Grand Valley has record enrollment for 2010

Grand Valley State University announces another record enrollment for fall 2010. Total enrollment stands at 24,541. This is the 28th year in a row in which Grand Valley enrolled more students than the year before. Last year’s enrollment was 24,408.

Grand Valley’s fall 2010 freshman class has an average GPA of 3.51 and an average ACT score of 24, which keeps Grand Valley’s freshman class in the upper quartile of Michigan’s public universities.

“We continue to attract high quality students from a wide variety of places,” said Vice Provost Lynn Blue. “We are seeing increases in Michigan students from outside the immediate eight county area. We’re seeing a larger percentage of students from minority groups, out-of-state students and international students as well, which makes for a rich campus environment.”

This Fall semester also marks the beginning of the 50th anniversary of Grand Valley.

“This is an exciting time on campus and we are pleased to welcome students back as we celebrate our golden anniversary,” President Thomas J. Haas said. “The steady growth in enrollment is testimony to the quality academic programs that are relevant to today’s students and benefitting the entire state of Michigan. A key measure of student success is freshman to sophomore retention, and Grand Valley’s rate of 86 percent is third highest among Michigan’s 15 campuses.”

Earlier this month, the university announced that is was tripling the number of students eligible for the Grand Finish award of $1,000 ($500 to transfer students), given to students who complete 90 hours of study within three years of their enrollment.

The beginning of this academic year also heralds improvements in campus facilities. On September 18, Grand Valley will dedicate a new living center complex and a new learning/dining center. The 289,000-square-foot living center complex consists of three, three-story buildings (called South C, South D and South E), offering 608 beds in apartment-style units.

The 21,534-square-foot learning/dining center, called The Connection, contains dining, a convenience store, a coffee shop, classrooms, study areas and more.

For more information, contact Grand Valley News and Information Service at (616) 331-2221.