For the third year in a row, Kalamazoo College has been selected as a Hidden Gem by College Raptor, a planning platform that helps students and families find college matches driven by algorithms to find their best-fit schools at the best price.
This selection for 2026 places K among the top eight institutions in the Great Lakes Region of Michigan, Wisconsin, Ohio, Illinois and Indiana. It further recognizes the College as one of the best in the country based on a combination of factors including retention rates, graduation rates, student-to-faculty ratio, endowment per student, selectivity and other key metrics as reported through the National Center for Education Statistics.
“For today’s students, expanding the definition of ‘dream school’ to include attainable options that align with family income, grades and additional factors can help more students arrive at college with confidence,” College Raptor co-founder William Staib said. “That’s what our Hidden Gems list and College Match tool aim to do.”

College Raptor also ranks K among 25 Hidden Gems for Division III athletics. To qualify for either list, an institution must receive fewer than 5,000 applications per year, have fewer than 7,000 undergraduate students, offer at least five unique majors and have an acceptance rate of at least 10%.
College Raptor’s full methodology is outlined on its website.