Dear GVSU Faculty and Staff,
It’s only a few weeks since classes started, and the energy of the fall semester is still palpable. Again, my thanks for all you do to support our learners as they navigate their journeys and set their path of purpose. It’s so powerful to be able to walk alongside our future leaders and community builders and I see it as a privilege to do this important work with each of you. I am excited to share some thoughts about our enrollment and retention and how I believe these figures validate our efforts and confirm our commitments.
We have enrolled nearly 6,500 new Lakers this year, with this fall’s incoming class once again one of the largest in GVSU’s history at 4,440. The overall enrollment of 22,035 represents a 1% increase over the fall of 2024.
Our student body continues to reflect the rich and diverse people of Michigan and our region and this year we have the most racially diverse student body ever with 27.5% students of color. We grew our geographic reach from both the west side and east side of the state, with impressive figures from Kent, Muskegon and Kalamazoo counties along with Wayne and Washtenaw in the southeast part of Michigan. As we continue to amplify our impact on our state’s economy, we know that our Lakers will likely stay here, building their lives and families and contributing to Michigan. We also saw increases from across Lake Michigan and among our neighboring states with FTIAC (First Time In Any College) growth up 13% over last year.
Our strength is also reflected in our retention of students, with FTIAC retention up 1.4% over last year and retention of transfer students at its highest rate in the past 5 years at 81%.
As I shared in this year’s University Address, we have made significant investments in enhancing our full-time teaching ranks and doubling down on student supports and these investments are paying off as reflected in this year’s figures.
I am particularly proud that we have welcomed the largest class of Pell-eligible FTIACs ever and have seen an overall increase of 4% in the total number of Pell-eligible learners. Also, we have the largest entering class since 2016 for the Frederik Meijer Honors College, plus the largest Oliver Wilson Scholars (OWS) class. Retention for OWS students increased by more than 9% over last year.
In addition, since January 2024, 8,601 learners selected GVSU as their partner in upskilling and reskilling through our continuing education programs: online or at our GVSU primary campuses and six regional sites.
No matter where you come from or what your background is, GVSU is a place where learners turn their “what if” into “what is” and we are thrilled to welcome so many new and returning Lakers to campus this year.
You’ve likely seen the headlines about international student populations around the country being down, in part due to the dynamic regulatory environment for visas and immigration. Unfortunately, we too have seen this impact on our populations with international FTIACs and graduate student levels down compared to last year. We continue to support and recruit students from around the world and believe that GVSU is a safe and welcoming place for all learners.
I believe that an important component of our growth and retention is our early and deep engagement with students. Our 8th Grade Pathways program connects with learners early, with support and encouragement to help them see themselves as college students. Our Board approved a record amount of financial aid this year to make the GVSU journey more accessible and affordable.
This comprehensive approach to learners; early, often, across the region and around the state, is part of why we recently renamed a division as Enrollment Development and College Futures. It represents our dual commitment to enrolling and supporting students today while also shaping the future of higher education through equity-driven innovation. It’s not just one division, but rather the work of all faculty and staff to support and cultivate a learner’s path to find their passion and purpose and help them achieve their highest potential.
Even as we see success in our growth strategy and the deep engagement and retention of our learners, we must continue to identify the highest priorities and strategic impacts and contain expenses to provide the best value to our learners. Our work of optimizing the resources and expertise we have here at GVSU ultimately serves our students and our state.
I am humbled and honored to have so many students and their families pick GVSU. Our daily work is rooted in an obligation to best serve our state by serving our students. Growing our Laker family is so exciting and I look forward to an academic year filled with discovery and impact for every learner.
Sincerely,
