The university’s key messages are derived from Grand Valley’s mission, vision, and values, as well as research with the university’s constituency groups. Using these key messages and proof points in your written and verbal communications also helps advance the Laker Effect, the collective impact of the Grand Valley community on individual students, West Michigan, our state, and beyond.
Grand Valley students don’t just learn skills; they learn how to
think for a lifetime. Graduates leave Grand Valley’s campuses with
experiences that prepare them well for success in life, on the job,
and in the community.
The middle 50 percent of the Fall 2023 freshmen class earned high
school GPAs from 3.1 to 3.91, Composite ACT scores of 21 to 28, and
SAT scores of 950 to 1180.
Grand Valley’s liberal education foundation spans all 102
undergraduate and 45 graduate programs, integrating disciplines so
students connect topics and view the world from a broad perspective
— better equipping them to make both personal and civic
decisions.
Our liberal education, whether through foundation courses or the
liberal studies major, allows personalization through electives,
clubs, and events — ensuring every student receives the education
that prepares them for success.
Grand Valley offers opportunities for undergraduate students to
collaborate with faculty members on research projects that are only
available to graduate students at other schools.
At Grand Valley, learning takes place outside the classroom, as
well as inside. More than 5,250 students participated in
internships, co-ops, practica, and student teaching in 2022-2023.
Inclusion is a university value, a part of the culture, and a
cornerstone of the curriculum. Grand Valley has many offices,
centers, and student organizations dedicated to meeting the needs of
a diverse university. During the 2024-2025 academic year,
625 international students representing 77 different countries
enrolled at Grand Valley.
Grand Valley’s graduation rate is consistently in the top tier of
state public universities and currently ranks fourth.
The Graduate School at Grand Valley provides leadership and
support for graduate education. The office offers programming and
advising to assist masters and doctoral students, oversees graduate
assistantships, and works with all 45 of Grand Valley’s graduate
programs.
Grand Valley students and alumni secured awards in international
competitions worth more than $5 million thanks to help from the
Meijer Office of Fellowships in the Frederik Meijer Honors
College.
The Peter C. Cook Leadership Academy at the Hauenstein Center for
Presidential Studies inspires potential leaders to serve their
community, state, and nation. Each year 60+ students take part in
the cocurricular and crossdisciplinary program that provides them
opportunities to expand their horizons and engage the community.
Grand Valley continually sets new standards for excellence in how
facilities are used to promote academic achievement.
A synergistic health campus is taking shape along Grand Rapids’
Medical Mile, anchored by the Cook-DeVos Center for Health Sciences.
Raleigh J. Finkelstein Hall opened in May 2018. The five-story,
84,000-square-foot building will help meet increasing student
interest as well as demand for health care professionals. The Daniel
and Pamella DeVos Center for Interprofessional Health (DCIH) opened
May 2021, and includes one of the largest interprofessional,
comprehensive, state-of-the-art simulation centers in Michigan.
Highlights include electronic 3D modeling and imaging of the body
and its organs, plastinated specimens, a virtual anatomy table and
classrooms with interactive walls and floors.
A 47,000-square-foot addition to the Thomas J. and Marcia J. Haas
Center for Performing Arts is part of an extensive expansion and
renovation project to meet the needs of the university’s growing
arts programs. The two-story addition includes the Linn Maxwell
Keller Black Box Theatre as well as more classrooms, music ensemble
rooms, and enlarged study space. The improvements complement the
existing Louis Armstrong Theatre and the university’s art
gallery.
The P. Douglas Kindschi Hall of Science opened in August 2015 on
the Allendale Campus. With four stories and 151,000 square feet, the
building helps attract and educate talented students in the STEM
(science, technology, engineering, and mathematics) and health
professions fields. Of Grand Valley’s 96 undergraduate programs and
45 graduate programs, more than 100 touch on the STEM and health
professions in some way.
The Mary Idema Pew Library Learning and Information Commons on the
Allendale Campus is the intellectual heart of the university and is
nationally recognized as a model for 21st-century learning. It
features a knowledge market with peer experts to provide research,
writing, technology, and presentation coaching, as well as a
capacity for 150,000 books on open shelves and 600,000 library items
in an automated retrieval system. GVSU's four libraries contain
400,000+ physical titles, 1,500,000+ e-book titles, and 100,000+
e-journals in addition to access to over 300 databases and 300,000+
streaming media files.
The field station building at Grand Valley’s Robert B. Annis Water
Resources Institute in Muskegon offers space for year-round
research, encouraging better science and better solutions to the
issues facing our freshwater resources.
Construction projects in 2022 pumped more than $37 million into
Kent, Ottawa, Musekgon, and Wayne counties; These projects supported
717 trade and construction jobs.
Grand Valley’s commitment to sustainability and the environment is
evident in meeting LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental
Design) specifications in all new construction projects.
West Michigan is a great place to live, and Grand Valley helps drive
our region’s and entire state’s economic growth. Grand Valley students
and alumni have unique opportunities to learn and work in
up-and-coming industries because Grand Valley is involved in advancing
those new industries. This is a result of a curriculum that is
relevant and adaptable to the current and future needs of West
Michigan, the state, and beyond.
Students from every county in Michigan choose Grand Valley — the
top six counties of origin for incoming freshmen are Kent, Oakland,
Ottawa, Wayne, Macomb, and Muskegon.
Students come to Grand Valley from across the country and around
the world — in the 2024-2025 academic year, Grand Valley enrolled
625 students from 77 different countries.
Grand Valley campuses: Allendale, Grand Rapids - Health, Grand
Rapids - Pew, and Holland; regional centers in Detroit, Muskegon,
Battle Creek, and Traverse City. Being located on Michigan’s West
Coast, students are close to the sandy beaches of Lake Michigan, the
cultural opportunities of Grand Rapids, and only a few hours from
the major metropolitan opportunities of Detroit and Chicago.
The Robert C. Pew Grand Rapids Campus and the growing Health
Campus are located in the heart of Michigan’s second largest city,
close to internship, employment, and community outreach
programs.
Top employers of Grand Valley graduates include well-known West
Michigan companies such as Amway Corp., BDO USA LLP, Gentex Corp.,
Haworth Inc., Herman Miller Inc., Meijer Inc., Perrigo Co., Spectrum
Health/Priority Health, Steelcase Inc., and Gordon Food Service.
The free Campus Connector shuttle links students, faculty members,
and staff members to the entire Grand Rapids transit system reducing
the number of cars on the road. The 2022-2023 partnership with the
Rapid resulted in 1,048,017 rides with 8,829,530 vehicle miles saved.
Excellent academic credentials, unparalleled dedication, and active
engagement in their scholarship and disciplines make for energized,
accessible, and responsive faculty members.
Ninety-four percent of regular faculty members have earned their
doctorate or other terminal degree.
Outstanding faculty members teach the majority of classes and
inspire learning and self-discovery. An average class size of 24
students and a student-to-faculty ratio of 15:1 ensure a more
personal classroom experience.
Grand Valley faculty members love to teach and believe research
mentoring is an important teaching method. Through active, engaged
scholarship in student-directed research projects, they inspire
students’ passions for learning, self-discovery, and incorporating
academics with professional work.
During the 2024-2025 academic year, Grand Valley employed 1,180
full- and part-time faculty members. Grand Valley’s part-time
faculty members bring invaluable industry experience and real-world
learning to the classroom and provide career connections and
opportunities.
Grand Valley was named a Fulbright Top Producing Institution for
the number of faculty members who teach and conduct research
overseas. More than 55 Grand Valley faculty and staff members have
earned Fulbright awards since 1964.
Grand Valley costs less than most other Michigan public universities
and has been named one of America’s 100 Best College Buys for 25 years
in a row.
Of all the 2022 graduates who graduated in four years or fewer, 40
percent had no debt.
Grand Valley provides high-quality education opportunities at an
affordable tuition rate, with rates lower than Michigan State,
Michigan Tech, Wayne State and Ferris.
In the 2022-23 academic year, more than 22,600 Grand Valley
students received more than $289 million in total financial aid.
Grand Valley’s liberal education focus emphasizes critical
thinking, creative problem solving, and cultural understanding —
preparing students for life in a fast-changing world. Accordingly,
97 percent of recent Grand Valley graduates are successfully
employed or pursuing advanced degrees. Of those working, 86 percent
are employed in Michigan.
Through basic and applied research, artistic expression and
performance, and other forms of scholarship, GVSU faculty members
not only contribute to the development and application of knowledge
while creating a dynamic environment for learning, but also
contribute to the economic progress of the region that they
serve.
Construction projects in 2022 pumped more than $37 million into
Kent, Ottawa, Muskegon, and Wayne counties; These projects supported
717 trade and construction jobs.