Do you want a scholarship in United States? Consider studying at Grand Valley State University, a public institution founded in 1960 and located in Allendale, United States. Grand Valley State University offers International Merit GVSU Scholarships, one of the partially funded scholarships for Bachelor’s students.
A look at Grand Valley State University
Grand Valley State University was established about 12 miles west of Grand Rapids, Michigan, in 1960. The school is one of the 100 largest universities in the US and serves students from Michigan and around the world.
Students at GVSU can enjoy a small average class size of 26 and get involved in faculty research. A full quarter of GVSU students participate in research while studying at the school. GVSU has something for everyone, as students who want to learn more about other cultures and parts of the globe can join one of the school’s more than 4,000 study abroad programs.
Outside of academic programs, students can join or watch the school’s 21 NCAA Division II sports teams or participate in one of its 42 different club sports. Students who aren’t interested in sports can join one of the school’s more than 400 student organizations, such as the American Society of Mechanical Engineers, the Anchored in Poetry slam team, the Archaeological Society, or the Baseball Analytics club.
Scholarships offered by GVSU
GVSU Scholarships are like free money that you can use to pay for tuition and other college expenses. They’re not like loans, which you have to pay back. There are many sources of scholarship funding, including schools, businesses, and community organizations.
There are 2 main types of scholarships: merit-based and need-based.
You earn merit-based GVSU Scholarships through achievements, such as getting good grades in high school or being a good athlete. Need-based GVSU Scholarships are awarded to students based on their financial situation and how much help they’ll need when it comes to paying for college.
GVSU is very generous when it comes to awarding financial aid. It claims that more than 95% of its students receive some form of financial aid to attend the school. Its financial aid office maintains a list of institutional grants and GVSU Scholarships that you can apply for. This database includes both internal and external opportunities.
GVSU Scholarships Information
Grand Valley offers 500+ donor and department scholarships. The majority of scholarship deadlines fall between February 15 and March 1. Students can begin to submit applications for the 2024-2025 academic year on November 1. These GVSU Scholarships vary and may be based on interests, academic performance, special talents or major. Many of these scholarships are made possible through generous donations.
Each year, you will need to log into the system. By just logging in, you may automatically match to scholarships that do not require an application!
GVSU Scholarships MatchingSteps
After logging into myScholarships, you will be asked to complete a series of questions to create your student profile. These questions, along with information from Grand Valley (major, GPA, class level, FAFSA, etc.), will help to match you to GVSU Scholarships for which you might qualify. Remember, you will still want to review the qualifications of the scholarships before submitting an application to make sure that you fully qualify for the scholarship. The majority of GVSU scholarships will be available from November 1 through March 1, while external scholarships are available year round.
Student Loans
While GVSU Scholarships are the best way to pay for college, relatively few students wind up earning a full ride. If your scholarships and savings aren’t enough to cover the cost of your degree, the next step is to borrow money.
The drawback of borrowing money through student loans is that you have to pay them back eventually, plus interest. However, if you consider the loan an investment in yourself, you can see how getting one might be worth it. GVSU’s financial aid office also has a webpage that breaks down student loan options.
In general, the best student loan program is the Federal Direct Loan Program. Like the name implies, these loans go to students directly from the federal government. There are 2 types of loans in this program: subsidized and unsubsidized loans.
Subsidized loans are the better of the 2. With these, the government pays the interest for you while you’re still in school. With unsubsidized loans, however, interest starts to build up as soon as you get the loan, which makes them more expensive.
These loans also have other benefits. For example, you can sign up for income-driven repayment plans that limit your maximum monthly payment to a percentage of your income. You might also be able to qualify for loan forgiveness.
In some cases, the government doesn’t lend enough to pay for the full cost of college. If that happens, you can also consider private student loans. However, these should be a last resort.
Private student loans tend to be more expensive than federal loans because they carry higher fees and interest rates. Private lenders also don’t offer loan forgiveness or income-driven repayment plans. Most students should max out their federal borrowing before applying for private loans.
FAFSA
If you need help paying for college, filling out the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) is the most important thing that you can do.
The FAFSA is a universal student aid application that the government and most universities use to make decisions about financial aid. The information included in your FAFSA can make you eligible for federal grants, GVSU Scholarships, and loans.
When you fill out the FAFSA, you’ll need to sit down with your family and provide a lot of financial information. That information includes details about your family’s income and how much you’ve saved up for college. The information you provide goes through a complicated formula to produce your Expected Family Contribution (EFC) to the cost of your education.
Subtract your EFC from the cost of attendance at the college of your choice, and you’ll find your total financial need. Your financial need is usually used when determining eligibility for need-based aid, like grants and subsidized loans.
Keep in mind that most colleges don’t commit to meeting 100% of their students’ financial needs. You’ll have to come up with the rest of the money some other way, such as through loans or merit-based GVSU Scholarships. You can start filling out the FAFSA as soon as October 1 for aid awarded in the next academic year.
The application deadline is June, but it’s usually a good idea to submit the form as soon as you can. Many programs offer aid on a first-come, first-served basis, so faster applicants can get more aid. Michigan specifically has a May 1 deadline, so be sure to file by then to qualify for aid from the state.
Conclusion
GVSU is an exciting option for students who want to attend a big school at a low cost. It keeps tuition affordable for both in-state and out-of-state students and gives almost every single student some form of financial aid. Those factors combine to make a degree from GVSU a great value.
