If you are looking for a university with a progressive, urban setting, the University of Michigan at Flint may be the school for you. Flint, Michigan, is known for being the birthplace of General Motors. The United Automobile Laborers union got its start here as well. This hub of commerce is also recognized as a city on the battlefront of civil rights, for it was here that the first Fair Housing Law was passed. Located in the center of Flint’s revitalization project, The University of Michigan at Flint is progressive as well. It has been classified as a Carnegie University of Civic Engagement, largely due to its “Education in Place” approach to learning, which involves taking the classroom to the community to solve real-world problems. The school was founded in 1956 and has a student-to-faculty ratio of 15:1. The student body contains approximately 8,600 people studying more than 100 undergraduate and 18 graduate programs.

University of Michigan at Flint Accreditation Details

This school is accredited by the Commission on Higher Learning, North Central Association of Colleges and Schools. In addition, several organizations accredit special programs within the university. These are: The American Chemical Society; The Association for Accreditation of Human Research Protection Programs; AACSB; The Commission of Collegiate Nursing Education; The Commission on Accreditation in Physical Therapy Education; The Council on Accreditation for Nurse Anesthesia Education Programs; the Council on Social Work Education; the Joint Review Committee on Education in Radiological Technology; the Michigan Department of Education; the National Association of Schools of Music and the National Association for the Accreditation of Teacher Education. In addition, the English Language program is accredited by the Commission on English Language Program Accreditation.

University of Michigan at Flint Application Requirements

To be eligible for general admission to the university, you must have a high school diploma, GED or the equivalent. You must also have a cumulative GPA of 2.7 or better and an ACT score of 17, or the equivalent SAT score. To be admitted to the honors program at the school you need a GPA of 3.7 or better and an ACT score of 27. If you do not meet these standards, you might still be able to enter the school under the Promise Scholar program. Students in this category are identified with the desire and the potential to learn, and may be admitted with a GPA of 2.3 and an ACT score of 15, combined with an interview. Undergraduates applying for admission to the school must complete the application form available online and submit it, along with other required documents and the $30 non-refundable application fee. If you haven’t taken the ACT yet, you should schedule it as soon as possible; the school prefers that you schedule the test as much as a year in advance of applying at the school. After taking the test, or the SAT, you should ask that the scores be sent to the University of Michigan at Flint. You should also request your high school to send your official transcript to the school. Graduate students should apply to the program they wish to complete by filling out the online forms. In addition, they must submit the application form of $55 and other documents that the individual programs might require, such as a resume or portfolio and letters of recommendation.

Tuition and Financial Aid

Tuition at the University of Michigan-Flint is calculated by credit hour and by term. In-state undergraduate tuition for lower-level classes is $396 per credit hour and non-resident tuition is $790. Figured by the term, or 12 hours, in-state tuition is $4,752 and out-of-state tuition is $9,615. If you take more than twelve hours, each extra credit hour costs $87 for residents and $98 for non-residents. Upper level, or third and fourth year students, should expect to pay $401.75 per credit hour in-state or $4,821 per term. Graduate tuition varies by the program. In addition, nurse education students, and students in some other degree programs, pay higher tuition. For these rates, you should check your program on the school website. Besides the tuition there are other costs involved in earning a degree; you need to budget for books and other fees such as technology, parking and student insurance. Whether you live in on-campus housing and buy a meal plan or live off-campus and provide your own meals, you need to plan for that expense. Paying for school can be a problem. At the University of Michigan-Flint, 70 percent of students receive some type of financial aid. Your first step in getting that aid is completing the FAFSA. This is a free government program that calculates how much money your family is expected to contribute to your education and uses that figure to arrive at your financial need amount. Then, taking your need into account, you are awarded federal grant and loans for which you qualify. The Pell Grant and the Supplemental Educational Opportunity Grant are the most familiar of these. You should also apply for scholarships and in-school loans at this time. In addition to state incentive programs and federal monies, there are university scholarships available through the individual colleges and through corporations and private sponsors. You can also apply for stude4nt loans through lending institutions, and work-study programs through the university.

Education Degrees that Break the Mold

The education programs at the university are housed in the School of Education and Human Services. Why study education here? Well, for one thing the degree programs are unique. The elementary education degree, for example, is taught in three phases. The first consists of general liberal arts education that all students must have. The second phase is professional classes in language arts, math, science and social studies. The third phase is more professional classes, including how to teach the subjects as well as content. This last phase also includes the internships and practicum. K-12 and secondary education degrees are also taught in phases. The classes are place-based, which means that they include in-community experience. The classes are team-and-collaboratively taught too, which adds to the depth and the breadth of the education degree because you get the benefit of varying teaching experiences. Another unique facet of your education degree at the school is the STAR Program. This is a learning experience that focuses on imparting leadership skills and confidence to students through seminars and conferences and other innovative teaching methods. All of these programs are unique and all are experienced-based. That means at the University of Michigan-Flint your teachers are in the classroom and in the community for a real-world education.

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