Grand Valley State University continues to grow, accumulate new students and push for improving higher education, as do costs for running and maintaining GVSU’s high standards. Recently, GVSU’s Board of Trustees approved a motion to increase tuition costs for new and returning students by 3 percent, up from the previously reported 2.2 percent. For full-time Michigan undergraduate students, this is an increase of $376 annually for the lower division rate and $392 for the upper tuition rate.

These tuition increases will be spread among departments, allowing GVSU to continue improvements on creating learning opportunities for all of its students, as well as improving food and living arrangements. Chair of the GVSU Board of Trustees Mary Kramer said that the cost of improvements is unfortunate, but that the Board maintains its main focus on creating an affordable higher education experience for students. 

Rising tuition costs have been a tough decision-making process for many universities, who want to keep affordability a factor. GVSU has combated the rising costs by introducing many new scholarship opportunities for both graduate and undergraduate students and providing general, department and academic scholarships for students. Through introducing these new scholarships and other need-based affordability options, GVSU has been among the top universities in Michigan based on affordability and accommodation.