Hillsdale College

What Hillsdale College does

Hillsdale College is a private liberal arts college in Hillsdale, Michigan. It was founded in 1844 and enrolls about 1,400 students on a campus of nearly 400 acres. The college says its educational mission rests on two principles, academic excellence and institutional independence, and its donation page describes a classical liberal arts curriculum.

Independence from government money is central to how it operates. Hillsdale states that it "does not accept federal or state taxpayer subsidies for any of its operations," and its donation page says this extends to indirect aid such as student grants and loans. The college says private donations make its programs possible. Beyond the campus, it offers free online courses open to anyone. They include Constitution 101: The Meaning and History of the Constitution, and others on the American Revolution, Homer's Iliad and Odyssey, classical logic and rhetoric, and C.S. Lewis. The courses were first offered in 2011 and passed one million enrollments by 2015. It also publishes Imprimis, a free monthly digest of speeches first published in 1972, which the college says has more than six million subscribers.

Charity Navigator rates Hillsdale three out of four stars. Gifts are tax-deductible (EIN 38-1374230). ProPublica's IRS data show about $424 million in revenue for the fiscal year ending June 2025.

Key facts

• Founded in 1844; about 1,400 students on a nearly 400-acre campus in southern Michigan (Hillsdale About page)
• States that it "does not accept federal or state taxpayer subsidies for any of its operations"; its donation page adds that this includes indirect aid such as student grants or loans
• Offers free online courses, including Constitution 101: The Meaning and History of the Constitution. First offered in 2011, they passed 1 million enrollments by April 2015 (Hillsdale press release)
• Publishes Imprimis, a free monthly speech digest first published in 1972, which it says has over six million subscribers

Before you give

• Besides the online form, the Ways to Give page accepts checks by mail (Attn: Institutional Advancement, Hillsdale College, 33 E College Street, Hillsdale, MI 49242). It also lists stock transfers, IRA charitable rollovers, bequests and other planned gifts, matching gifts and donor-advised fund gifts.
• Several separate Hillsdale-named charities appear on ProPublica, including the Hillsdale College Independence Foundation (EIN 38-3491675) and the Hillsdale College Preparatory School System (San Juan, PR). The college itself is EIN 38-1374230, so check the EIN when giving through a donor-advised fund.