Colleges / Grand Valley State University
College · Public · Allendale, MI · Town
GVS

Grand Valley State University

Allendale, MI

Address1 Campus Dr, Allendale, MI 49401-9403
Websitewww.gvsu.edu
Price calculatorRun your numbers →
Admit rate83%
6-yr median pay$48k
Net price / yr$16k
Undergrad size18,854
§ I · The real read

What it's actually like.

The bet

Net price of $16k/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 83% means this is workable if your grades and essays are solid. Admitted students average SAT 1074.

If you get in

18,854 undergrads. Medium. Clubs matter for finding your people.

Where you live

Town setting — self-contained, social life mostly on campus.

§ II · Cost & aid

Sticker vs. real.

Sticker cost of attendance is $28k/yr. After need-based aid, the average student pays $16k/yr. Merit aid varies. Run your EFC calculator before you rule anything out.

Sticker · 4 yrs$113k
Before any aid.
Net · 4 yrs$65k
What the average student pays.
Typical aid$48k
Difference over 4 years — higher for lower-income households.
Payback1.4x
4-yr net price ÷ first-5-year salary. Lower is better.

Where the money goes · annual sticker.

Tuition · in-state
$15.1k
Tuition · out-of-state
$21.5k
Room & board
$11.6k
Books & supplies
$800

How students pay for it.

Pell grants29%
Share of undergrads on federal Pell grants.
Federal loans50%
Share taking out federal student loans.
Median debt · grads$25k
What the median student owes at graduation. Non-completers: $11k.
3-yr default0%
Low — grads tend to pay on time.
§ III · Outcomes

Do people finish? Do they land?

1-yr retention77%
Watch this number.
Graduation · 6 yr67%
Majority finish.
6-yr median pay$48k
Cross-major. Your major's number can be very different.
10-yr median pay$56k
Ten years out — where grads tend to land career-wise.
Transfer out14%
Share of full-time students who transfer to another school.
§ IV · Campus & identity

Setting, size, and who this school is.

Setting
Town
Control
Public
Undergrad size
18,854
Location
Allendale, MI
Region
Great Lakes (IL, IN, MI, OH, WI)
Carnegie class
Doctoral/Professional Universities
Size & setting
Four-year · large · primarily residential
Undergrad program
Four-year · full-time, inclusive, higher transfer-in
Accreditor
Higher Learning Commission
Also known as
Grand Valley · GVSU · Grand Valley State
§ · Who studies here

The student body at a glance.

  • White75%
  • Hispanic9%
  • Black8%
  • Two or more races4%
  • Asian3%
  • International1%
  • Unknown1%
First-gen students27%
Share whose parents didn't complete college.
Part-time9%
Mostly a full-time student body.
Veterans0%
Share using veteran education benefits.
Median family income$64k
Of enrolled students' households — useful for aid context.
§ V · Majors offered here · 83

What you can study.

Colleges / Grand Valley State University
College · Public · Allendale, MI · Town
GVS

Grand Valley State University

Allendale, MI

Address1 Campus Dr, Allendale, MI 49401-9403
Websitewww.gvsu.edu
Price calculatorRun your numbers →
Admit rate83%
6-yr median pay$48k
Net price / yr$16k
Undergrad size18,854
§ I · The real read

What it's actually like.

The bet

Net price of $16k/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 83% means this is workable if your grades and essays are solid. Admitted students average SAT 1074.

If you get in

18,854 undergrads. Medium. Clubs matter for finding your people.

Where you live

Town setting — self-contained, social life mostly on campus.

§ II · Cost & aid

Sticker vs. real.

Sticker cost of attendance is $28k/yr. After need-based aid, the average student pays $16k/yr. Merit aid varies. Run your EFC calculator before you rule anything out.

Sticker · 4 yrs$113k
Before any aid.
Net · 4 yrs$65k
What the average student pays.
Typical aid$48k
Difference over 4 years — higher for lower-income households.
Payback1.4x
4-yr net price ÷ first-5-year salary. Lower is better.

Where the money goes · annual sticker.

Tuition · in-state
$15.1k
Tuition · out-of-state
$21.5k
Room & board
$11.6k
Books & supplies
$800

How students pay for it.

Pell grants29%
Share of undergrads on federal Pell grants.
Federal loans50%
Share taking out federal student loans.
Median debt · grads$25k
What the median student owes at graduation. Non-completers: $11k.
3-yr default0%
Low — grads tend to pay on time.
§ III · Outcomes

Do people finish? Do they land?

1-yr retention77%
Watch this number.
Graduation · 6 yr67%
Majority finish.
6-yr median pay$48k
Cross-major. Your major's number can be very different.
10-yr median pay$56k
Ten years out — where grads tend to land career-wise.
Transfer out14%
Share of full-time students who transfer to another school.
§ IV · Campus & identity

Setting, size, and who this school is.

Setting
Town
Control
Public
Undergrad size
18,854
Location
Allendale, MI
Region
Great Lakes (IL, IN, MI, OH, WI)
Carnegie class
Doctoral/Professional Universities
Size & setting
Four-year · large · primarily residential
Undergrad program
Four-year · full-time, inclusive, higher transfer-in
Accreditor
Higher Learning Commission
Also known as
Grand Valley · GVSU · Grand Valley State
§ · Who studies here

The student body at a glance.

  • White75%
  • Hispanic9%
  • Black8%
  • Two or more races4%
  • Asian3%
  • International1%
  • Unknown1%
First-gen students27%
Share whose parents didn't complete college.
Part-time9%
Mostly a full-time student body.
Veterans0%
Share using veteran education benefits.
Median family income$64k
Of enrolled students' households — useful for aid context.
§ V · Majors offered here · 83

What you can study.