by our College Data Analytics TeamA lot of students will never be charged the advertised price of a school. Instead, they will be provided a financial aid package that will include a combination of scholarships, grants, loans, and work-study. The sum total of attendance at Grand Valley State University can sound overpowering, but remember that the majority of students get some type of financial assistance.
Just what financial aid solutions can GVSU deliver, and just what are you going to be eligible for? Keep reading for answers. Scroll down to see what amount of financial assistance could be accessible to you.
Your financial aid package, which may contain grants and scholarships, will be determined on your financial need. The information provided on this page can help you determine how much aid you may receive from Grand Valley State University.
Aid such as grants, loans, work-study, and scholarships helps colleges decrease the real cost of attendance for most students. Some kinds of aid are clearly preferable to others, and outcomes differ across students.
Among first-time, full-time freshmen at Grand Valley State University, 94% of first-time, full-time freshmen received some form of financial aid around 4523 first-years).
| Type of Aid | % of Freshmen Receiving | Average Amount |
|---|---|---|
| Grant or scholarship aid (all sources) | 90% | $11,188 |
| Institutional grants & scholarships | 87% | $5,655 |
| Federal Pell grants | 37% | $5,600 |
| State/local grants | 57% | $5,276 |
| Federal student loans | 55% | $5,270 |
Because grants and scholarships do not have to be repaid, they are the most sought-after type of financial aid. Here, about 75% of undergrads got grants or scholarships worth on average $9,731 (among about 14522 awardees).
| Award | % of Undergrads Receiving | Average Amount |
|---|---|---|
| Grant or scholarship aid (all sources) | 75% | $9,731 |
| Federal Pell grants | 29% | $5,588 |
| Federal student loans | 50% | $6,411 |
Among title-IV aid recipients living on campus, grant and scholarship aid averaged $12,050.
The figures below show the average net price — cost after all grant and scholarship aid — broken out by family income.
| Family Income | Average Net Price |
|---|---|
| $0 – $48,000 | $11,393 |
| $30,001 – $75,000 | $12,940 |
| Over $75,000 | $22,752 |
Remember these are net prices — what families pay after gift aid, not before.
Net price is the cost remaining after grant and scholarship aid is subtracted from the sticker price, and it is the most useful single number for estimating real cost.
| Cohort | Average Net Price |
|---|---|
| On-campus title-IV students | $16,317 |
| Off-campus title-IV students | $17,096 |
To get a personalized net price estimate, try GVSU’s NPC: www.gvsu.edu/financialaid/price_calculator.htm.
The middle student in the debt distribution at GVSU owes $19,500 of federal borrowing.
| Metric | Amount |
|---|---|
| Median federal debt (all student-aid borrowers) | $19,500 |
| Median federal debt (graduates only) | $24,500 |
| Typical 10-year monthly payment (graduates) | $259.74/mo |
The 10-year payment estimate assumes a standard federal repayment plan and the median graduate debt amount.
The numbers below show the full range, not just the middle of the distribution. Use the percentiles below to see the debt range at GVSU.
| Percentile | Cumulative Federal Debt |
|---|---|
| 10th percentile (lowest-debt students) | $4,071 |
| 25th percentile | $8,258 |
| 75th percentile | $28,000 |
| 90th percentile (highest-debt students) | $36,751 |
The figures below break down median federal debt by income tier, first-generation status, and dependency.
Median Debt by Income Bracket
| Income tier | Median federal debt |
|---|---|
| Low income | $20,785 |
| Middle income | $19,523 |
| High income | $19,245 |
First-Generation Comparison
| Cohort | Median federal debt |
|---|---|
| First-generation students | $20,366 |
| Continuing-generation students | $18,500 |
Dependent vs Independent Students
| Cohort | Median federal debt |
|---|---|
| Dependent students | $19,500 |
| Independent students | $21,490 |
These indicators are derived from the underlying debt data and summarize the overall picture at GVSU.
The Stafford loan program is the largest source of federal direct loans to undergraduates. The annual Stafford volume below reflects program activity at GVSU:
| Metric | Value |
|---|---|
| Stafford loan recipients | 72332 |
| Total Stafford loan amount | $1,636,244,858 |
Military-affiliated students can tap the Post-9/11 GI Bill and DoD Tuition Assistance.
Post-9/11 GI Bill recipients
| Metric | Value |
|---|---|
| GI Bill recipients | 250 |
| Total GI Bill amount | $5,890,873 |
| Average GI Bill amount per recipient | $23,563 |
Active-duty Tuition Assistance recipients
| Metric | Value |
|---|---|
| DoD Tuition Assistance recipients | 40 |
| Total DoD amount | $161,250 |
| Average DoD amount per recipient | $4,031 |
References
More about our data sources and methodologies.