Northern Michigan University (NMU) vs Grand Valley State

Northern Michigan University and Grand Valley State University, both esteemed institutions in Michigan, offer distinct educational experiences. Northern Michigan University, nestled in the picturesque Upper Peninsula, boasts a close-knit community and a strong focus on undergraduate education. Grand Valley State University, located in the vibrant city of Grand Rapids, is known for its diverse academic programs and research opportunities. With different acceptance rates, popular majors, student body demographics, and graduation rates, these universities cater to different student preferences and aspirations. Explore the comprehensive comparison table below to discover which university aligns best with your academic goals and personal preferences.
Grand Valley State University logo

Grand Valley State University

Northern Michigan University logo

Northern Michigan University

Overview

Location Allendale, Michigan Marquette, Michigan
Campus setting Suburb: Large Town: Remote
College type 4 year 4 year
Control/business model Public Public
Calendar system Semester Semester
Degrees offered Undergraduate and Graduate Undergraduate and Graduate
Students retention rate 83.0% 72.0%
Common app member Yes Yes
Religious affiliation

Admission

Acceptance rate 91.7% 71.3%
Application fees
Undergraduate: $30

Graduate: $30
Undergraduate: $35

Graduate: $50
SAT range N/A N/A
ACT range N/A N/A
Students submitting SAT score
Students submitting ACT score
Total number of applicants 17,163 6,553
Total number of admissions given out 15,730 4,670
Admitted students who chose to enroll 3,807 1,496
Yield rate 24.2% 32.0%
Test scores (SAT/ACT) N/A N/A
High school GPA Required Required
Recommendation letters Not required Not required
High school transcript Not required Not required
English proficiency test (e.g. TOEFL) Required Required

Tuition and Fees

Sticker price
In state: $23,604

Out of state: $29,340
In state: $26,076

Out of state: $31,572
Average net price $16,947 $17,686
Tuition
In state: $13,560

Out of state: $19,296
In state: $12,098

Out of state: $17,594
Room & board
Room/dormitory: $6,380

Meal plan: $3,500
Room/dormitory: $6,212

Meal plan: $5,700
Available payment plans
  • Tuition payment plan
  • Tuition payment plan

Financial Aid

Students receiving financial aid

(Grants & scholarships)

80.0%
Average amount $8,376
100.0%
Average amount $8,291
Students receiving federal student loan 50.0%
Average amount $5,161
60.0%
Average amount $4,882
Students taking out private loans 6.0%
Average amount $13,024
13.0%
Average amount $12,023

Students and Campus

Undergraduate students 19,379
Men 38.9% Women 61.1%
6,611
Men 41.4% Women 58.6%
Graduate students 3,027
Men 28.0% Women 72.0%
603
Men 31.8% Women 68.2%
Racial/ethnic diversity
Very Low
Very Low
Out-of-state students 10.6% 27.5%
International students 1.8% 1.2%
Campus local/setting Suburb: Large Town: Remote
Dormitory capacity 6,012 2,956
First year students are required to live on campus? No No
Top 5 states where most U.S. students come from Michigan Illinois Indiana Ohio Texas Michigan Wisconsin Illinois Minnesota California

Academics

Popular study areas
  • Health Professions
  • Education
  • Business
  • Public Administration and Social Service
  • Kinesiology & Leisure Studies
  • Health Professions
  • Business
  • Education
  • Visual & Performing Arts
  • Liberal Arts
Students to faculty ratio 15:1 19:1
Institutional accreditation Higher Learning Commission Higher Learning Commission

Outcome

Graduation rate 67.1% 49.4%
Dropout rate 15.6% 48.5%
Transferred out 15.4% N/A
Alumni salary by major (Top 10)
Allied Health Diagnostic, Intervention, and Treatment Professions (Master's Degrees)
  • Year 1: $103,525
  • Year 2: $105,839
  • Year 3: $111,967
Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing (Doctoral Degrees)
  • Year 1: $91,846
  • Year 2: $96,539
  • Year 3: $93,695
Business/Commerce, General (Master's Degrees)
  • Year 1: $79,623
  • Year 2: $71,015
  • Year 3: $83,454
Biomathematics, Bioinformatics, and Computational Biology (Master's Degrees)
  • Year 1: $68,965
  • Year 2: $68,666
  • Year 3: $73,434
Accounting and Related Services (Master's Degrees)
  • Year 1: $59,881
  • Year 2: $62,691
  • Year 3: $72,792
Computer and Information Sciences, General (Bachelor's Degrees)
  • Year 1: $62,211
  • Year 2: $65,969
  • Year 3: $72,474
Mechanical Engineering (Bachelor's Degrees)
  • Year 1: $70,095
  • Year 2: $69,338
  • Year 3: $71,736
Quality Control and Safety Technologies/Technicians (Bachelor's Degrees)
  • Year 1: $57,039
  • Year 2: $58,479
  • Year 3: $69,240
Information Science/Studies (Bachelor's Degrees)
  • Year 1: $58,382
  • Year 2: $59,124
  • Year 3: $68,410
Rehabilitation and Therapeutic Professions (Doctoral Degrees)
  • Year 1: $69,161
  • Year 2: $67,939
  • Year 3: $68,289
Construction Engineering Technologies (Bachelor's Degrees)
  • Year 1: $64,628
  • Year 2: $72,796
  • Year 3: $79,136
Electrical and Power Transmission Installers (Undergraduate Certificates or Diplomas)
  • Year 1: $46,384
  • Year 2: $47,846
  • Year 3: $59,593
Mechanical Engineering Related Technologies/Technicians (Bachelor's Degrees)
  • Year 1: N/A
  • Year 2: $56,415
  • Year 3: $58,726
Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing (Bachelor's Degrees)
  • Year 1: $57,371
  • Year 2: $56,776
  • Year 3: $57,709
Educational Administration and Supervision (Master's Degrees)
  • Year 1: $47,668
  • Year 2: $53,358
  • Year 3: $55,574
Finance and Financial Management Services (Bachelor's Degrees)
  • Year 1: $44,975
  • Year 2: $46,087
  • Year 3: $51,392
Marketing (Bachelor's Degrees)
  • Year 1: $38,045
  • Year 2: $34,793
  • Year 3: $47,951
Clinical/Medical Laboratory Science/Research and Allied Professions (Bachelor's Degrees)
  • Year 1: $48,424
  • Year 2: $44,635
  • Year 3: $46,290
Criminal Justice and Corrections (Bachelor's Degrees)
  • Year 1: $35,823
  • Year 2: $38,649
  • Year 3: $45,786
Teacher Education and Professional Development, Specific Subject Areas (Master's Degrees)
  • Year 1: $43,293
  • Year 2: $38,529
  • Year 3: $44,324

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