Eastern Michigan University is a public research university in Ypsilanti, Michigan, United States. Founded in 1849 as the Michigan State Normal School, it was the fourth normal school (teachers' college) established in the United States and the first outside New England. In 1899, the Michigan State Normal School became the first normal school in the nation to offer a four-year curriculum; the college became a university in 1959.
EMU is one of the eight research universities in the state of Michigan and is classified among "R2: Doctoral Universities – High research activity". It is governed by an eight-member board of regents whose members are appointed by the governor of Michigan and confirmed by the Michigan Senate for eight-year terms.
The university comprises eight colleges and schools: College of Arts and Sciences, College of Business, College of Education, College of Health and Human Services, GameAbove College of Engineering and Technology, School of Music & Dance, the Honors College, and the Graduate School. The university is composed of an academic and athletic campus spread across , with over 120 buildings. As of 2023, EMU's total enrollment is over 13,000 students. EMU has experienced a steady yearly decrease in total fall enrollment; in the fall of 1990, total enrollment was 25,954 students.
In 1991, Eastern Michigan's athletic teams started competing as the Eastern Michigan Eagles and the school mascot, Swoop, was officially adopted by the university three years later in 1994. The Eagles compete in the NCAA Division I Mid-American Conference. EMU Athletics utilizes Rynearson Stadium for its football games, Oestrike Stadium for its baseball games, and the multipurpose George Gervin GameAbove Center for its basketball games.
History
Influenced by similar academies in Europe, the Michigan Legislature founded the Michigan State Normal School in 1849 with its campus in Ypsilanti. There was a significant contest among municipalities across Michigan to become the home of the state's first normal school. These other contending villages and towns included Niles, Jackson, and Marshall. The school officially opened its doors for classes on March 29, 1853, with 122 enrolled students. American normal schools were intended to be institutions to improve the quality of the burgeoning common school system by producing qualified teachers.
Adonijah Welch, a University of Michigan graduate, served as the Normal School's first principal. He later became the first president of Iowa State Agricultural College, now Iowa State University. The university's Georgian Revival-style Welch Hall bears his name. Constructed in 1895, Welch Hall is the second-oldest surviving building on the university's campus and an Eastern Michigan University Historic District contributing property.
In 1899, the school became the Michigan State Normal College when it developed the first four-year curriculum for a normal school in the nation. The Normal College began the twentieth-century as Michigan's premier teacher-preparatory school. The school continued through World War I, the Great Depression, and World War II, and continued to expand further. In 1956, under President Eugene Elliott, the school officially became Eastern Michigan College. This was mostly due to the expansion of the school's programs and increased enrollment following the Second World War.
In 1959 the school became a university, gaining the title Eastern Michigan University after establishing the Graduate School (graduate classes had been offered for two decades, since 1939). Between 1959 and 1980 the College of Education, College of Arts and Sciences, the Graduate School, College of Business, College of Health and Human Services, and College of Technology (now GameAbove College of Engineering and Technology) were formally organized and established. In the early 1970s, international student exchange schemes were organized, including one with Coventry College of Education (later part of the University of Warwick) in Britain."Guest Commentary: A Britisher takes a look at us..." The Eastern Echo, Friday, February 19, 1971"Canley Students on the U.S. Campus," Coventry Evening Telegraph, August 16, 1971, p.8 In 2005, the Honors Program officially became the Eastern Michigan University Honors College.
More recently, extended programs were added, such as Continuing Education (which includes EMU Online), the Centers for Corporate Training, the World College, and numerous community-focused institutes. Most programs are undergraduate or master's level, although the university has doctoral programs in Educational Leadership, Technology, and Psychology.
Prior to Michigan's 1963 State Constitution, Eastern Michigan University was governed by Michigan's elected State Board of Education. Since the ratification of the 1963 constitution, EMU has been governed by an eight-member Board of Regents. These regents are appointed by the Governor of Michigan with the advice and consent of the Michigan Senate, and serve eight-year terms. The regents, in turn, elect the president of the university.
Laura Dickinson murder
On December 15, 2006, EMU student Laura Dickinson's body was found in her dorm room at Hill Hall. EMU issued a statement the next day that foul play was not suspected, but EMU student Orange Amir Taylor III was arrested February 23, 2007 and charged with her rape and murder. Many Eastern Michigan students were especially skeptical of their university's compliance with the law because of this delay. According to police reports, the investigation was regarded as a homicide; however, this was denied and only officially announced on the day of Taylor's arrest. His arrest happened to be the first day students could not withdraw from classes and housing for a full refund.ABC News. Good Morning America.Mystery at Eastern Michigan University A subsequent investigation by Detroit law firm Butzel Long found that EMU had violated the Clery Act by not notifying students and named Vice President of Student Affairs, Jim Vick, as the main source of the cover-up.Huffstutter. P.J. Los Angeles Times online. June 19, 2007
The nationally reported scandal resulted in the firing of President John A. Fallon by the Board of Regents."University president fired after alleged rape cover-up" - CNN.com, July 16, 2007 He was notified of the unanimous vote of the Board to fire him by a letter sent to his home on July 15, 2007. At a special meeting called by the Board of Regents on Monday, July 16, 2007, the separation of President John Fallon was officially announced along with the separation of Jim Vick, Vice President for Student Affairs and Cindy Hall, Director of Public Safety and Chief of Police. A letter of discipline was placed in University Counsel Kenneth McKanders' file."Fallon administration over at EMU, regents confirm" - It was also announced that Donald Loppnow, Provost and Vice President for Academic Affairs, would be appointed Executive Vice President and in this role serve as Acting President until an Interim President is selected."EMU president, two others fired over cover up accusations" -
The Department of Education report relating to the Clery Act violations has been released to the public. It states, "Several findings of noncompliance were discovered during the review which the Department [of Education] considers to be serious violations of the Clery Act." The result of this report has yet to be seen. EMU released the executive summary of its response to the DOE report on July 27, 2007.United States Department of Education. DOE Draft Report.Chronicle of Higher EducationJuly 5, 2007 In June 2008, the university announced that it had agreed to pay a fine of $350,000 for the violations of the Clery Act.
On December 13, 2007, EMU settled with the family and estate of Laura Dickinson for $2.5 million."Mich. College to Pay $2.5M in Dorm Death"
On April 7, 2008, a jury convicted Orange Taylor III of first-degree murder, assault with intent to commit sexual penetration, home invasion, and theft charges."Man convicted in Mich student's slaying" He was sentenced to life imprisonment on May 7, 2008."Orange Taylor Sentenced to Life"
Campus
Eastern Michigan University's main campus is located in Ypsilanti, Michigan, comprising 122 buildings and spanning .
Satellite campuses EMU offers courses at 7 satellite campuses. The earliest off-site campus is EMU-Jackson. Courses have been offered in Jackson, Michigan since the 1970s. Course catalog records show courses have been offered at the Kresge Environmental Center dating back to at least 1976. EMU has held courses in Flint and Traverse City since 1987. EMU–Livonia began offering courses in 2000. In 2001, EMU–Detroit opened. EMU opened its Monroe location in 2002. The last off-campus site, EMU–Brighton, opened in 2003. EMU and Grand Valley State University offers a joint doctoral program in Educational Leadership at the Eberhard Center in Grand Rapids, Michigan. The Eberhard Center facility is part of the GVSU downtown campus. This location is sometimes referred to as EMU–Grand Rapids but is not officially listed as a university site.
EMU–Brighton – Brighton, Michigan EMU–Detroit – Detroit EMU–Jackson – Jackson, Michigan EMU–Monroe – Monroe, Michigan EMU–Northern Michigan – Traverse City, Michigan Kresge Environmental Center – Lapeer, Michigan
Academics
Undergraduate admissions
EMU is considered "selective" by U.S. News & World Report. For the Class of 2029 (enrolled fall 2025), EMU received 18,548 applications and accepted 14,416 (77.7%). Of those accepted,1,338 enrolled, a yield rate (the percentage of accepted students who choose to attend the university) of 9.3%. EMU's freshman retention rate is 72%, with 46% going on to graduate within six years.
For fall 2025, EMU received 2,803 applications for transfer admission and accepted 2,204, an admission rate of 78.6%. Of those accepted, 1,013 enrolled, a yield rate of 46.0%. A transfer applicant must have a minimum of 12 credits completed and maintain a 2.0 overall grade point average (or better).
The enrolled first-year class of 2029 had the following standardized test scores: the middle 50% range (25th–75th percentiles) of SAT scores was 920–1160, with EBRW and Math scores being 480-605 and 440-570, respectively, while the middle 50% range of ACT scores was 18–25. The average GPA of the incoming freshman class was 3.39, with 12% of the class being in the top 10%, 38% in the top 25%, and 69% in the top 50% of the high school class.
+ Fall first-time freshman statistics2025 2024 2023 2022 2021 Applicants18,548 21,337 20,351 19,919 17,506 Admits14,416 16,992 16,555 16,578 14,811 Admit rate77.7 79.6 81.3 83.2 84.6 Enrolled1,338 1,650 1,898 891 2,312 Yield rate9.3 9.7 11.5 5.3 15.6 ACT composite*(out of 36)18-25 (5%†) 18-27 (5%†) 18–26(6%†) 18–25(6%†) 18–25(8%†) SAT composite*(out of 1600)920-1160 (48%†) 930-1150 (71%†) 910–1150(71%†) 930–1170(68%†) 950–1180(55%†) * middle 50% range † percentage of first-time freshmen who chose to submit
+ Fall transfer students statistics 2025 2024 2023 2022 2021 2020 Applicants 2,803 2,533 2,256 2,331 2,875 3,620 Admits 2,204 1,703 1,603 1,670 2,129 2,395 Admit rate 78.6 67.2 71.1 71.6 74.1 66.2 Enrolled 1,013 886 814 861 1,139 1,312 Yield rate 46.0 52.0 50.8 51.6 53.5 54.8
Academic divisions
College of Arts and Sciences 1959 College of Education 1959 Graduate School 1959 College of Business 1964 College of Health and Human Services 1975 GameAbove College of Engineering and Technology 1980 Honors College 2005
Eastern Michigan University offers degrees and programs at the bachelor's, master's, specialist's and doctoral levels. There are more than 200 majors and minors at the undergraduate level, and more than 170 graduate programs. EMU has six Academic Divisions and eight University Sites which include satellite campuses. Just like many other large universities EMU does offer online courses and degrees.