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.
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
- Nearest big city
- 5 miles to Grand Rapids, MI
- To Great Lakes shore
- 32 miles
- Nearest airport
- 5 miles to Gerald R. Ford (GRR) · major hub
How Calvin University compares
More selective than 62% · #14 most selective of 43 in Michigan
Higher than 67%
Higher than 84% · #7 of 44 in Michigan
Higher than 80%
Higher than 63% · #17 of 45 in Michigan
Cheaper than 36% · #35 cheapest of 44 in Michigan
Lower than 50%
Lower than 50%
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
- Undergraduate3,19391%
- Graduate3259%
Undergraduates by gender
- 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)
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)
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.
By offense type, per year
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.
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.
$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.
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.
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.
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
HighLowAverage precipitation (inches)
NOAA 1991–2020 climate normals, E Grand Rapids, MI US station (1.4 mi from campus).
What Calvin University graduates study — and earn
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 →
Lipscomb University
Nashville, Tennessee · Large city · 4 mi to Nashville
- Students
- 2,997
- Admission
- 68%
- Net price
- $25k
- SAT
- 1256
- GPA
- 3.6
- Earnings
- $56k
Cedarville University
Cedarville, Ohio · Distant rural · 20 mi to Dayton
- Students
- 4,024
- Admission
- 65%
- Net price
- $24k
- SAT
- 1241
- GPA
- 3.5
- Earnings
- $55k
Mercer University
Macon, Georgia · Midsize city · 1 mi to Macon
- Students
- 4,500
- Admission
- 69%
- Net price
- $24k
- SAT
- 1271
- GPA
- 3.6
- Earnings
- $58k
North Central College
Naperville, Illinois · Midsize city · 27 mi to Chicago
- Students
- 2,428
- Admission
- 77%
- Net price
- $21k
- SAT
- 1213
- GPA
- 3.5
- Earnings
- $60k
Rider University
Lawrenceville, New Jersey · Large suburb · 32 mi to Philadelphia
- Students
- 3,106
- Admission
- 79%
- Net price
- $25k
- SAT
- 1227
- GPA
- 3.5
- Earnings
- $62k
Hope College
Holland, Michigan · Small city · 25 mi to Grand Rapids
- Students
- 3,288
- Admission
- 79%
- Net price
- $27k
- SAT
- 1249
- GPA
- 3.5
- Earnings
- $58k
Colleges near Calvin University
Calvin Theological Seminary
Grand Rapids, MI · Private nonprofit · Graduate
Paul Mitchell the School-Grand Rapids
Kentwood, MI · Private for-profit · Certificate · 86 students
Dorsey College-Grand Rapids
Grand Rapids, MI · Private for-profit · Certificate · 82 students
Aquinas College
Grand Rapids, MI · Private nonprofit · Bachelor's · 1,083 students
Mosley School of Cosmetology
Kentwood, MI · Private for-profit · Certificate · 62 students
Cornerstone University
Grand Rapids, MI · Private nonprofit · Bachelor's · 1,298 students
Ross Medical Education Center-Kentwood
Kentwood, MI · Private for-profit · Certificate · 134 students
Grand Rapids Community College
Grand Rapids, MI · Public · Associate · 10,698 students
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.














