GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. -- Grand Valley State University will again provide record support for financial aid and remain among Michigan’s best higher education values in the coming academic year.
The university’s Board of Trustees approved a plan that will commit 21.3% of its tuition revenue — more than $81 million — to financial aid.
“Over the past several years, we’ve made intentional progress in bringing down the total cost of attendance,” said B. Donta Truss, vice president of Enrollment Development and College Futures. “Our students today pay less, on average, than their peers across the state, and we’ve reduced net price for incoming students by nearly $2,800 over five years. At the same time, we’ve increased our investment in financial aid by 25%, expanded support through programs like the GV Pledge, merit scholarships, and need based aid and — importantly — seen fewer students graduate with debt, and those who do carry less of it.”
The comments came as the university Board again became one of the first in the state to adopt its tuition and fee schedule for the coming year, providing students, parents and other supporters withclarity about the cost of attending GVSU.
The average amount of institutional financial aid per student is expected to be close to $6,000 in the year ahead, up from $3,600 in 2017.
The Board of Trustees approved a 4% increase in tuition that reflects what is expected to be flat support from the state and a small growth in enrollment. Room and board are expected to increase by 2.8%. GVSU is among the first to set its 2026-27 tuition rate to afford families full opportunity to plan for college costs.
“Our university is on solid financial ground thanks to the hard work of our leaders and a strategy focused on investing in our students,” said Board Chair Elizabeth Emmitt. “Grand Valley remains one of the best values in higher education and contributes more than $3 billion annually to Michigan’s economy despite per-student funding that is among the lowest in Michigan. We continue to call on the state legislature to realize and recognize the potential impact a fair per-student increase in funding could mean for our state.”
