The student population at Grand Valley State University is 22,011 (19,002 undergraduate and 3,009 graduate students) . The number of students has decreased by 3,314 (13.09%) over the past decade.
- Class Level: The percentage of undergraduate students at GVSU is 86.33% which is decreased by 2,970 over last 10 years. The graduate student population decreased by 344 and it has been decreasing.
- Gender Breakdown: In 2025, there were 61 male students for every 100 female students, down from 67 in 2015.
- 1,443 students enrolled in online degree program exclusively and the number of online students has increased by 452.87% since 2015.
Student Population Changes
The average student population over the last 11 years is 23,623 where 22,011 students are attending the school for the academic year 2024-2025.
Total enrollment fluctuated between 2016 and 2025, with 2 year-over-year increases and 7 decreases. It peaked at 25,460 students in 2017 and was lowest at 21,648 in 2023. Overall, enrollment dropped from 25,325 to 22,011 students, a net loss of 3,314 (13.1%).
The following table and chart illustrate the changes in student population by gender at Grand Valley State University since 2015.
Undergraduate Enrollment Changes
The average number of Undergraduate students over the last 11 years is 20,560 where 19,002 students are attending the Undergraduate school for the academic year 2024-2025. The following table and chart illustrate the changes in Undergraduate enrollment by attending status and gender at Grand Valley State University since 2015.
Graduate Enrollment Changes
The average number of Graduate students over the last 11 years is 3,062 where 3,009 students are attending the Graduate school for the academic year 2024-2025. The following table and chart illustrate the changes in Graduate enrollment by attending status and gender at Grand Valley State University since 2015.
Enrollment by Race/Ethnicity Changes
The percentage of white students is 74.21%. The percentage was 82.54% 10 years ago and GVSU still has a high percentage of white students. 2.72% of enrolled students is Asian and 7.65% is black students. Hispanic students comprise 7.98% of the student body.
Over the past 10 years, the racial composition has shifted. The percentage of white students decreased from 82.54% to 74.21%. Asian enrollment grew from 2.02% to 2.72%. Black student enrollment increased from 5.20% to 7.65%. Hispanic student representation expanded from 4.58% to 7.98%.
The overall racial diversity, measured by the Census Bureau Diversity Index, is 0.4352 which indicates that somewhat diverse. This increased from 0.3126 a decade ago, suggesting that racial diversity has improved.
The following table and chart illustrate the student population trends by race/ethnicity at Grand Valley State University over the past 11 years (2015-2025).
Distance Learning (Online Courses) Enrollment Changes
1,443 students are enrolled in online degree programs exclusively for the academic year 2024-2025, which is 7% of total students. The number of online students has increased 452.87% since 2015. The following table and chart illustrate the changes in the online student population by enrolled type at Grand Valley State University from 2015 to 2025.