school years Northern will be offering a Forensic Science and Anthropology degree, a Medicinal Plant Chemistry degree, and a degree in Behavior Analysis.  All of these programs along with many of their undergraduate programs offer students opportunities to work along-side professors who are experts in their field.  Students are able to develop strong working relationships with their professors as the campus' close knit environment is conducive for these opportunities.

There is a strong sense of community on campus.  Many students who attend Northern love the outdoor opportunities that can be found on or near campus. Some of these include hiking, skiing, snowmobiling, rock climbing, swimming, and camping.  I did find that not all students love the outdoors though.  Many of the students I met enjoyed being involved on campus and hanging out indoors, especially during the winter months. 

Ore Dock on Lake Superior

Another note about Northern is how accessible it is to many students.  They offer a number of programs ranging from one and two year programs all the way up to graduate degrees.  For a complete list of programs they offer visit the following link: http://www.nmu.edu/programs.

Please feel free to stop by and ask any questions you may have about Northern!

Sarah Lephart