Awards and Recognitions

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Grand Valley is considered to be among the best universities in the nation.

Academic Excellence

One of the best National Universities: Grand Valley is listed among the best universities in the nation.
A Top Public School: Grand Valley is one of the best public schools in the nation for 2025.
Meeting learners where they are: Grand Valley's online undergraduate business program is ranked #55 nationwide.
Increasing social mobility: Grand Valley was recognized for its graduates' successes and named one of the Top Performers on Social Mobility.
Preparing undergraduates for the future: four GVSU undergraduate programs ranked among the best in the nation: Economics, Education, Engineering, and Nursing.
Next level professionals: four Grand Valley graduate programs are ranked among the best in the nation: Occupational Therapy, Physical Therapy, Public Affairs, and Physician Assistant.

Grand Valley is, according to The Princeton Review, one of the "Best Colleges in the Midwest" for 2026.

Niche.com listed Grand Valley as one of the Top Public Universities in America for 2026.
Niche.com also includes Grand Valley in their lists of:
- Best Academics
- Best Big Colleges
- Best Professors
- Best Test Optional
- Best Location

College Factual named GVSU one of the nation's best bachelor's degree colleges with 34 top-ranked majors, including criminal justice, education, health professions, and social work.

The Wall Street Journal/College Pulse named Grand Valley as one of the Best Colleges in the United States for 2026.

The American Council on Education and the Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching named Grand Valley a 2026 Carnegie Elective Classification for Community Engagement institution, based on GV's commitment to deepening partnerships, leveraging community assets, and addressing urgent societal challenges.

Grand Valley's teams have celebrated 32 NCAA Division II national championship wins, with 24 coming from our women's teams.
In recognition of offering the best NCAA Division II athletic program in the nation, Grand Valley was awarded the 2024-2025 Learfield Directors’ Cup. GVSU has earned this honor 17 times, a Division II record.
For the 26th consecutive year, Grand Valley took home the 2024-2025 Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (GLIAC) President's Cup Trophy. This marked the 31st in school history.

Niche.com named Grand Valley one of the "Best Value Colleges in America" in 2026.
Money Magazine named GVSU one of the "Best Colleges in America".
Washington Monthly considers Grand Valley a 2025 "Best Bang for the Buck" among schools in the Midwest and shows GVSU is number one in the nation at retaining graduates in the state.
Metro Parent says GVSU is one of the "Best Value Colleges in Michigan".
Scholarship360 selected Grand Valley as one of the 2025 Top Colleges for Affordability.

A Top Degree Producer: Named to Diverse: Issues in Higher Education's list of Top 100 Degree Producer Schools that confer the most degrees to minority students.
Commitment to Service: Excelencia in Education re-certified GVSU's Seal of Excelencia through 2028 as an Intentionally Thriving Institution.
Starting New Traditions: GVSU was recognized nationally by National Association of Student Personnel Administrators (NASPA) and the Suder Foundation for its support of first-generation students.
A Place for Everyone: Advancing Indigenous People in STEM named Grand Valley among the top colleges for Indigenous students in their Winds of Change college issue.
Opportunities Abound in Athletics: The Grand Valley Athletics Department was honored with the 2023 NCAA/MOAA Award for Diversity and Inclusion, highlighting the department's intentionality and student-led/student-centered programming.

Grand Valley was honored by the National Wildlife Federation in their NWF GameDay Football Zero Waste Touchdown Challenge for working to reduce landfill-bound trash. GVSU was the only Division II program recognized nationally.
A stand-out leader in sustainability: The Association for the Advancement of Sustainability in Higher Education (AASHE) awarded Grand Valley gold status for its sustainability practices and performance as part of their Sustainable Campus Index.
Continued momentum: For the 16th consecutive year, The Princeton Review recognized Grand Valley as one of the country's Top 50 Green Colleges, ranked #13 nationally.

Grand Valley State University was named a “Best for Vets” college by the national news outlet Military Times, ranking #11 overall in the nation.
For the 11th consecutive year, the Michigan Veteran Affairs Agency awarded GV gold status on its list of Michigan's Veteran-Friendly Schools. In addition, GVSU was presented with the agency's 2024 MVAA Innovator Award for "demonstrated exceptional dedication to empowering those who have served our country."
Grand Valley was awarded Military/Veteran Friendly silver status for the 2025-2026 school year from MilitaryFriendly.com.

CollegeChoice ranks Grand Valley at #14 on their list of the safest large colleges and universities in the nation.
The Grand Valley Police Department is accredited by the Commission on Accreditation for Law Enforcement Agencies (CALEA®), which is considered the gold standard for public safety accreditation. It is also the only university police department accredited by CALEA® in the state of Michigan.

Grand Rapids ranks #1 in the nation on LinkedIn's 2025 "Cities on the Rise" list.
WalletHub cites Grand Rapids as one of the best-run cities in America, ranking it #1 in the state of Michigan. WalletHub also says it's the best area to get a job and to start a career.
Best Place to Live in the U.S. - U.S. News & World Report, 2024
Best Cities for Young Professionals, Best Cities to Buy a House - niche.com
U.S. Cities with Best Quality of Life - Business Insider

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Page last modified January 13, 2026