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Calvin College

Calvin College

Calvin College, founded in 1876, is a comprehensive Christian liberal arts college. It is an institution of higher learning of the Christian Reformed Church, and was named in honor of the 16th century Protestant Reformer, John Calvin. Located in Grand Rapids, Michigan, the college offers enrollment to more than 4,000 students every year. The campus covers 390 acres of land.

Calvin College offers more than 100 academic options to choose from. Students can enroll for majors or minors in areas of study such as accounting, music, education, engineering, business, arts, sciences, nursing, mathematics and statistics, computer science, dance, medieval studies, international relations, and writing.

Calvin College’s athletics department fields a large number of collegiate sports teams that are known as the Knights. The Knights participate in basketball, cross country, swimming & diving, golf, soccer, tennis, volleyball, track & field, lacrosse, and ice hockey. The teams have won a number of national championships over the years.

Overview of Calvin College

Calvin is located in Grand Rapids, MI (a medium-sized city). The school is a Christian Reformed Church school. Calvin is a private, not-for-profit institution. The highest degree level offered by the school is the Master's degree.

Areas of Study

Calvin has a greater breadth of degree programs (majors) than most colleges of its size. The school is known for its programs in science, mathematics, art studies, and liberal arts.

Calvin Selectivity

Calvin does not offer open admission. Three quarters of students in 2007-2008 had SAT verbal scores of at least 530. Half of math SAT scores of accepted students fell between 545 and 665.

Faculty

Calvin maintains a faculty/student ratio (full-time) which is better than most colleges. The school has a tenure system for senior faculty. The full-time faculty at Calvin is well-paid, which often goes with faculty quality.

Student Body

The school had 4,224 enrolled students in 2007-2008.

Student Life

Full-time students are the norm at Calvin. The school has a residential or campus feel. Calvin offers dorm rooms to a higher percentage of its students than do most colleges. The school offers students meal plans. Calvin values student athletics, and belongs to the Michigan Intercollegiate Athletic Association.

More complete details are provided below.

Contacting Calvin

Calvin College
3201 Burton SE
Grand Rapids, MI 49546
General Phone: (616) 526-6000
http://www.calvin.edu

Calvin Programs and Degrees (2008-2009)

General CategoryDegreesMost Common Majors [see all]
Liberal Arts218English, Spanish language, interdisciplinary studies, history, French language, economics, international development, sociology, ...
Business and Management112business management, business communications, accounting, MIS, business administration
Education and Teaching81elementary school teaching, special ed, education of learning disabled, educational administration, science teaching, curriculum and instruction, reading teaching
Science68biology, biochemistry, geology, biotechnology, physics, chemistry
Nursing and Emergency Medicine59various nursing
Engineering55engineering
Therapy and Counseling43psychology
Nutrition and Exercise Therapy43health and physical education, parks and recreation studies, occupational therapy
Religion and Philosophy33philosophy, religion
Media22mass communication, communication studies
Family and Social Work21social work, public administration
Art Studies17art studies
Mathematics15mathematics
Medical Support and Technology14speech pathology
Music14music, music performance
Photography and Commercial Art9film studies, cinematography
Computer Science and Engineering5computer science
Drama and Performing Arts4drama
Conservation and Resource Management2environmental science
Fine Arts2art history and criticism
 1

Number of programs and degrees for Calvin in 2008-2009:

Degree LevelTotal
Awarded
Number of
Programs
Bachelor's degree82356
Master's degree154

Calvin Student Body

In 2007-2008, Calvin had a total enrollment of 4,224 students (4,391 full-time equivalent).

Students in the Freshman Class:

GroupPercent
Men47%
Women53%
Full-Time100%
Part-Time0%

Students By Class:

GroupPercent
Undergraduate96%
Graduate4%

Racial Diversity:
RacePercent
White82%
Black2%
Hispanic2%
Asian3%
American Indian0%
Unknown3%
(Foreign Students)8%

Students by Age:

AgePercent
Under 182%
18-1943%
20-2140%
22-2411%
25-291%
30-340%
35-390%
40-490%
50-640%
65+0%

Calvin Graduation, Retention, and Transfers

Retention Rates (2007):

GroupReturning From
Previous Year
Full-Time89 %
Part-Time100 %

Calvin Room and Board (2007)

Calvin offers campus housing for 2,479 of its 4,391 (full-time) students.

(Please refer to our profile of Grand Rapids, Michigan for details about the area surrounding the campus. Also see our list of other Michigan Colleges).

The school offers students a meal plan with 21 meals per week.

Calvin Admissions and Selectivity

Acceptances:

GroupApplicantsAcceptedPercent
Accepted
EnrolledPercent of
Accepted Enrolled
Total2,1692,03994%93646%
Men90685795%43651%
Women1,2631,18294%50042%

Standardized Test Scores:

Test25th Percentile75th Percetile
SAT Verbal530660
SAT Math545665
ACT Verbal2230
ACT Math2328
ACT Composite2328

Application Requirements:

ItemRequirement
GPArequired
Class Rankrecommended
High School Recordrequired
College Prep Programrequired
Recommendationsrequired
Formal Demonstration of Competencenot required
Standardized Tests (SAT and/or ACT)required
Percent of Applicants Submitting SAT32%
Percent of Applicants Submitting ACT82%
TOEFL (Test of English as a Foreign Language)required
Other Standardized Testsnot required

Calvin Expenses and Financial Aid (2008-2009)

Expenses and Financial Aid:

ExpenseAmount
In-state tuition and fees$ 23,165
Out-of-state tuition and fees$ 23,165
Room and board$ 7,970
Books and supplies$ 860
Other expenses$ 1,915

Financial Aid:
Calvin participates in Federal Title IV financial aid programs. (The school's OPE ID is 224100)

Calvin Faculty

Calvin has a tenure system for faculty.

Tenure Status of Faculty (2008-2009):

Full-Time Faculty LevelMenWomen
Tenured14047
Non-tenured, but on tenure track4835
Non-tenured and not on tenure track2719

Salaries for full-time faculty:

Full-Time Faculty (2008-2009):

Full-Time Faculty LevelContract LengthNumber MenAvg Salary MenNumber WomenAvg Salary Women
Professoracademic year116$77,18826$74,662
Associate professoracademic year44$67,44428$64,701
Assistant professoracademic year49$56,96145$56,833
Instructoracademic year6$44,9232*
All faculty totalacademic year215$69,684101$63,310

*: salaries are not displayed where there are fewer than 3 professors in the category.

Calvin Athletics

Athletic Conferences:

SportConference
BasketballMichigan Intercollegiate Athletic Association
BaseballMichigan Intercollegiate Athletic Association
TrackMichigan Intercollegiate Athletic Association

Calvin Degree Programs (2007)


ART STUDIES
Art/Art Studies, General

BUSINESS AND MANAGEMENT
Accounting
Business Administration and Management, General
Business Administration, Management and Operations, Other
Business/Corporate Communications
Management Information Systems, General

COMPUTER SCIENCE AND ENGINEERING
Computer Science

CONSERVATION AND RESOURCE MANAGEMENT
Environmental Science

DRAMA AND PERFORMING ARTS
Drama and Dramatics/Theatre Arts, General

EDUCATION AND TEACHING
Curriculum and Instruction
Education/Teaching Individuals - Specific Learning Disabilities
Educational Leadership and Administration, General
Elementary Education and Teaching
Reading Teacher Education
Science Teacher Education/General Science Teacher Education
Special Education and Teaching, General

ENGINEERING
Engineering, General

FAMILY AND SOCIAL WORK
Public Administration
Social Work

FINE ARTS
Art History, Criticism and Conservation

LIBERAL ARTS
Asian Studies/Civilization
Classical/Ancient Mediterranean/Near Eastern Studies & Archaeology
Classics/Classical Languages, Lit & Linguistics, Other
Development Economics and International Development
Economics, General
English Language and Literature, General
French Language and Literature
Geography
German Language and Literature
History, General
International Relations and Affairs
Latin Language and Literature
Modern Greek Language and Literature
Multi-/Interdisciplinary Studies, Other
Political Science and Government, General
Social Sciences, General
Sociology
Spanish Language and Literature

MATHEMATICS
Mathematics, General

MEDIA
Communication Studies/Speech Communication and Rhetoric
Mass Communication/Media Studies

MEDICAL SUPPORT AND TECHNOLOGY
Speech-Language Pathology/Pathologist

MUSIC
Music Performance, General
Music, General

NURSING AND EMERGENCY MEDICINE
Nursing, Other

NUTRITION AND EXERCISE THERAPY
Health and Physical Education, General
Occupational Therapy/Therapist
Parks, Recreation and Leisure Studies

PHOTOGRAPHY AND COMMERCIAL ART
Cinematography and Film/Video Production
Film/Cinema Studies

RELIGION AND PHILOSOPHY
Philosophy
Religion/Religious Studies

SCIENCE
Biochemistry
Biology/Biological Sciences, General
Biotechnology
Chemistry, General
Geology/Earth Science, General
Physics, General

THERAPY AND COUNSELING
Psychology, General

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Calvin Highlights

(Details are provided further down on this page.)

What Sets Calvin Apart:

CategoryTrophy 
Number of degree programs
(vs. all colleges)
Top 6%Calvin Number of degree programs
Dorm rooms per full-time student
(vs. all colleges)
Top 9%Calvin Dorm rooms per full-time student
Faculty/student ratio (full-time)
(vs. all colleges)
Top 12%Calvin Faculty/student ratio (full-time)
% of degrees in mathematics
(vs. all colleges)
Top 16%Calvin % of degrees in mathematics
Student SAT scores
(vs. all colleges)
Top 16%Calvin Student SAT scores
% of degrees in art studies
(vs. all colleges)
Top 16%Calvin % of degrees in art studies
% of degrees in engineering
(vs. colleges of similar size)
Top 17%Calvin % of degrees in engineering
% of degrees in science
(vs. all colleges)
Top 17%Calvin % of degrees in science
Number of students
(vs. all colleges)
Top 17%Calvin Number of students
% of degrees in liberal arts
(vs. colleges with similar degree levels)
Top 17%Calvin % of degrees in liberal arts
% of full-time faculty on tenure track
(vs. all colleges)
Top 18%Calvin % of full-time faculty on tenure track
Male % of student body
(vs. colleges of similar size)
Top 19%Calvin Male % of student body
Salaries of full-time faculty
(vs. all colleges)
Top 20%Calvin Salaries of full-time faculty
Explanation of the Highlights categories

Notable:
Christian Reformed Church affiliation
Accepts some high school credits
Grants credits for AP courses
Career counseling
Career services
Student employment services
Remedial classes for students
Option to study abroad
Offers part-time study
Offers campus housing
Offers a board (meal) plan
Tenure system for quality teaching
Has ROTC (army)
NCAA athletic conference member

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