Grand Valley State University Offers Free Tuition to Undergraduate Low-IncomeStudents

Undergraduate students at Grand Valley State University (GVSU) whose families earn under $50,000 a year will be offered free tuition fees from the university starting this fall.

According to a news release issued on Monday, the university has officially introduced the Grand Valley Pledge to students from six counties across Michigan, Erudera reports.

The Grand Valley Pledge provides four years of tuition-free college for students who are residents in the following counties:

• Kent
• Ottawa
• Calhoun
• Muskegon
• Grand Traverse
• Wayne

These counties represent around 40 per cent of Grand Valley students, with 47 per cent of families which have households under $50,000 threshold for the tuition assistance.

School’s in-state tuition of around $13,500 will be completely covered for low-income students through the Grand Valley Pledge.

In order to be qualified for the program which applies to four years of full undergraduate semesters, students should be admitted to the university, their families should be making less than $50,000, and they must file the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) form.

“It is another way of assuring that we create opportunity and advance equity in the communities in which we live and teach, as well as inspire a broader movement of making higher education accessible to all,” GVSU President Philomena Mantella said.

The promise for free tuition has shown to be efficient among the Michigan universities and colleges which are experiencing a general decline in enrollments.

Last week, Gov. Gretchen Whitmer unfolded a free college program for residents who are 25 years or older, whereas in recent years two universities have also unveiled their programs through which they offer tuition fees to some students.

Wayne State University’s Heart of Detroit pledge which was launched in 2019 provides free undergraduate tuition to the Detroit residents, while the University of Michigan had introduced its Go Blue Guarantee in 2017, a free tuition program for state students whose families do not make more than $65,000.

The net costs for Grand Valley students living on campus whose families earn below $48,000 reached between $12,000 and $14,000 during 2019/20 academic year.

The Grand Valley State University is a public university in Allendale, Michigan which is the home of a total of 23,350 students, offers 139 degrees, from which 96 undergraduate degrees and 43 graduate degrees and has 1762 faculty members.

In addition, the university also offers more than 4,000 study abroad programs.