Grand Valley State University: A Parent's Guide to Admissions, Cost & Outcomes
Grand Rapids, Michigan · Private nonprofit · Open access · CDS 2024-2025
Grand Valley State University is a private nonprofit university in Grand Rapids, Michigan that admits about 97% of applicants, making it a open access school. The average family pays about $19,988 a year after financial aid, which matters more than the published sticker price. It is best known for Business Administration, Management and Operations, Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing and Accounting and Related Services, its largest undergraduate programs by number of graduates. Its most recent Clery Act report shows roughly 2.9 criminal offenses per 1,000 students.
Grand Valley State University is a private institution located in Grand Rapids, Michigan. For the most recent reporting cycle, Grand Valley State University admits the majority of qualified applicants, with an overall admission rate of 97%. The average net price after grants and scholarships is $19,988 per year, which is the figure most families actually pay rather than the published sticker price. For parents weighing whether Grand Valley State University is realistic for their teenager, the most useful planning step is comparing your child's current GPA and most recent SAT or ACT against these admitted-student ranges — not the headline acceptance rate alone.
What GPA does my child need for Grand Valley State University?
Grand Valley State University has a broadly accessible admissions profile, and most students who complete a standard college-prep curriculum with a 3.0 GPA or higher are competitive for admission. Parents tracking their child's GPA toward this tier of school can use Solyo's free calculator to see weighted, unweighted, and college-recalculated numbers side by side.
SAT and ACT scores Grand Valley State University typically admits
Many applicants to schools in this tier submit test scores, though the policy varies by year — check the latest test-optional status before deciding.
How much does Grand Valley State University actually cost?
Published tuition is $23,324 for in-state students and $23,324 for out-of-state, before grants and scholarships. Room and board adds roughly $11,366 annually. After need-based and merit aid, the average family pays a net price of $19,988 per year — the number that actually matters for budgeting. Roughly 30% of students receive Pell Grants, a useful indicator of how much need-based aid the school distributes.
| Average net price (after aid) | $19,988 |
Application deadlines and early decision data for Grand Valley State University
Most popular majors at Grand Valley State University
The most popular undergraduate programs at Grand Valley State University, measured by the number of students who actually graduate each year, are Business Administration, Management and Operations, Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing and Accounting and Related Services. Across all programs, Grand Valley State University confers roughly 752 bachelor's degrees a year. Graduates of its Business Administration, Management and Operations program report a median income of about $69,844 five years after entering college. Major popularity is a practical signal of where a school concentrates its teaching strength and where your child will find the deepest course offerings and peer community.
| Major | Graduates / year | Median earnings (5 yrs out) |
|---|---|---|
| Business Administration, Management and Operations | 209 | $69,844 |
| Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing | 184 | $73,031 |
| Accounting and Related Services | 101 | $66,484 |
| Marketing | 61 | $57,634 |
| Health and Medical Administrative Services | 59 | $51,509 |
| Computer/Information Technology Administration and Management | 57 | $79,018 |
| Computer Science | 47 | — |
| Human Resources Management and Services | 34 | $64,790 |
Is Grand Valley State University safe? Campus crime & safety
In its most recent Clery Act report (2024), Grand Valley State University disclosed 9 total criminal offenses across its campus and surrounding public property, about 2.9 per 1,000 students. That figure includes 3 violent offenses and 1 reported sexual assaults or VAWA offenses. Per-1,000-student rates matter more than raw counts when comparing schools, because larger universities mechanically report more incidents. Under the federal Clery Act, every college that receives federal aid must publish these numbers annually.
Other colleges in Michigan parents ask about
How parents track GPA toward selective schools like Grand Valley State University
Solyo helps parents track grades pulled directly from school emails, calculate GPA the same way colleges like Grand Valley State University recalculate it, and ask an AI college counselor specific questions about their teen's odds. The platform is built for parents — not students — and turns what's usually a fragmented planning process into a single dashboard.
Common questions parents ask about Grand Valley State University
What GPA do I need for Grand Valley State University?
Grand Valley State University has a broadly accessible admissions profile, and most students who complete a standard college-prep curriculum with a 3.0 GPA or higher are competitive for admission.
What SAT or ACT score does Grand Valley State University typically admit?
Grand Valley State University does not publish standardized test ranges in the most recent reporting cycle. Test-optional policies have made scores less universally required, but submitting strong scores still helps when available.
How much does Grand Valley State University actually cost after financial aid?
The average net price at Grand Valley State University after grants and scholarships is $19,988 per year. That figure is more useful for budgeting than the published sticker price, because it reflects what families actually pay after aid is applied.
Is Grand Valley State University realistic for my child?
Compare your teen's current unweighted GPA and most recent SAT or ACT against the ranges above. If both numbers fall inside the school's middle-50, Grand Valley State University is a target school. If both fall below the 25th-percentile mark, treat it as a reach and balance the application list accordingly.
What is the acceptance rate at Grand Valley State University?
Grand Valley State University accepts about 97% of applicants. It admits the majority of qualified applicants.
Is Grand Valley State University a public or private school, and where is it located?
Grand Valley State University is a private nonprofit institution located in Grand Rapids, Michigan.
What are the most popular majors at Grand Valley State University?
The largest undergraduate majors at Grand Valley State University by annual graduates are Business Administration, Management and Operations, Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing and Accounting and Related Services. The school awards about 752 bachelor's degrees a year in total. These figures come from federal IPEDS completion data.
Is Grand Valley State University safe? What is its campus crime rate?
Grand Valley State University reported 9 total criminal offenses in its most recent Clery Act disclosure (2024), roughly 2.9 per 1,000 students. Compare the per-1,000 rate rather than the raw total, since larger schools report more incidents.
Data sourced from the 2024-2025 Common Data Set submitted by Grand Valley State University, the U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard and IPEDS, and Clery Act campus safety disclosures. Solyo extracts admissions data from official Common Data Set publications and refreshes it annually.