Interinstitutional Enrollment

Students may take advantage of opportunities offered by the Kalamazoo Consortium for Higher Education by enrolling in courses at Western Michigan University or Kalamazoo Valley Community College during the Kalamazoo College term. This program is intended to provide students in good academic standing the opportunity to take courses that are not available at Kalamazoo College but will add a meaningful dimension to their educational program.

  • Interinstitutional forms are due 30 days prior to the start of the term.
  • First-Year students must obtain approval from the Dean of the First Year in order to participate in the program.
  • Juniors and seniors at Kalamazoo College may not take lower-level credit at one of the other institutions without receiving special permission from the Registrar’s Office prior to registration.
  • Enrollment is considered on a “space available” basis.
  • The College reserves the right to refuse students the ability to participate in the program.
  • Final approval must be received by the Registrar’s Office.
  • Students must adhere to the policies of both the home and host institutions during the time of interinstitutional enrollment.
  • The program covers tuition charges at the host institution – students are responsible for any additional fees, such as lab fees.


Credit will be awarded to students based on the number of credits the interinstitutional course is worth at the school offering it. Courses worth:

  • 3 semester credits will be awarded .9 units
  • 4 semester credits will be awarded 1.2 units

Questions regarding how this affects degree completion should be directed to the Registrar’s Office.

Kalamazoo College students must be registered for a minimum of two Kalamazoo College units for the quarter in which they enroll in an interinstitutional course and must include the course as part of normal full-time registration. Interinstitutional courses do not count as part of the residency requirement. The overload policy does, however, apply to the registration of interinstitutional courses; Interinstitutional courses worth 3 or 4 semester credits will count as a full academic course regardless of course credit conversion. Students may also not register for more than two courses at the host institution. Students are encouraged not to enroll in interinstitutional courses during the Spring quarter due to academic calendar dates, housing issues, and the fulfillment of requirements for graduating seniors.

Courses taken under the interinstitutional program are included in Kalamazoo College tuition charges and will appear on the Kalamazoo College transcript; the grade(s) received will be calculated in the Kalamazoo College GPA.
The following outlines the process for Kalamazoo College students enrolling in interinstitutional courses:

  1. Fill out a guest student application to submit to KVCC or the WMU guest student application to submit to WMU. When we complete our part of the application we will stamp it with an “Inter-Institutional Kalamazoo College” stamp to alert the admissions office of your status.
  2. Once your guest application is approved you will need to get instructions from WMU or KVCC about how to register for the course.
  3. Once you are registered for the course, submit an interinstitutional course form to our office so you can register for the course with us as well. Kalamazoo College students who take interinstitutional courses are registered for the course at both institutions. This allows us to track your registration with WMU or KVCC and ensure you are not charged for the course. It also allows you to have network access to course materials at WMU or KVCC and help them to keep track of who they have on campus.
  4. Once the class is complete, have an official transcript sent to Kalamazoo College so that we may also record the grade on your K transcript. This is not automatic; you must request the transcript be sent.

Interinstitutional Students from WMU or KVCC

The following outlines the Kalamazoo College process for WMU or KVCC students enrolling in interinstitutional courses with Kalamazoo (note: there may be additional steps required at your home institution):

  1. Fill out a guest student application to submit to Kalamazoo College no less than 30 days prior to the start of the term.
  2. Once your guest application is approved you will be sent information about your network access and directions for registering for courses. Registration for interinstitutional students begins at the beginning of our drop/add period each term.
  3. Once the term begins, Kalamazoo College will notify WMU or KVCC which students are taking classes with us through the interinstitutional agreement. You will not be registered for the course at WMU or KVCC.
  4. Once the class is complete, have an official transcript sent to your home institution. This transcript is free of charge if you let us know you are an interinstitutional student. However, it is not automatic; you must request the transcript be sent.