U.S. News & World Report

• One of the best National Universities: Grand Valley is listed among the best universities in the nation.
   
• A Top Public School: Grand Valley is one of the best public schools in the nation for 2025.
   
• Increasing social mobility: Grand Valley was recognized for its graduates' successes and named one of the Top Performers on Social Mobility.
   
• Paving the way in Engineering: Grand Valley's engineering program is on the list of the nation's Best Undergraduate Engineering Programs.
   
• Preparing the next generation of teachers: Grand Valley's undergraduate education program is ranked #70 nationwide.
   
• Five Grand Valley graduate programs are ranked among the best in the nation: Occupational Therapy, Physical Therapy, Public Affairs, Social Work, and online Master's in Education. 
  
   

Wall Street Journal

The Wall Street Journal/College Pulse named Grand Valley as one of the Best Colleges in the United States in 2024.

Washington Monthly

Grand Valley was named one of the best universities in the country according to Washington Monthly in 2024. The list ranks liberal arts colleges based on their contribution to the public good in three categories: social mobility, research, and promoting public service.

 

The Princeton Review

Grand Valley is, according to The Princeton Review, one of the "Best Colleges in the Midwest" for 2025.

 

Forbes

• America's Top Colleges: Grand Valley is included in Forbes' 2024 list of "America's Top Colleges".
   
• Best in the Midwest: Grand Valley ranks #99 among colleges and universities in the Midwest.
  
   

Niche

• Niche listed Grand Valley as one of the Top Public Universities in America for 2024.

Niche also includes Grand Valley in their lists of:

• Best Academics
• Best Big Colleges
• Best Professors
• Best Test Optional
  
   

College Factual

College Factual named GVSU one of the nation's best bachelor's degree colleges with 34 top-ranked majors. 

• Grand Valley's teams have celebrated 29 NCAA Division II national championship wins, with 21 coming from our women's teams.
   
• In recognition of offering the best NCAA Division II athletic program in the nation, Grand Valley was awarded the 2023-2024 Learfield Directors’ Cup. This honor has gone to GVSU 16 times over the past 19 years.
   
• For the 25th consecutive year, Grand Valley took home the 2023-2024 Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (GLIAC) President's Cup Trophy. This marked the 30th in school history.

• Named to Diverse: Issues in Higher Education's list of Top 100 Degree Producer Schools that confer the most degrees to minority students. 
   
• Excelencia in Education re-certified GVSU's Seal of Excelencia through 2025 service to Latino students and demonstration of positive outcomes. 
   
• GVSU was recognized nationally by National Association of Student Personnel Administrators (NASPA) and The Suder Foundation for its support of first-generation students.
   
• The LGBTQ advocacy group Athlete Ally bestowed a perfect 100/100 score to Grand Valley’s athletic department on its Athletic Equality Index. The index measures how well NCAA schools support LGBTQ inclusion, policies, and practices.
   
• Advancing Indigenous People in STEM named Grand Valley among the top colleges for Indigenous students in their Winds of Change college issue. 
   
• The Grand Valley Athletics Department is the 2023 recipient of the NCAA and Minority Opportunities Athletic Association Award for Diversity and Inclusion.

• GVSU was honored by the National Wildlife Federation in the NWF GameDay Football Zero Waste Touchdown Challenge for working to reduce landfill-bound trash. GVSU was the only D2 program recognized nationally.
   
• A stand-out leader in sustainability: The Association for the Advancement of Sustainability in Higher Education (AASHE) awarded Grand Valley gold status for its sustainability practices and performances as part of their Sustainable Campus Index.
   
• Continued momentum: For the 15th consecutive year, The Princeton Review recognized Grand Valley as one of the country's most environmentally responsible colleges. GVSU was the only Michigan school to make the list. 
   
• The Sierra Club ranked Grand Valley #38 of 328 in their list of Cool Schools, which recognizes the greenest universities in the nation. Grand Valley is also the highest-ranking Michigan institution on the list.

• CollegeChoice ranks Grand Valley at #14 on their list of the safest large colleges and universities in the nation.
   
• Niche gives Grand Valley's campus safety a B+ rating.
   
• The Grand Valley Police Department is accredited by the Commission on Accreditation for Law Enforcement Agencies (CALEA®), which is considered the gold standard for public safety accreditation. It is also the only university police department accredited by CALEA® in the state of Michigan.