Calvin University’s Enrollment Continues to Climb
GRAND RAPIDS, Michigan—Calvin University is set to welcome its largest incoming class in the last decade. The 1,200 students who are beginning their studies at Calvin later this month hail from hundreds of high schools, dozens of U.S. states, and from almost every continent.
For two years in a row, Calvin University has experienced double-digit-percentage growth year-on-year. And, in 2024-2025, the university’s total enrollment is projected to rise significantly to reach 3,600.
“To see the growth over these past couple of years during a time when there are fewer high school graduates in our region, is proof that what Calvin has to offer is in high demand,” said Lauren Jensen, vice president for enrollment strategy. “Students from around the corner and across the globe are wanting a Christ-centered, academically excellent educational experience where they are known by their professors and peers. When students visit, they discover Calvin is just that place.”
And it’s a place that continues to make improvements to benefit its students. Later this month, Calvin will open up new community gathering spaces, new athletic facilities, and new campus pathways that are aimed at enriching the student experience.
By the numbers:
- The largest first-year student group in seven years
- The second largest transfer cohort over the past nine years
- Nearly 20% of first-year students are coming from outside the U.S.
- Nearly 20% of class is first-generation
- Growing # of students from Michigan and numerous states across U.S.
In addition to welcoming residential undergraduate and transfer students, Calvin’s incoming class also includes students at the Handlon Campus through the Calvin Prison Initiative program, online learners, students in the university’s Life and Career Studies program, and a growing graduate student and certificate-seeking population. In fact, the university’s graduate-level programming has quadrupled over the past six years, now offering 12 graduate programs either in-person or online and a number of certificate programs.
Residential students move onto campus in late August. On Thursday, August 29, 2024, at 4 p.m. the community will gather in Van Noord Arena for Opening Convocation, the official kickoff to the academic year. Fall semester classes begin on Tuesday, September 3.
About Calvin University
Founded in 1876, Calvin University is a top-ranked, liberal arts institution that equips its 3,600 students from 48 U.S. states, 60 countries, and five Canadian provinces to think deeply, to act justly, and to live wholeheartedly as Christ’s agents of renewal in the world. Calvin offers 100+ majors and programs, including a growing portfolio of graduate-level offerings. Calvin students engage in intensive internships, community-based service learning, and significant research that results in publishing and presenting alongside world-class faculty. The university’s 400-acre campus is in the vibrant city of Grand Rapids, Michigan. Discover more at www.calvin.edu.
