Overview
Grand Valley State University Overview
Grand Valley State University is a comprehensive, four-year public institution that has established a reputation for preparing its more than 24,000 students to excel in virtually every field. This Michigan university focuses on individual student achievement, creating unique undergraduate and graduate learning opportunities that attract top students from across the country and around the world.
Grand Valley State's liberal education focus emphasizes critical thinking, creative problem solving, and cultural understanding -- preparing students for life in a fast-changing world. It also fosters a commitment to economic, social, and environmental sustainability and an inclusive campus that values diversity. Through this forward-thinking education, students are empowered to positively affect the global community now and in the future.
Grand Valley State University Campus
Grand Valley State University's main campus in suburban Allendale, Michigan, is nestled among 1,280 acres of open green spaces and wooded ravines. The campus is home to modern classrooms and labs, some of the newest and most inviting living centers in Michigan, outstanding fitness and sports facilities, a comprehensive library, and much more.
More than 5,000 students live on this Grand Valley's campus in traditional, suite-style, and apartment-style living centers on the Allendale and Grand Rapids campuses. Freshmen are not required to live on campus though it is strongly encouraged.
Just 15 miles east, in the heart of Michigan's second largest city, the 38-acre Robert C. Pew Grand Rapids Campus offers a dynamic urban academic setting. The Pew Campus features the Cook-DeVos Center for Health Sciences, which has made Grand Valley a catalyst for unique health care partnerships and joint ventures that put students in the heart of unique learning experiences in Grand Rapids' Health Hill.
In addition, the L.V. Eberhard Center, John C. Kennedy Hall of Engineering, Fred M. Keller Engineering Laboratories, and Richard M. DeVos Center put students closer to employment, internships, and community outreach programs.
The Allendale and Grand Rapids campuses are connected by a free shuttle service. Grand Valley also has a full-service campus in Holland, and centers in Muskegon and Traverse City.
Grand Valley State University Academic Programs
Grand Valley State has more than 200 areas of study and offers bachelor's, post-bachelor's, certificate, master's, and doctorate degrees in 77 undergraduate and 28 graduate programs.
The most popular majors at this Michigan university include liberal arts; biology, chemistry, and biomedical health professions; business, management, marketing, and related support services; and education. More than 5,000 students are enrolled in health sciences courses, making Grand Valley State University Michigan's number one provider of health care professionals.
The Frederik Meijer Honors College offers a distinctive learning community and extraordinary opportunities for academically motivated students.
Grand Valley State is ranked 10th among U.S. master's degree-granting institutions for the total number of study abroad students. About 600 students study abroad through the school's Barbara H. Padnos International Center each year.
Grand Valley State University Extracurricular Activities
Grand Valley State University has nearly 300 registered student organizations that help ensure a rich and fulfilling campus experience.
Grand Valley has earned the Director's Cup for being the best NCAA Division II athletic program in the country for each of the past six years. In all, the Lakers compete in 19 collegiate sports. Students cheer them on for free at all home contests.
Grand Valley State University Financial Aid and Rankings
In the 2008-2009 academic year, Grand Valley State University students received more than $200 million in total financial aid, with more than $55 million in the form of scholarships and grant assistance. In the same year more than 78 percent of students received financial aid.
Grand Valley State has been named one of "America's Best Colleges" by U.S. News and World Report for three years in a row. It also tied for first place, Best Universities - Master's category, in U.S. News and World Report's review of "Up-and-Coming Schools" in the Midwest.
In addition, Grand Valley is one of The Princeton Review's "Best in the Midwest" 2009 and has been named one of America's "100 Best College Buys" 13 years in a row. Grand Valley State is the only Michigan university to be named one of the nation's 25 "cutting-edge" green colleges, in the Kaplan's College Guide 2009.
More than 98 percent of Grand Valley alumni are successfully employed or pursuing advanced degrees. In 2008-2009, more than 6,100 students at the university gained real-world work experience through internships, practica, and student teaching.
