Hillsdale College is a private, independent, nonsectarian Christian institution of higher learning founded in 1844 by men and women who described themselves as "grateful to God for the inestimable blessings" resulting from civil and religious liberty and as "believing that the diffusion of learning is essential to the perpetuity of those blessings.” The College has maintained institutional independence since its founding by refusing to accept aid from or control by federal authorities. Far-reaching private support from a national constituency has enabled Hillsdale to continue its trusteeship of the intellectual and spiritual inheritance tracing to Athens and Jerusalem. All Hillsdale students sign an Honor Code challenging self-government and committing them to honesty, duty, and respect.
Convinced that it is the best preparation for meeting the challenges of modern life, Hillsdale offers a traditional, classically based, liberal arts education with teaching faculty and a strong core curriculum. Required courses include the Western and American Heritage, U.S. Constitution, Great Books in the Western and British/American Traditions, Classical Logic and Rhetoric, Western Philosophical Tradition, and Western Theological Tradition. All students declare a major by the end of the junior year. To graduate, students must complete a minimum 124 hours of course work and fulfill the requirements of at least one major field. The B.A. program includes a foreign language proficiency requirement. The B.S. program requires additional studies in mathematics and the natural sciences.
The cost of a room in a double occupancy residence hall is $5,640 USD. Board, a 19 meal plan, is $5,750 USD.
Hillsdale’s Charger athletes compete in 14 intercollegiate NCAA Division II varsity sports as part of the Great Midwest Athletic Conference (GMAC). Varsity programs for men include baseball, basketball, cross country, football, golf, tennis, and track. Varsity programs for women include basketball, cross country, softball, swimming, tennis, track, and volleyball. Club sports and intramural teams are also available.
Four national fraternities, three national sororities, a newspaper and radio station, and more than 100 other social, academic, spiritual, and service organizations provide Hillsdale students with a diverse array of cocurricular opportunities. A resident drama troupe and dance company, a concert choir and chamber chorale, a jazz program with big band and combos, instrumental chamber ensembles from string quartets to percussion ensemble, and a symphony orchestra and band constitute the College’s performing arts organizations. The Student Activities Board hosts campus-wide social functions throughout the year, including marquee events like Garden Party, Homecoming, President’s Ball, and Centralhallapalooza.
Group visit programs and individual visits to the Hillsdale campus are available throughout the year and can include tours of campus, class lectures, meetings with admissions, meals in the student union, and even overnight stays in the residence halls. Virtual programming is also available. Explore visit options and register online at hillsdale.edu/visit.