10 colleges in Michigan are members of the NAIA and other athletic conferences where you can apply for a degree program and play your favorite sports at the same time while on a scholarship. In this blog post, I have presented all of these NAIA schools in Michigan for you to quickly find the one that suits you best.
You love playing football, soccer, tennis, or any other sports and cannot wait to finish high school to fully pursue your dreams but there are pressures from your parents, schoolteachers, and principal to get a degree and now you seem confused about what to do.
Either pursue your sports dreams or get a degree as your parents have suggested because then you will become well-learned and can find a high-paying job when you graduate.
Maybe you have thought of doing them one after the other but that would be nearly impossible or very difficult. Because if you decide to get a degree first, your passion for sports may diminish along the line and you will also pass the sports age and that ends your dream to play sports.
And if you decide to play first and then get a degree later, you just might never have the chance to do so anymore, but then, these days many online colleges have made learning flexible even for the working class to get an accredited degree from the comfort of their home.
You can get an MBA degree online or if engineering is your calling, you can equally enroll in an online engineering degree program while playing soccer or swimming.
The good news is that you do not have to go for any of the options above because you can do both at the same time. That’s right, you can study for your degree and play sports at the same time.
Thanks to the NAIA that makes this possible. You might have heard or read about the NAIA before especially from our other posts on the NAIA colleges in Texas and NAIA institutions in Florida.
The NAIA stands for the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics. It is a collegiate athletics association for small colleges and universities in North America that oversees more than 77,000 student-athletes from over 250 colleges in the US and offers up to $800 million in scholarships annually.
And it turns out that there are some of these NAIA schools in Michigan which is why this post is set up to expose these schools to students in Michigan who want to become athletes while earning a degree.
Now, by applying to one of these NAIA colleges in Michigan as a student-athlete, you will get a scholarship worth up to $7,000 or higher and pursue two careers at the same time: sports and your degree.
This presents an opportunity for you to diversify your options when you graduate. You can keep playing sports, join the workforce with your degree, or set up a business.
Annually, the NAIA sponsors more than 15 different sports in men, women, and co-ed categories and conducts 22 championships that are aired on major US sports channels. This presents an opportunity for student-athletes to bring their talents to maximum capacity and catch the eye of big teams.
As an aspiring student-athlete, if you play any of the sports below whether male or female, you can go ahead to apply for one of the NAIA colleges in Michigan.
- Baseball
- Bowling
- Competitive cheer
- Competitive dance
- Cross country
- Football
- Lacrosse
- Golf
- Soccer
- Softball
- Swimming/diving
- Tennis
- Indoor track & field
- Outdoor track & field
- Volleyball
- Wrestling
- Beach volleyball
- Flag Football
The NAIA, as well as, the students and colleges involved live up to five core values which are integrity, respect, responsibilities, sportsmanship, and servant leadership.
How To Get Into NAIA Schools in Michigan
There are certain requirements that you must meet to get accepted into any of the NAIA colleges in Michigan. Still, first, you must have a track record of playing one of the sports listed above and be applying for a degree program at one of the NAIA schools, then go ahead to satisfy the others below:
- You must have completed high school or be accepted as a regular student in good standing at the enrolling institution.
- Meet two out of three entry-level academic requirements below:
- Test score: minimum score of 18 on the ACT or 860 on the SAT (critical reading & math section only); or
- Minimum overall high school GPA of 2.0 on a scale of 4.0; or
- Class rank – top 50% of high school graduating class.
- Must be making normal progress towards a bachelor’s degree
- Must be enrolled in at least 12 credit hours
- May only compete during four seasons
- May only compete during their first 10 semesters/15 quarters
- Must meet transfer eligibility requirements (if applicable)
- Complete NAIA official eligibility certificate and NAIA certificate of clearance to compete.
To learn more and apply, click here.
10 NAIA Schools in Michigan
Here are all the NAIA colleges and universities in Michigan that aspiring student-athletes can apply for.
- Aquinas College
- The University of Michigan – Dearborn
- Cleary University
- Spring Arbor University
- Concordia University
- Sienna Heights University
- Cornerstone University
- Rochester University
- Lawrence Technological University
- Madonna University
1. Aquinas College
On our first list of NAIA colleges in Michigan is Aquinas College also a member of the Wolverine-Hoosier Athletic Conference. The athletic team here is called Saints and they have won up to 859 student-athlete awards. Many varieties of sports are played here in men’s and women’s categories.
The sports are:
- Baseball
- Basketball
- Bowling
- Cross country
- Golf
- Indoor track and field
- Outdoor track and field
- Lacrosse
- Women’s volleyball
- Soccer
- Swimming/diving
- Tennis
- Volleyball
- Competitive cheer
- Competitive dance
- Softball (women only)
The ones noted as “women only” are only for women while the rest are played by both men and women.
2. The University of Michigan – Dearborn
The University of Michigan at Dearborn is a prestigious institution offering varieties of world-class degree programs ranging from medicine and arts to business and engineering. It is also a member of the NAIA universities in the country. Student-athletes can come here to earn a scholarship to play their favorite sports while studying for a degree program.
The university is also a member of the Wolverine-Hoosier Athletic Conference and the name of the athletic team is Wolverines which has won a total of 273 scholar-athlete awards. A wide variety of popular sports are played at the university in men’s and women’s categories. These sports are:
- Baseball (men only)
- Basketball
- Bowling
- Cross country
- Golf
- Lacrosse
- Soccer
- Softball (women only)
- Women’s volleyball
3. Cleary University
Cleary University is one of the NAIA universities in Michigan located in Howell and also a member of the Wolverine-Hoosier Athletic Conference. The institution has won 55 scholar-athlete awards and just like the other schools, there are varieties of sports you can play here whether as a man or woman.
The sports are:
- Baseball (men only)
- Bowling
- Cross country
- Golf
- Indoor track & field
- Outdoor track & field
- Soccer
- Wrestling (men only)
- Softball (women only)
You must be playing one of the sports above and apply for an academic degree program to be part of the Cougars.
4. Spring Arbor University
Spring Arbor University in the US state of Michigan is one of the NAIA schools in the country. It is a member of the Crossroad Leagues and has won 909 scholar-athlete awards. You can pursue a widely recognized degree in agricultural science, engineering, computer science, etc. at Spring Arbor University while pursuing your athletic passion.
There are various sports played here in both male and female categories and you have to be playing one of these sports, excel in your academics, and meet other requirements to be accepted into the school. All the sports played here are:
- Baseball (men only)
- Basketball
- Bowling
- Cross country
- Softball (women only)
- Golf
- Indoor track & field
- Outdoor track & field
- Soccer
- Tennis
- Competitive cheer
- Women’s volleyball
5. Concordia University
Concordia University is widely recognized among the best Christian universities in Michigan. It is part of the Concordia University System and is affiliated with the Lutheran Church-Missouri Synod. Its athletic team, the Cardinals, is known for its athletic record in the Ann Arbor region and other parts of Michigan having won up to 438 scholar-athletic awards.
Concordia University, Ann Arbor is one of the NAIA schools in Michigan and also a member of the Wolverine-Hoosier Athletic Conference. There are so many sports and other athletics in men, women, and coed categories here and you have to be playing one of them to be part of the Cardinals.
These sports are:
- Baseball (men only)
- Basketball
- Cross country
- Football (men only)
- Golf
- Indoor track & field
- Outdoor track & field
- Lacrosse
- Soccer
- Tennis
- Competitive cheer (co-ed)
- Competitive dance (co-ed)
- Women’s volleyball
- Softball (women only)
6. Sienna Heights University
Sienna Heights University is one of the NAIA schools in Michigan, it is located in Adrian and is also a member of the Wolverine-Hoosier Athletic Conference. It is a catholic-affiliated school offering varieties of academic degree programs and a strong athletic team known as Saints who have won up to 716 scholar-athlete awards.
Sports and athletics in men’s and women’s categories are:
- Baseball (men only)
- Basketball
- Bowling
- Cross country
- Football (men only)
- Golf
- Indoor track & field
- Lacrosse
- Outdoor track & field
- Soccer
- Volleyball
- Wrestling
- Competitive cheer
- Competitive dance
- Softball (women only)
7. Cornerstone University
Cornerstone University is one of the NAIA collegiates in Michigan and a member of the Wolverine-Hoosier Athletic Conference. The Golden Eagles, the team, have won up to 459 scholar-athlete awards. There are many sports and athletics here which are:
- Baseball (men only)
- Basketball
- Bowling
- Cross country
- Golf
- Indoor track & field
- Outdoor track & field
- Soccer
- Tennis
- Volleyball
- Wrestling
- Softball (women only)
8. Rochester University
Rochester University is one of the NAIA universities in Michigan and a member of the Wolverine-Hoosier Athletic Conference. It is a prestigious university where you can pursue an academic degree and an athletic career at the same time. The team here, the Warriors, has won a total of 287 scholar-athlete awards.
There are various sports and athletics here in men’s and women’s categories, and you have to play one of them and satisfy other academic entry requirements to be part of the Warriors. The sports are:
- Baseball (men only)
- Basketball
- Bowling
- Cross country
- Golf
- Indoor track & field
- Outdoor track & field
- Soccer
- Competitive cheer
- Volleyball (women only)
- Wrestling
- Softball (women only)
9. Lawrence Technological University
This is a private university in Southfield, Michigan, and one of the NAIA universities in the state. It is also a member of the Wolverine-Hoosier Athletic Conference. The team, Blue Devils, has won 406 scholar-athlete awards. The sports and athletics here for aspiring student-athletes are:
- Basketball
- Baseball (men only)
- Bowling
- Cross country
- Golf
- Football (men only)
- Indoor track & field
- Outdoor track & field
- Soccer
- Tennis
- Volleyball
- Wrestling
- Softball (women only)
- Competitive dance
- Lacrosse
10. Madonna University
The last NAIA university in Michigan is Madonna University, a Roman Catholic university located in Livonia and also part of the Wolverine-Hoosier Athletic Conference. The team, the Crusaders, has won 469 scholar-athlete awards. There are varieties of sports and athletics ranging from golf and football to basketball and volleyball in men’s and women’s categories.
These are all 10 NAIA colleges and universities in Michigan that you can apply for as an aspiring student-athlete and I hope they can help you achieve your dreams.