Grand Valley State Welcomes Record Number Of Freshmen

ALLENDALE -- Grand Valley State University announced Thursday that a record number of first-year students enrolled this fall.

This year's freshman class is 4,005, compared to last year's stellar class of 3,927. In addition to the high number enrolled, the students have high grade point averages. The average high school GPA of this year's freshmen is 3.50 and the average ACT score is 24.

Total enrollment for this semester is 24,654, which hit the target for the university's strategic plan of quality and stability.

"We are thrilled at the caliber of students who have enrolled at Grand Valley this year," President Thomas J. Haas said. "We are committed to stability because we are committed to quality. Our strategy is to be responsible to our students and the citizens of Michigan while meeting the needs of the state and its employers. It's clear that our commitment to relevance as well as quality enables our stability."

The university's report shows that undergraduate enrollment is up and credit hours have increased by more than 2,500. That means students are moving toward graduation at a faster pace, which is a goal of the Grand Finish grant -- the $1,000 award to seniors who have taken a full load every semester. Minority enrollment increased from 13.6 percent to 14.5 percent this year.

The university also announced that it had a record 5,301 graduates in 2011-2012.

"Grand Valley's faculty and staff are providing a valued education to our students that benefits our entire state," Haas said. "We strive to be the university of choice in Michigan by using all of our resources to the best of our abilities, and yielding to all who invest in us an impressive return on that investment."

For full details on the Grand Finish program visit www.gvsu.edu/grandfinish. For reports on Grand Valley's accountability in academic performance and financial responsibility, see www.gvsu.edu/accountability.