Grand Valley State University Outcomes: $60K Earnings (2026)

How much do Grand Valley State University graduates earn?

The reported median is $60,491 four years after completion. The peer comparison uses $65,610 as its benchmark; the difference is -$5,119 per year.

Four years after completing a degree, federally aided graduates of Grand Valley State University who are working and not enrolled earn a median of $60,491, in the 53rd percentile. That figure is $5,119 below the $65,610 median for comparable institutions of the same type and size.

Graduates earn about $1,245 less than expects for similar students, placing that gap at the 50th percentile among nonprofit four-year institutions. Azimuth places the return at the 50th percentile among nonprofit four-year institutions.

The part the model attributes to the factors it measures (field of study, enrollment and the local labor market) adds $8,259. The part it attributes to a remainder it does not explain subtracts $9,504. Within the measured factors, the STEM component adds $1,327.

The earnings scenarios at Grand Valley State University span from a downside of $47,392 to an upside of $79,485 four years after completion, with the typical scenario at $60,491. That spread reflects the variation across the university's 60 programs with published earnings data.

Some programs exceed even the upside scenario. Computer Engineering completers earn a median of $103,253, Electrical Engineering completers reach $100,456, and Manufacturing Engineering completers earn $95,416.

An estimated 30.3% of graduates continue to graduate study, a figure derived from the university's program mix rather than observed enrollment. Because four-year earnings figures capture only those working and not enrolled, the median earnings understate the eventual earnings of the sizable share of completers who pursue advanced degrees.

Median earnings · four years after completion: $60,491
Rank for difference from expectations: 50th percentile

Four-year median earnings against two benchmarks

Grand Valley State University reported median: $60,491
Peer schools comparable schools · $5,119 above Grand Valley State University: $65,610
Model expectation what similar students would be expected to earn · $1,245 above Grand Valley State University: $61,736

School and program earnings use pooled 2017–18 and 2018–19 completion cohorts, measured in 2022 and 2023 and expressed in 2024 dollars. How the model works.

How many Grand Valley State University first-year students return?

First-time, full-time bachelor’s cohorts · CDS 2025-26

Returned the following fall: 77.7%

Source: Grand Valley State University Common Data Set 2025-26, B22 retention.

How could earnings differ from the median?

Earnings four years after completion

Planning rangeReported median

Lower estimate: $47,392
Median · reported: $60,491
Higher estimate: $79,485

Downside shows a lower-earning scenario based on the college’s mix of programs; upside shows a higher-earning scenario. Typical is the school’s reported median four years after completion. These are planning scenarios, not a forecast of your salary or percentiles of individual graduates.

Why the downside matters explores the risk hidden by medians, using older ten-year entrant data. Read about the move to four-year earnings.

Do Grand Valley State University graduates earn more than expected?

Azimuth models what we would expect graduates to earn based on who the college enrolls, how selective it is and its local economy. The difference between that expectation and reported earnings is what Azimuth calls value added.

Grand Valley State University graduates’ reported earnings are $1,245 below that expectation, the 50th percentile for this measure. Unlike a peer comparison, it adjusts for who enrolls.

The breakdown separates the contribution attributed to observed factors from the remaining difference. Neither component establishes how much attending Grand Valley State University caused a student to earn. Read how expected earnings are estimated.

Which fields at Grand Valley State University report the highest earnings?

Grand Valley State University awards bachelor's degrees across 60 fields with published four-year earnings, and Azimuth ranks 51 of them nationally. The highest-earning programs are concentrated in engineering: Computer Engineering leads at $103,253, followed by Electrical Engineering at $100,456 and Manufacturing Engineering at $95,416.

These three fields together awarded fewer than a hundred degrees, so the high medians reflect a small slice of the graduating class. Among the university's largest programs, the earnings picture is more mixed.

Marketing, with 325 degrees awarded, reaches $69,592 and an Azimuth national rank of #74. By contrast, Biology—the largest program at 335 degrees—shows a median of $52,176 and ranks #266 nationally.

Education stands out for its rank: Azimuth places it #10 in the field, with 276 degrees awarded and median earnings of $49,225.

Grand Valley State University publishes earnings data for 60 bachelor's programs, 51 of which hold an Azimuth national rank. The largest program, Biology, awarded 335 degrees.

Its completers earn a median of $52,176 four years after completion, ranking #266 nationally and #8 in Michigan. Among the university's best-ranked programs, Legal Support Services awards 38 degrees and holds a national rank of #4 with a median of $57,728.

Manufacturing Engineering ranks #4 nationally and #1 in Michigan, with 20 degrees awarded and a median of $95,416 four years after completion. Health Professions and Related Clinical Sciences ranks #9 nationally with 247 degrees awarded, and its completers earn a median of $62,482.

Further analysis

Earnings vary widely by field, a pattern captured in earnings scenarios grounded in the university's program mix. The downside earnings scenario is $47,392, the typical scenario is $60,491, and the upside scenario reaches $79,485.

At the high end, the highest-earning program, Computer Engineering, reaches $103,253, while among the largest programs, Education sits at $49,225 at the lower end.

Four years after completing a degree, the median earnings for federally aided graduates who are working and not enrolled are $60,491 at Grand Valley State University. That places the median at the 53rd percentile among nonprofit four-year institutions, based on an earnings cohort of 5,547 completers.

Graduates earn about $1,245 less than the model expects for similar students. Earnings scenarios, estimated from the program mix, show a wide range: a downside scenario of $47,392 and an upside scenario of $79,485.

An estimated 30.3% of graduates continue to graduate study, based on the program mix. For those entering the workforce, the return picture is mixed.

Earnings sit below the peer median and below the model's expectation, but the program mix shows a broad spread of possible outcomes.

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.

Figure notes link to sources and limitations. About College Azimuth.