Admissions & selectivity
Grand Valley State University Acceptance Rate & Admissions
What is the acceptance rate at Grand Valley State University?
Grand Valley State University’s reported acceptance rate is 83.0%.
- Acceptance rate · Fall 2024
- 83.0%
Source: College Scorecard · Fall 2024 admissions. Acceptance rates can change from year to year; this figure does not predict the current or next admission cycle.
Source: Grand Valley State University Common Data Set 2025-26, C1 · first-time, first-year students.
How to interpret the acceptance rate
Grand Valley State University admits 83.0% of applicants, a rate that sits above the median of 78.1% for comparable institutions (same type and size). In its 2025-26 Common Data Set, the university reported 27,261 applicants, 25,274 admitted students, and 4,335 enrolled first-year students.
What SAT and ACT scores do enrolled Grand Valley State University students report?
In its 2025-26 Common Data Set, the university reported a 3.40 average high-school GPA among enrolled first-year students, based on the 98.9% who reported a GPA. This is an average, not a cutoff.
For the 54% of the entering class who submitted SAT scores, the middle half scored from 920 to 1170. The ACT range for the 3% who submitted those scores was 21 to 30.
Applicants can use the university's SAT range as context for recent score submitters, rather than as a minimum. The ACT range offers a similar reference point for the small share of students who submitted those scores.
The ranges below describe enrolled students who submitted test scores at Grand Valley State University. Use them as academic context, then check the university’s current testing policy for your application cycle.
54% of entering students submitted SAT scores
- 25th percentile
- 920
- Median
- 1030
- 75th percentile
- 1170
CDS 2025-26 · enrolled first-year score submitters. This range is not an admission cutoff.
3% of entering students submitted ACT scores
- 25th percentile
- 21
- Median
- 26
- 75th percentile
- 30
CDS 2025-26 · enrolled first-year score submitters. This range is not an admission cutoff.
Source: Grand Valley State University Common Data Set 2025-26, C9 · Enrolled first-time, first-year score submitters.
Who enrolls at Grand Valley State University?
- Pell Grant recipients
- 29.2%
- Entering students outside the first-time, full-time group
- 22.8%
- First-year retention
- 76.3%
Retention source: College Scorecard; full-time first-year retention.
About these student measures
The entering-student group includes part-time entrants as well as other attendance patterns.
Grand Valley State University enrolls 18,854 undergraduates. An estimated 22.8% arrive as transfers or part-time students, while 29.2% receive Pell Grants.
That combination suggests a student body mixing recent high-school graduates with continuing students who rely on federal grant aid. In its 2025-26 Common Data Set, the university reported that 2,973 students applied for transfer, 2,449 were admitted, and 1,121 enrolled.
These counts describe the overall pool, not any one applicant's chances. Pell-eligible and transfer applicants should review how their prior credits and aid packages align with the degree requirements of their intended program.
That strength coexists with completion rates that are mixed against peers. Among first-time full-time students, 76.3% return for a second year, which sits below the peer median of 83.1% for comparable institutions (same type and size).
The six-year graduation rate for that cohort is 67.0%, just above the peer median of 65.0%. In its 2025-26 Common Data Set, the university reported a retention rate of 78% for the first-time, full-time fall 2024 entering class.
Pell Grant recipients complete at a rate of 58.9%, below the overall six-year rate by 8.1 percentage points. Enrolled students can expect a university where the first-year retention rate trails the peer median, making the transition to the second year a key moment to use campus support resources.
Data & methodology
Sources and reporting periods: methodology.
Analysis and methodology by Daniel Rogers, founder of College Azimuth.
Explanatory text is AI-assisted drafting checked against those figures; it is not an additional data source.
Admission rates describe past applicants, not an individual’s chance of admission; confirm requirements and deadlines with the institution.
Figure notes link to sources and limitations. About College Azimuth.