The Washington Monthly has ranked Grand Valley State University 26th for “best bang for the buck” college in the midwest, an improvement from 2015 in which GVSU was ranked 31st. The online magazine ranked GVSU on categories ranging from graduation rate to performance rank to price, depending on income brackets.

Director of Admissions Jodi Chycinski said it is great to see GVSU recognized by the Washington Monthly once again.

“We know that cost is a major factor for students and families when selecting a college and GVSU continues to do what it can to keep tuition affordable,” Chycinski said via email.

Rhonda Lubberts of GVSU’s institutional marketing said the recognition will create more national awareness to the value of GVSU.

“We are proud to tout our great return on investment that starts with the quality and value of our academic programs for a lower cost than most other public universities in Michigan,” Lubberts said via email.

GVSU has received similar honors from different national surveys and publications. This year, GVSU made a list of 100 colleges in the U.S. for “Best College Buys.” GVSU ranked 10th out of 30 in most affording accounting degrees, and also made a list in an online magazine, “Money,” for providing the best value to students.

Lubbert said notoriety for GVSU will increase because of this publication through word of mouth and social media.

Associate Director of Student Life LeaAnn Tibbe said she isn’t surprised GVSU made the list of “best bang for the buck” colleges because of all the things GVSU does to provide a good value.

“I think that Grand Valley has been very intentional about everything that we do, from the landscaping of the campus to the activities we do and academic programs,” Tibbe said. “I think the fact that we’re located in West Michigan, which is a fairly conservative area financial wise, people are very careful with what they do with their money, and a lot of the staff here are very cautious with how they spend university funds.

“I think all of that together has really created an environment where it is a great value for students.”