College · Private nonprofit · Grand Rapids, MI · City
Calvin University
Grand Rapids, MI
Religious affiliation
Admit rate71%
6-yr median pay$48k
Net price / yr$23k
Undergrad size3,193
§ I · The real read
What it's actually like.
The bet
Net price of $23k/yr for a shot at a $48k first-5-year salary. Math out whether that works for you — it does for some people, not for others.
Getting in
Admit rate of 71% means this is workable if your grades and essays are solid. Admitted students average SAT 1233 · ACT 27.
If you get in
3,193 undergrads. Small. You will know your cohort.
Where you live
City campus — public transit, off-campus food, weekends happen nearby.
§ II · Cost & aid
Sticker vs. real.
Sticker cost of attendance is $54k/yr. After need-based aid, the average student pays $23k/yr. Merit aid varies. Run your EFC calculator before you rule anything out.
Sticker · 4 yrs$217k
Before any aid.
Net · 4 yrs$92k
What the average student pays.
Typical aid$125k
Difference over 4 years — higher for lower-income households.
Payback1.9x
4-yr net price ÷ first-5-year salary. Lower is better.
Where the money goes · annual sticker.
- Tuition · in-state
- $39.4k
- Room & board
- $12.1k
- Books & supplies
- $1,000
How students pay for it.
Pell grants17%
Share of undergrads on federal Pell grants.
Federal loans33%
Share taking out federal student loans.
Median debt · grads$23k
What the median student owes at graduation. Non-completers: $10k.
3-yr default0%
Low — grads tend to pay on time.
§ III · Outcomes
Do people finish? Do they land?
Graduation · 6 yr74%
Majority finish.
6-yr median pay$48k
Cross-major. Your major's number can be very different.
10-yr median pay$58k
Ten years out — where grads tend to land career-wise.
Transfer out16%
Share of full-time students who transfer to another school.
§ IV · Campus & identity
Setting, size, and who this school is.
- Setting
- City
- Control
- Private nonprofit
- Undergrad size
- 3,193
- Location
- Grand Rapids, MI
- Region
- Great Lakes (IL, IN, MI, OH, WI)
- Carnegie class
- Master's Colleges & Universities: Smaller Programs
- Size & setting
- Four-year · medium · highly residential
- Undergrad program
- Four-year · full-time, selective, lower transfer-in
- Accreditor
- Higher Learning Commission
- Also known as
- Calvin
Identity
Religious affiliation
§ · Who studies here
The student body at a glance.
- White68%
- International15%
- Black5%
- Hispanic4%
- Asian4%
- Two or more races3%
- Unknown1%
First-gen students13%
Share whose parents didn't complete college.
Part-time6%
Mostly a full-time student body.
Median family income$82k
Of enrolled students' households — useful for aid context.
§ V · Majors offered here · 64
What you can study.