GVSU named 'Best College Buy' for 24 consecutive years

For the 24th year in a row, Grand Valley State University has been named one of America's 100 Best College Buys by Institutional Research and Evaluation, Inc. (IR&E) in Georgia.

Grand Valley is the only Michigan public school that has made the list every year since the designation began in 1995. See the 2019/20 report here.

Each year, IR&E identifies the 100 colleges and universities across the country that provide students the highest quality education at the lowest cost. 

To be considered for the designation, an institution must:

• Be an accredited, four-year institution offering bachelor's degrees;

• Offer full residential facilities, including residence halls and dining services;

• Have an entering freshman class in fall 2018 with a high school GPA and/or SAT/ACT equal to or above the national average for entering college freshmen;

• Have out-of-state tuition in 2019-2020 below the national average or not exceeding the national average cost by more than 10 percent.

The average GPA for incoming freshmen at Grand Valley for fall 2018 was 3.60, compared to the national average of 3.46, according to IR&E. The average ACT score for incoming freshmen at Grand Valley for fall 2018 was 24, compared to the national average of 23.

IR&E calculates cost of attendance by using out-of-state tuition at public institutions and regular cost of tuition at private institutions. Room and board is also included using the cost of a double occupancy room and the most common meal plan. Under these guidelines, the 2019-20 cost of out-of-state attendance is $26,977, compared to the national out-of-state average of $45,406, according to IR&E. 

Grand Valley State University attracts more than 24,000 students with high-quality programs and state-of-the-art facilities. Grand Valley is a comprehensive university serving students from all across Michigan and dozens of other states and foreign countries. Grand Valley offers 94 undergraduate and 42 graduate degree programs and has campuses in Allendale, Grand Rapids and Holland. The university offers programming and classes from centers in Traverse City and Detroit; the Robert B. Annis Water Resources Institute and the Muskegon Innovation Hub are located in Muskegon. The university is dedicated to individual student achievement, going beyond the traditional classroom experience, with research opportunities and business partnerships.