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Grand Valley State University

Grand Valley State University

Grand Valley State University, situated in Allendale, Michigan, is a public university founded in 1960. At present, GVSU has more than 20,000 students and around 750 full-time faculty members. The university is located on 1,237 acres of land and consists of 8 colleges:

  • College of Community and Public Services
  • College of Education
  • College of Health Professions
  • College of Liberal Arts and Sciences
  • Kirkhof College of Nursing
  • Padnos College of Engineering and Computing
  • the College of University-wide Interdisciplinary Initiatives
  • The Seidman College of Business

GVSU’s mascot is known by the name Louie the Laker. The sports teams of the university participate in men’s and women’s indoor and outdoor track events, tennis, diving, swimming, golf, football, cross country and basketball. Famous alumni of the university include screenwriter Patrick Sheane Duncan, former NFL Wide Receiver Jeff Chadwick and CEO of Global Forex Trading Gary Tilkin.

Overview of Grand Valley State University

The main campus of Grand Valley State is in Allendale, MI (a rural site not far from an urban area). The school is a public school. Grand Valley State offers degrees up to the Doctoral degree.

Areas of Study

The school tends to concentrate its instruction in a few key disciplines.

Grand Valley State Selectivity

Grand Valley State does not accept everyone who applies. In 2007, SAT verbal scores of half of students were 490 to 620. Three-fourths of students accepted in 2007 had SAT math scores of 500 or more.

Faculty

Grand Valley State offers tenure to reward and retain some professors.

Student Body

In 2007, the school had 23,464 enrolled students.

Student Life

Grand Valley State is generally not a school for part-time students. Student athletes at the school belong to the Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic Conference for major sports.

The school reports its educational mission is:
"Grand Valley State University educates students to shape their lives, their professions and their societies. The university contributes to the enrichment of society through excellent teaching, active scholarship and public service."

More complete details are provided below.

Contacting Grand Valley State

Grand Valley State University
1 Campus Dr
Allendale, MI 49401-9403
General Phone: (616) 331-2020
http://www.gvsu.edu

Grand Valley State Programs and Degrees (2007)

General CategoryDegreesMost Common Majors [see all]
Liberal Arts780English, humanities, history, political science, liberal arts and sciences, sociology, English composition, Spanish language, ...
Business And Management690marketing, accounting, management sciences, finance, business, managerial economics, international business, taxation
Education And Teaching679education, special ed, physical education teaching, reading teaching, school counseling
Science277biological and biomedical sciences, biology, biological and physical sciences, chemistry, geology, call and molecular biology, physics, geochemistry
Media262advertising, communication studies, journalism, radio and television, communication and journalism
Family And Social Work258social work, public administration
Nursing And Emergency Medicine238registered nursing
Therapy And Counseling217psychology, social psychology
Security And Law Enforcement151criminal justice and administration
Medicine112pre-med
Computer Science And Engineering101computer and info science, information science
Hospitality95hotel management
Photography And Commercial Art80film studies, photography
Mathematics66mathematics, statistics
Engineering66engineering
Medical Support And Technology65physician assistant, sonography and ultrasound tech, clinical lab tech, health service and sciences
Nutrition And Exercise Therapy49recreational therapy, occupational therapy, athletic trainer
Fine Arts43fine arts studies
Conservation And Resource Management30conservation
Music25music
Law22legal assistant
Engineering Technician19occupational safety tech
Drama And Performing Arts14drama, dance
Religion And Philosophy14philosophy
Medical Administration8health care administration

Number of programs and degrees for Grand Valley State in 2007:

Degree LevelTotal
Awarded
Number of
Programs
Bachelor's degree3,44868
Master's degree91320

Grand Valley State Student Body

In 2007, Grand Valley State had a total enrollment of 23,464 students (20,198 full-time equivalent).

Students in the Freshman Class:

GroupPercent
Men36%
Women64%
Full-Time100%
Part-Time0%

Students By Class:

GroupPercent
Undergraduate78%
Graduate22%

Racial Diversity:
RacePercent
White86%
Black5%
Hispanic3%
Asian2%
American Indian1%
Unknown2%
(Foreign Students)1%

Students by Age:

AgePercent
Under 182%
18-1928%
20-2128%
22-2420%
25-2911%
30-344%
35-393%
40-493%
50-641%
65+0%

Incoming (Freshman) Students by Place of Residence:
(From available data sampling)

ResidencePercent
Michigan95%
Illinois3%

Grand Valley State Graduation, Retention, and Transfers

Retention Rates (2007):

GroupReturning From
Previous Year
Full-Time84 %
Part-Time29 %

Grand Valley State Room and Board (2007)

Grand Valley State offers campus housing for 5,292 of its 20,198 (full-time) students.

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

The school does not offer students a meal plan.

Grand Valley State Admissions and Selectivity (2007)

Acceptances:

GroupApplicantsAcceptedPercent
Accepted
EnrolledPercent of
Accepted Enrolled
Total13,4359,33569%3,45937%
Men5,0143,30666%1,25238%
Women8,4216,02972%2,20737%

Standardized Test Scores:

Test25th Percentile75th Percetile
SAT Verbal490620
SAT Math500610
SAT Writing480590
ACT Verbal2126
ACT Math2227
ACT Composite2226

Application Requirements:

ItemRequirement
GPArequired
Class Rankrecommended
High School Recordrequired
College Prep Programrequired
Recommendationsnot required
Formal Demonstration of Competencenot required
Standardized Tests (SAT and/or ACT)required
Percent of Applicants Submitting SAT6%
Percent of Applicants Submitting ACT99%
TOEFL (Test of English as a Foreign Language)required
Other Standardized Testsnot required

Grand Valley State Expenses and Financial Aid (2007)

Expenses and Financial Aid:

ExpenseAmount
In-state tuition and fees$ 7,240
Out-of-state tuition and fees$ 12,510
Room and board$ 6,864
Room charge$ 4,698
Board (meal plan) charge$ 1,950
Books and supplies$ 900
Other expenses$ 2,140

Financial Aid:
Grand Valley State participates in Federal Title IV financial aid programs. (The school's OPE ID is 226800)

Grand Valley State Faculty

Grand Valley State has a tenure system for faculty.

Tenure Status of Faculty (2007):

Full-Time Faculty LevelMenWomen
Tenured260188
Non-tenured, but on tenure track144120
Non-tenured and not on tenure track101110

Salaries for full-time faculty:

Full-Time Faculty (2007):

Full-Time Faculty LevelContract LengthNumber MenAvg Salary MenNumber WomenAvg Salary Women
Professorcalendar year6$107,0995$74,796
Associate professorcalendar year6$77,4317$65,514
Assistant professorcalendar year9$70,0298$52,463
Instructorcalendar year1*2*
No academic rankcalendar year1*11$34,578
All faculty totalcalendar year23$80,98133$52,841

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

Full-Time Faculty (2007):

Full-Time Faculty LevelContract LengthNumber MenAvg Salary MenNumber WomenAvg Salary Women
Professoracademic year96$86,17738$79,367
Associate professoracademic year151$66,220123$63,665
Assistant professoracademic year162$52,477139$52,160
Instructoracademic year40$40,09732$42,639
No academic rankacademic year33$38,95053$37,620
All faculty totalacademic year482$61,541385$55,728

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

Grand Valley State Athletics

Athletic Conferences:

SportConference
FootballGreat Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic Conference
BasketballGreat Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic Conference
BaseballGreat Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic Conference
TrackGreat Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic Conference

Students on Athletic Scholarships (2007):

SportMenWomenTotal
Total183141324
Football80080
Track364076
Basketball181634
Baseball19019
All Other Sports3085115

Grand Valley State Degree Programs (2007)

BUSINESS AND MANAGEMENT
Accounting
Business/Commerce, General
Business/Managerial Economics
Finance, General
International Business/Trade/Commerce
Management Sciences and Quantitative Methods, Other
Marketing/Marketing Management, General
Taxation

COMPUTER SCIENCE AND ENGINEERING
Computer and Information Sciences, General
Information Science/Studies

CONSERVATION AND RESOURCE MANAGEMENT
Natural Resources/Conservation, General

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

EDUCATION AND TEACHING
Counselor Education/School Counseling and Guidance Services
Education, General
Physical Education Teaching and Coaching
Reading Teacher Education
Special Education and Teaching, General

ENGINEERING
Engineering, General

ENGINEERING TECHNICIAN
Occupational Safety and Health Technology/Technician

FAMILY AND SOCIAL WORK
Public Administration
Social Work

FINE ARTS
Fine Arts and Art Studies, Other

HOSPITALITY
Hotel/Motel Administration/Management

LAW
Legal Assistant/Paralegal

LIBERAL ARTS
Ancient/Classical Greek Language and Literature
Anthropology
Classics/Classical Languages, Lit & Linguistics, General
Economics, General
English Composition
English Language and Literature, General
French Language and Literature
Geography
German Language and Literature
History, General
Humanities/Humanistic Studies
International Relations and Affairs
Liberal Arts and Sciences/Liberal Studies
Multi-/Interdisciplinary Studies, Other
Political Science and Government, General
Russian Studies
Sociology
Spanish Language and Literature

MATHEMATICS
Mathematics, General
Statistics, General

MEDIA
Advertising
Communication Studies/Speech Communication and Rhetoric
Communication, Journalism, and Related Programs, Other
Journalism
Radio and Television

MEDICAL ADMINISTRATION
Health/Health Care Administration/Management

MEDICAL SUPPORT AND TECHNOLOGY
Clinical Laboratory Science/Medical Technology/Technologist
Diagnostic Medical Sonography/Sonographer & Ultrasound Technician
Health Services/Allied Health/Health Sciences, General
Physician Assistant

MEDICINE
Pre-Medicine/Pre-Medical Studies

MUSIC
Music, General

NURSING AND EMERGENCY MEDICINE
Nursing/Registered Nurse (RN, ASN, BSN, MSN)

NUTRITION AND EXERCISE THERAPY
Athletic Training/Trainer
Occupational Therapy/Therapist
Therapeutic Recreation/Recreational Therapy

PHOTOGRAPHY AND COMMERCIAL ART
Film/Cinema Studies
Photography

RELIGION AND PHILOSOPHY
Philosophy

SCIENCE
Biological and Biomedical Sciences, Other
Biological and Physical Sciences
Biology/Biological Sciences, General
Cell/Cellular and Molecular Biology
Chemistry, General
Geochemistry
Geology/Earth Science, General
Physics, General

SECURITY AND LAW ENFORCEMENT
Criminal Justice/Law Enforcement Administration

THERAPY AND COUNSELING
Psychology, General
Social Psychology

Grand Valley State Highlights

(Details are provided further down on this page.)

What Sets Grand Valley State Apart:

CategoryTrophy 
Number of students
(vs. all colleges)
Top 2%Grand Valley State Number of students
Degrees concentrated in limited number of degree programs
(vs. all colleges)
Top 5%Grand Valley State Degrees concentrated in limited number of degree programs
Number of degree programs
(vs. all colleges)
Top 6%Grand Valley State Number of degree programs
Female % of student body
(vs. colleges of similar size)
Top 13%Grand Valley State Female % of student body
% of degrees in media
(vs. colleges of similar size)
Top 16%Grand Valley State % of degrees in media
% of degrees in hospitality
(vs. colleges of similar size)
Top 16%Grand Valley State % of degrees in hospitality
% of degrees in photography and commercial art
(vs. colleges of similar size)
Top 16%Grand Valley State % of degrees in photography and commercial art
% of full-time faculty on tenure track
(vs. colleges of similar size)
Top 17%Grand Valley State % of full-time faculty on tenure track
% of degrees in mathematics
(vs. colleges of similar size)
Top 19%Grand Valley State % of degrees in mathematics
% of degrees in family and social work
(vs. colleges of similar size)
Top 20%Grand Valley State % of degrees in family and social work
Explanation of the Highlights categories

Notable:
Accepts some high school credits
Grants credits for AP courses
Offers distance learning
Offers weekend classes
Career counseling
Career services
Student employment services
On-campus day care
Remedial classes for students
Option to study abroad
Offers part-time study
On-campus library
Offers campus housing
Tenure system for quality teaching
Offers athletic scholarships
NCAA athletic conference member

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