Are you curious about the college and university scene in Grand Rapids? There are several great colleges and universities in West Michigan and we’re excited to share several of them with you today! 

Colleges and Universities in Grand Rapids, Michigan

Grand Valley State University

Let’s start right with Grand Valley State University. This place is very near and dear to the heart of our team as Josh May and Abby Cribbs are both alumni. 

Grand Valley State was founded in 1960. The Allendale Campus was the primary campus for 50 years and then they expanded to Downtown Grand Rapids. The beautiful Pew Campus downtown focuses on more business and public administration. Grand Valley State is the largest university in West Michigan with over 24,000 students, 67 countries are represented, an average class size of roughly 26, and tuition costs are roughly $13,000 for in-state.

GVSU has many great, incredible programs, but it’s definitely known for its nursing program and they have the medical campus on Michigan Avenue. So as far as a great university in Grand Rapids, we love GVSU. Go Lakers! 

Aquinas College

Hopping over to the northeast side of town, we have Aquinas College. Aquinas College is going to be a much smaller college, with a much smaller community of roughly 2,000 students there. Aquinas was founded in 1940 and is a private liberal arts college. Tuition costs are going to be a little bit higher and your average class size is going to be much smaller, closer to 14. If you’re looking for a great private college on the northeast side of Grand Rapids, Aquinas College would be a good fit.

Calvin University

If you’re wondering what the first university in Grand Rapids was, it is Calvin University, formally Calvin College, down on the southeast side of Grand Rapids. This is a smaller Christian-based school of roughly 3,200 students. The tuition here is going to be a little bit higher since it’s a private school with annual tuition of roughly $38,000. The average class size here is about 23 students per class. It’s a beautiful campus, with incredible athletics, and just a great overall university.

Grand Rapids Community College

Moving back downtown, we have to talk about our community college here in Grand Rapids,  GRCC, or Grand Rapids Community College. Founded in 1914, this is now a two-year college that obviously is getting students through to that four-year college.

There are roughly 14,000 students that go to GRCC with class sizes of about 25 students per class. Tuition costs are roughly $7,800 to $8,000 a year. One of the most well-known programs at Grand Rapids Community College is the culinary program. We have an amazing culinary program that feeds into the city, and many of the great chefs in this community have come from this community college. 

Davenport University

Another excellent university option here is Davenport University. The Davenport Panthers are down on the southeast side of Grand Rapids, Craft Avenue. They have an onsite university, and specialize in online courses, with a little bit more focus overall as a business school. There are roughly 5,400 students in the Davenport community and the class size is approximately 17 students per class. Tuition is approximately $20,000 a year. 

Kendall College Art and Design

Now, let’s talk art and design with Kendall College Art and Design. Kendall College has been right downtown since 1928. It was formally Kendall College just by itself but it merged with Ferris State University in 2000, and this is a university focused on design and the arts. If you think about all the graphic designers in our community, there’s a good chance they may have gone to Kendall. It is a smaller community with about 600 students and tuition running around $19,000. You’re going to have smaller classes, more hands-on learning, and a really cool downtown community with Kendall College Art and Design funded by Ferris State University. 

Grand Rapids has many great colleges and universities and there is a large student population base throughout the city. We only mentioned a few great universities but there are many more, including Hope College, Cornerstone University, Kuyper College, Grace Christian University, and Michigan State University Education and Research Center on Michigan Avenue. Grand Rapids has always been known as a place of a great education.