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Grand Valley State UniversityPhoto: Gpwitteveen · CC BY-SA 3.0
Colleges in and near Allendale Township

Allendale Township is a college town: 35 of every 100 residents are students

Grand Valley State University (20,973 students on campus) is inside the town. Across Michigan, 6 of every 100 residents are enrolled in college.

College town35% of residents are studentsGrand Valley State University

From the U.S. Department of Education (College Scorecard, June 2026; IPEDS fall 2023 enrollment) and the Census Bureau’s American Community Survey, 2020–24. Straight-line distances from the center of Allendale Township. Colleges are described, not graded.

Within 15 miles
4
32,739 students on campus
Nearest college
3.6 mi
Grand Valley State
Residents in college
35%
Above MI (6%)
Nearest community college
14.8 mi
Grand Rapids · $4,179 tuition
Nearest public university
3.6 mi
Grand Valley State · $15,140 in-state
Students on campus in Allendale Township
20,973
next to 27,519 residents

What stands out about college in Allendale Township

Facts about the town and its distance to campus; each college’s own figures follow.

A college town35 of every 100 Allendale Township residents are enrolled in college, against 6 across Michigan.A university in Allendale TownshipGrand Valley State University has 20,973 students on campus in Allendale Township, 67% of whom graduate within six years.In-state price at Grand Valley StateLiving in Michigan, Grand Valley State University charges $15,140 in tuition and fees; from out of state, $21,548. State residency rules decide which a new arrival pays.A community college 14.8 miles awayGrand Rapids Community College in Grand Rapids: tuition and fees $4,179 a year for Michigan residents.
Town & gown

What it’s like to live in Allendale Township

How much the colleges shape the town, from the Census Bureau’s survey of residents.

35 of every 100 Allendale Township residents are in college (MI: 6).

20,973students on campus at Grand Valley State University, next to 27,519 residents (dorm students count as residents)
5,220college students live in Allendale Township households rather than dorms
22.1median age · MI 40.2
53%of residents are women · MI 50% (±2.7 points)
36%of homes rented · MI 27%
$1,274median rent · 13% above the state
Allendale TownshipAllendale Township, MI
Cost of living$1,274/mo median rentCSafetyCrime reported to the FBIHealthCDC estimatesB+Jobs & incomeIncome, jobs, getting aroundA−HandbookTrash day, parking, who to call

How students change Allendale Township’s other numbers

Read the town’s other grades with this in mind. How TownRatings handles college towns →

Jobs & income A−

Students who live off campus count in the Census poverty figures: 21.7% of Allendale Township residents are below the poverty line, 7.3% when college students are left out (that estimate could be off by 6 points either way). 67% of the students themselves are below the line. In college towns, the Jobs & income grade uses the rate without students and leaves unemployment out.

Cost of living C

The Cost grade leaves out the share of renters paying 30% or more of income on rent wherever students are a quarter of residents or more (35% here): it would mostly measure student incomes.

Health B+

CDC’s estimates follow each place’s age mix, and Allendale Township’s median age is 22.1 (Michigan 40.2), so the adult figures describe a young population.

Safety

Crime is counted per resident, and students who live here count as residents. A college with its own police department reports its incidents under that department, not the city.

Every college

Colleges within 15 miles of Allendale Township

Two private colleges within 15 miles, one public college within 3.6 miles, and Grand Rapids Community College 14.8 miles away.

5 mi10 mi15 miGrand Valley StateGrand RapidsHope CollegeAllendale Township
University or collegeCommunity college
Grand Valley State UniversityUniversity or college · Public · 20,973 on campus · In Allendale Township83%admitted$16knet price67%graduate$56kearningsGrace Christian UniversityUniversity or college · Private nonprofit · 415 on campus · 14.1 mi · Wyoming · mostly online99%admitted$12knet price51%graduate$42kearnings56% of its students study only online; price, graduation and earnings count them too.Grand Rapids Community CollegeCommunity college · Public · 7,986 on campus · 14.8 mi · Grand Rapids$9knet price21%graduate$38kearningsTuition and fees: $4,179 a year. The net price counts housing and food at full cost.Hope CollegeUniversity or college · Private nonprofit · 3,365 on campus · 15 mi · Holland79%admitted$27knet price80%graduate$58kearnings

Degree-granting colleges with 100 or more students on campus (fall 2023 enrollment, minus students who study only online). Admitted: share of applicants offered a place. Net price: the average a year after grants, for students on federal aid. Graduate: within 6 years (4-year colleges) or 3 (2-year). Earnings: median, 10 years after starting.

What it costs

What would your family pay?

The average a year after grants, for families on federal aid, at the colleges within 15 miles. Pick your family’s income.

Family income

Starts at $75–110k, where Allendale Township’s median household income ($81,683) falls.

Grand Rapids Community College14.8 mi · Grand Rapids · sticker $15,658 · tuition $4,179$11,582a year
Grace Christian University14.1 mi · Wyoming · mostly online · sticker $26,166$12,379a year
Grand Valley State UniversityIn Allendale Township · sticker $28,367$16,609a year
Hope College15 mi · Holland · sticker $55,646$25,017a year

The average a year after grants and scholarships, for first-time, full-time students on federal aid, from the College Scorecard. Your own price depends on your aid package; every college has a net price calculator. For community colleges the net price counts housing and food at full cost, so tuition is shown beside it. “—”: not reported for that income.

Outcomes

Do students finish, and does it pay?

Each dot is a college within 15 miles of Allendale Township: across is the share who graduate, up is what they earn ten years after starting.

$0$20k$40k$60k$80k0%25%50%75%100%Graduate →Grand Valley StateGrace Christian UniversityGrand RapidsHope College
Grand Valley State University67% graduate$56k earnings$24k typical debt
Grand Rapids Community College21% graduate$38k earnings$9k typical debt
Hope College80% graduate$58k earnings$27k typical debt
Grace Christian University51% graduate$42k earnings$24k typical debt

Graduation: first-time, full-time students within 6 years (4-year colleges) or 3 years (2-year). Earnings: median, 10 years after starting, for students who got federal aid.

Majors

What students study in Allendale Township

Share of bachelor’s and associate degrees by field at Grand Valley State University, weighted by undergraduates; then the biggest programs.

Business 22%Health professions 14%Biology 8%Education 6%Parks & recreation 5%Psychology 5%Everything else 40%

Biggest programs

Biology, General282 graduates a year
$52k4 yrs out
Psychology, General276 graduates a year
$51k4 yrs out
Marketing269 graduates a year
$70k4 yrs out
Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing239 graduates a year
$79k4 yrs out
Finance and Financial Management Services239 graduates a year
$71k4 yrs out
Sports, Kinesiology, and Physical Education/Fitness235 graduates a year
$53k4 yrs out
Education, General224 graduates a year
$49k4 yrs out
Health Professions and Related Clinical Sciences, Other183 graduates a year
$62k4 yrs out

College Scorecard: degree shares (PCIP; each college’s six largest fields are kept, the rest count as everything else) and the field-of-study file, median earnings 4 years after graduating.

Questions about college in Allendale Township

Is Allendale Township a college town?

Yes. 35 of every 100 Allendale Township residents are enrolled in college (Census, 2020–24), against 6 across Michigan. Grand Valley State University has 20,973 students on campus, next to 27,519 residents.

What colleges are in Allendale Township?

Grand Valley State University is inside the town. Grand Rapids Community College is 14.8 miles away in Grand Rapids.

Why is Allendale Township’s poverty rate so high?

Students who live off campus count in the Census figures. 21.7% of residents are below the poverty line; leaving college students out, 7.3% are (ACS 2020–24, give or take 6 points).

What is the closest community college to Allendale Township, and what does it cost?

Grand Rapids Community College in Grand Rapids, 14.8 miles away. Tuition and fees are $4,179 a year for Michigan residents; the federal net price, $8,621, counts housing and food at full cost.

How hard is it to get into Grand Valley State University?

Grand Valley State University admitted 83% of applicants in the Scorecard’s latest year; the middle half of admitted students scored 940–1,190 on the SAT.

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Colleges: U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard and IPEDS (Scorecard 06/10/2026 · IPEDS 2024 · fall 2023 enrollment). “On campus” is fall enrollment minus students who study only online. Distances are straight-line from the center of Allendale Township. Residents in college, age, rent and poverty (including poverty without college students, table B14006): U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey 2020–24. Colleges are described, not graded; the College town label marks towns where 15% or more of residents are enrolled. How TownRatings describes colleges →