Private nonprofit · University

Calvin University

Grand Rapids, Michigan · Midsize city

70.9%
Admit rate
$22,992
Avg net price
74%
Graduation rate
$58,375
Median earnings

Calvin University is a private nonprofit bachelor's-granting institution in Grand Rapids, Michigan (midsize city setting), enrolling 3,193 undergraduates. It has a Christian Reformed Church religious affiliation.

Private nonprofitMidsize · 3,193 undergradsMidsize cityAccessible · 71% admitNCAA Division III with football · Michigan Intercollegiate Athletic AssociationCold wintersSnowy

Will you get in?

See where your numbers land against Calvin University's admitted students.

Admit rate
70.9%
SAT (mid 50%)
1083–1330
Avg GPA (est.)
3.52

Enter a test score to see where you land against Calvin University's admitted students.

A guide, not a prediction. It compares your numbers with the middle 50% of admitted students and Calvin University's overall admit rate — it can't see essays, recommendations, activities, or your intended major, which all move real decisions.

About Grand Rapids, Michigan

Grand Rapids is a city in and the county seat of Kent County, Michigan, United States. After the French established territories in Michigan, Jesuit missionaries and traders traveled down Lake Michigan and its tributaries. In 1969, Alexander Calder's abstract sculpture, La Grande Vitesse, which translates from French as "the great swiftness" or more loosely as "grand rapids," was installed downtown on Vandenberg Plaza, the redesigned setting of Grand Rapids City Hall. (Wikipedia)

Setting
Midsize city
Highest degree offered
Graduate
To Great Lakes shore
32 miles
Nearest airport
5 miles to Gerald R. Ford (GRR) · major hub

How Calvin University compares

Selectivity70.9%

More selective than 62% · #14 most selective of 43 in Michigan

SAT average1233

Higher than 67%

Graduation rate74%

Higher than 84% · #7 of 44 in Michigan

First-year retention87%

Higher than 80%

Earnings, 10 years after entry$58,375

Higher than 63% · #17 of 45 in Michigan

Average net price$22,992

Cheaper than 36% · #35 cheapest of 44 in Michigan

Median debt at graduation$23,250

Lower than 50%

Student–faculty ratio13 : 1

Lower than 50%

Undergraduate enrollment3,193

Larger than 71%

Percentiles compare Calvin University with the nation's 2,196 four-year colleges, among schools reporting each statistic. State ranks count four-year colleges in Michigan.

Student body

Undergraduate vs. graduate

3,518students
  • Undergraduate3,19391%
  • Graduate3259%

Undergraduates by gender

3,193undergrads
  • Women1,79756%
  • Men1,39644%

Undergraduates by race / ethnicity

  • White68%
  • Black5.3%
  • Hispanic4.3%
  • Asian4.1%
  • Other or multiracial18%

Graduate gender splits aren't published in this data, so the gender chart covers undergraduates only.

By the numbers

Undergraduate enrollment
3,193
Graduate enrollment
325
Student–faculty ratio
13 : 1
Pell Grant recipients
17%
First-generation students
13%
Students over 25
7%
Median family income
$82,351
Avg faculty salary (academic year)
$86,031
Endowment
$286,119,000

Colleges don't publish true class-size data; student–faculty ratio (IPEDS) is the closest public measure of it.

Admissions

Admission rate
70.9%
Test scores
Considered but not required
SAT range (25th–75th %)
1083–1330
SAT average
1233
SAT reading
550–660
SAT math
533–670
ACT composite
24–30
Average GPA (estimated)
3.52

Cost

In-state tuition
$39,350
Room & board
$12,120
Books & supplies
$1,000
Total cost of attendance
$54,222
Average net price
$22,992

Net price is the total cost minus grants and scholarships — what students actually pay. It varies sharply by family income; see the breakdown below.

Outcomes

Graduated (within 6 years)
74%
Graduated on time (4 years)
64%
First-year retention
87%
Transferred to another college
16%
Median earnings, 6 years after entry
$48,039
Median earnings, 10 years after entry
$58,375
Median debt at graduation
$23,250
Students with federal loans
33%
Paying down their loans (1 year in)
80%

About 10% of students who finish here need more than four years — each extra year adds roughly another year of tuition and living costs.

Graduating on time

By student background (4 years)

All students
64%
Low-income (Pell)
62%
First-generation
53%

When these bars run close together, students from every background tend to finish at similar rates — a sign the school supports the ~30% who are first-gen or low-income.

Campus life & athletics

On-campus housing
Yes
Dorm capacity
2,445
Dorm capacity vs undergrads
77%
Application fee
$35
Athletics
NCAA Division III with football
Football conference
Michigan Intercollegiate Athletic Association
Varsity athletes
894 (514 men · 380 women)

Housing and fees: IPEDS 2023–24. Athletics rosters: Equity in Athletics data, 2024–25. Dorm capacity can include graduate and family housing, so the share of undergrads can top 100%.

Varsity sports (14)

Track and Field (Indoor)143
Track and Field (Outdoor)139
Football110
Swimming and Diving (combined)95
Lacrosse72
Soccer63
Cross Country47
Basketball44
Baseball41
Volleyball39
Tennis28
Softball25
Other Sports25
Golf23

Athlete counts per sport, Equity in Athletics data, 2024–25.

Campus safety

Safety grade
C
Reported offenses per 1,000 students
2.4 / year
Violent offenses (2022–2024)
13
Property offenses (2022–2024)
13

On-campus criminal offenses reported under the Clery Act, 2022–2024, across 1 campus (3,681 students). Counts reflect reports, not convictions — schools with strong reporting cultures often show more, so a higher count doesn't simply mean a more dangerous campus.

Reported offenses in an average year

The same 2022–2024 Clery Act reports, divided down to one year.

8.7reported offenses a year
4.3 violent a year4.3 property a year

By offense type, per year

Motor vehicle theft
3.0
Rape
2.7
Fondling
1.7
Burglary
1.3

Averages, not a forecast — a single year can run well above or below this. Bars are scaled against this campus's most-reported offense, so they compare types here rather than against other schools.

What you'll actually pay, by family income

Average net price (total cost minus grants and scholarships) paid by aided students in each family-income band.

< $30k
$19,281
$30–48k
$18,330
$48–75k
$19,447
$75–110k
$21,128
$110k+
$26,713

College Scorecard / IPEDS, most recent year. Family income is total household income; net price covers tuition, fees, room, board and supplies after grant aid, for students receiving federal aid.

Four-year (or more) true cost

Net price for your family's income, projected across the time it actually takes students here to graduate.

Est. total to a degree
$81,821

$19,447/year × about 4.2 years — most students here don't finish in exactly four, and each extra term adds cost. A planning estimate from net-price and graduation-timing data, not a bill.

Does the school pay you to attend?

Grant aid from the school's own funds — the discount off sticker, on top of any federal or state help.

100%
of first-years get a grant from the school
$25,542
average award, among those who get one

Calvin University discounts heavily: 100% of freshmen are awarded a grant straight from the school, averaging $25,542. For many families the real price lands well below sticker.

Blends need-based and merit aid — IPEDS doesn't split the two, so a high number can mean generous merit scholarships, deep need-based aid, or both. Figures cover 617 full-time first-year undergraduates, 2022–23. Source: IPEDS Student Financial Aid.

Is it worth it?

A rough return-on-investment read from what graduates earn versus what they borrow.

Median earnings (10 years)
$58,375
Typical debt at graduation
$23,250
Debt vs. one year's pay
40%
Out-earn a HS grad
67%

Typical debt would take roughly 4.0 years to repay at about a tenth of median earnings.

Solid value

A reasonable return: earnings comfortably clear the debt over a few years for most students who finish.

Earnings are the College Scorecard median for former students (working, not enrolled) 10 years after entry — not a guarantee, and they vary a lot by major. Debt is the median federal loan balance at graduation.

The pay gap here

Median earnings 10 years after entry, split by gender.

Women
$51,154
Men
$69,163

Men out-earn women by $18,009 (35%) a decade out.

Federal figures for former students working and not enrolled, 10 years after they first entered. A gap this wide usually reflects which majors men and women here tend to choose — not different pay for the same job.

Campus climate

Summer high
82°F
Winter low
17°F
Annual rain
39.6″
Annual snow
74.9″

Average temperature

HighLow
10°50°90°JFMAMJJASOND

Average precipitation (inches)

0.02.24.4JFMAMJJASOND

NOAA 1991–2020 climate normals, E Grand Rapids, MI US station (1.4 mi from campus).

Median earnings of this school's own graduates 1 and 5 years after finishing each program, and median federal-loan debt at completion (College Scorecard). Small programs are privacy-suppressed (—). Click a major to compare colleges nationally.

Colleges similar to Calvin University

Schools with a comparable profile — size, selectivity, cost, and graduate outcomes. Compare Calvin University side by side →

Colleges near Calvin University

Source: US Department of Education College Scorecard (most recent cohorts), IPEDS institutional characteristics, Equity in Athletics (EADA) data, Clery Act Campus Safety and Security data, and NOAA US Climate Normals. Distances are straight-line from campus coordinates. Percentiles compare schools of the same level (four-year vs. two-year) that report each statistic.