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Kettering University

Contact Information:
1700 West University Ave.
Flint, MI 48504-4898
Phone: (810) 762-7865
Fax: (810) 762-9837
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Kettering University Says...
Kettering University has taken college education and put a spin on it. Billed as "America's premiere co-op university" this college, based in Flint, Michigan, has more than 700 corporate partners, corporations, and agencies that employ KetteringÂ's co-op students throughout 800 locations in North America, Europe, and Asia. The philosophy of this fully accredited school is that students work while they...
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Statistics
Enrollment: 2134
Average SAT: 630
Average ACT: 26
Most Popular Majors: Computer Engineering, General,Electrical, Electronics and Communications Engineering,Mechanical Engineering,
Student Faculty Ratio: 10:1

Scholarships & Financial Aid
Undergraduate Receiving Need-Based Financial Aid: 19
Average Freshman Total Need-Based Gift Aid: $15,782.00

School Says - General Information
Kettering University has taken college education and put a spin on it. Billed as "America's premiere co-op university" this college, based in Flint, Michigan, has more than 700 corporate partners, corporations, and agencies that employ KetteringÂ's co-op students throughout 800 locations in North America, Europe, and Asia. The philosophy of this fully accredited school is that students work while they earn their college education, and in essence, KetteringÂ's corporate partners "grow their own" engineers, scientists and managers. The program is four and a half years long, with students' time split evenly between classroom training (in processes, products, corporate culture, and technology, with an emphasis in engineering, the sciences, and business) and paid, full-time professional co-op work experience off-site. KetteringÂ's corporate partners represent major industries that include leaders in business innovation and manufacturing technology. The list of current co-op companies reads like an honor roll of America's top corporations, representing automotive, aerospace, medical, chemical, computer, plastics, and delivery systems industries Ââ€" just to name a few. Graduates have the skills and experience to succeed in key executive leadership positions, as many have done. Year after year, nearly 100 percent of Kettering graduates have a full-time job offer or are accepted into a top graduate program by the time they receive their diploma.

School Says - Student Body
Kettering students enjoy the activities and participate in the organizations that make college exciting and unique. College is a place to get to know people, and to make contacts students will have throughout their professional lives. Students can make these vital connections at Kettering University by participating in one of the more than 50 clubs and organizations represented on campus. Whatever their social or professional interests, there are opportunities to work together with other students who share those interests, planning and organizing activities, and perfecting essential leadership and teamwork skills. Outside of class, students will find plenty of ways to enjoy their free time at Kettering. The following list represents just a few of KetteringÂ's many clubs and organizations: Firebirds (autocross club),Student Government ,International Club, Aquaneers (scuba diving club)Campus Crusade for Christ, Christians In Action (CIA),Cycling Club , Bulldog Band ,Outdoors Club, SADD, Tech Sailors, Hockey Club Karate Club Black Unity Congress, Political Awareness Club (PAC) ,Intramural Sports (including basketball, cross country, golf, soccer, swimming, tennis and volleyball) and Swing Club Kettering also has one of the largest student chapters of the Society of Automotive Engineers (SAE), and their Delta Epsilon Chi Chapter (college version of DECA) annually wins top awards in state and national competitions. Students compete in an intense intramural athletic program and are involved in clubs and professional organizations. Approximately a third of Kettering students join the 14 national fraternities and six sororities that are represented on campus. The school's active student government produces programs to develop peers' leadership skills, self-confidence, interpersonal relations, and organizational operations. Because enrolled students represent approximately 48 states and 18 countries, they have a lot to share with and learn from one another.

School Says - Academics
The unique structure of the Kettering program allows students to fulfill the academic requirements of 160 credit hours throughout a four and a half year period. This is completed over nine academic semesters and up to 11 co-op work semesters. Students also complete a capstone thesis project on behalf of their co-op employer during their senior year for credit toward the 160 required hours. The academic year consists of two 11-week academic terms on-campus in Flint and two 12-week academic terms working for the corporate employer; students alternate their time between Flint and the employer's site. On average, a freshman student who spends 24 weeks during the academic year working for the professional co-op employer earns $11,000.

School Says - Admissions
Admission to Kettering University is competitive and based on scholastic achievement and extracurricular interests, activities, and achievements. Applicants are required to have completed the following courses (one credit represents two semesters or one year of study): two credits algebra, one credit geometry, a half credit trigonometry, two credits laboratory science (one of these credits must be from physics or chemistry, and both are strongly recommended), and three credits English. A minimum of 16 credits is required, but 20 credits are strongly encouraged. Applicants must submit SAT or ACT scores. Most Kettering University students rank at or near the top 10 percent of their high school class. Although applications are accepted all year long, prospective students are encouraged to file their application early in their senior year. Early application significantly improves students' chances for early co-op employment. Kettering University also accepts transfer students. Admission decisions for transfer applicants are based on college records for those who have completed at least 30 credits. The Application fee is $35. Interested students can apply online for free at www.admissions.kettering.edu

School Says - Campus Life
Flint is located in east-central Michigan, just 60 miles west of Lake Huron and the Canadian border, and 60 miles north of Detroit. Flint has approximately 155,000 residents and has a metropolitan area of 450,000. The College Cultural Center Comples is located just one-and-a-half miles from campus and houses a museum, a performing arts auditorium, a planetarium, and the Flint Public Library. The proximity to outdoor activities, city culture, and Flint's own distinctive resources provides students with access to a wide range of activities and opportunities.

School Says - Cost Aid
Tuition for the 2007-2008 academic year: $25,248 Room Rate: $3,708 Board, including 19 meals per week: $2,240 Technology Fee: $200 Student Activity Fee: $186 Residence Hall Activity Fee: $24 Orientation Fee (one-time only): $150Kettering University offers all the traditional need and merit-based financial aid, including a generous merit scholarship program. All Kettering students also benefit from the substantial co-op salaries that they earn throughout their years in school. The average range of salaries over the entire period is from $40,000 to $65,000. About 70 percent of students are able to live at home during their work experience terms, and are then able to contribute more of their salaries to their educational expenses. Many students win scholarships from agencies and organizations from their local communities. The primary purpose of Kettering's financial aid program is to supplement students' financial need after co-op earnings and parents' contributions. Aid is given as grants, scholarships, loans, and work-study awards. Students who wish to apply for financial aid should complete the FAFSA.

Students Say - Academics
"Kettering University is distinguished by a ""great co-op program"" that places students in jobs ""where engineering problem-solving and scientific discovery apply in real-world business situations."" The program is effective in large part because the school's partners ""include some of the best technology corporations in the world, such as Boeing, Lockheed, NASA, and Rockwell, as well as national research labs, such as Sandia National Labs, and governmental departments, such as the NSA and CIA."" In combination with on-campus study, Kettering's co-op program provides ""an integration of on-the-job crash-course learning coupled with academic classroom learning to cover both the real-world manifestation of engineering and engineering theory in a manner completely unaddressed by any non-co-op based school."" ""State-of-the-art labs"" and ""great equipment"" further enhance the learning experience here. Practical application is always in focus at Kettering, where profs bring a great deal of practical experience to the classroom. ""Many of them have spent time in the regular work force before becoming academics. We have electrical engineering professors that have worked in power plants and mechanical engineering professors that had spent 30 years in industry."" Best of all, ""They seem to actually care about the students and want to see us go on to greater things."" While Kettering offers business, science, and math degrees, engineering is the school's primary focus."

Students Say - Campus Life
"Engineering schoolsâ€"with their unusually heavy workloads and lopsided male-female ratiosâ€"are traditionally pretty grim places when it comes to extracurricular fun. Locate such a school in Flint, Michigan (""not a college city,"" ""very little to offer students,"" ""ranked one of the nation's three most dangerous cities""), and you might expect life at Kettering to be nonexistent. And yet campus life isn't that bad here; Kettering has ""a very active intramural sports program run by the students,"" ""a diverse range of popular clubs including formula racing, robotics, outdoors, scuba diving, martial arts, dance, and religious and minority support groups,"" ""comfortable" dorms to hang out in, and an active Greek system that ""holds events with live music, games, and other events like go-karts and paintball."" Still, the academic pressure and the dearth of off-campus options do lead some to ""indulge in heavy drinking to forget about the horrible week of classes they just had and to escape their unpleasant living environment."" As for the lack of women, it ""drives most guys crazy"" but ""is tolerable because there are close by universities that help even out the ratio. Trust me, this ratio problem is only shocking as a freshman."""

Students Say - Student Body
"Kettering's students (who are ""mostly mechanical engineers"") are typically ""goal-oriented gearheads"" who are ""ambitious and smart and want to get ahead in our careers."" They are ""more conservative and religious"" than the average college student. They also tend to be ""car guys""; explains one student, ""To the school's credit, it's trying to pull away from automotive engineering, but that's Kettering's legacy and that is what most students come here to study. The average Kettering student is very critical of people who don't know about cars."" As at most engineering schools, ""guys outnumber girls"" and ""a lot of students are a little on the geeky side."" One student describes the situation this way: ""There tend to be quite a few students who are socially inept. They are shy, and don't take much interest in anything but classes and homework. However, there are also many students who have pledged a fraternity/sorority, so the students here are very diverse."""

Other School To Consider
Drexel University
Rochester Institute of Technology

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