This week, more than 1,000 incoming students will begin their pursuit of an undergraduate or graduate degree at Calvin University.
The entering class of first-year students is record-setting in terms of ethnic and geographic diversity and the classes’ average GPA, ACT, and SAT scores all either match or exceed the marks from the past five incoming classes.
This year’s incoming class hails from 42 U.S. states and 38 countries, both five-year highs for Calvin. The 173 students coming from outside the United States represents more than 17-percent of the class, which is a record for the university.
In addition, Calvin’s 2022 incoming class shows domestic diversity. The 182 BIPOC students (Black, Indigenous, and People of Color) who will be joining the Calvin community represent 18% of the incoming class, an institutional high.
Calvin also experienced growth in first-generation students with more than a 20-percent increase year-over-year. It’s also the institution’s highest mark since 2018.
“Students and families from around the corner and across the globe are choosing Calvin because we offer both an academically excellent and distinctively Christian education,” said Lauren Jensen, vice president for enrollment strategy at Calvin. “We are thrilled to welcome such a diverse group of students to our community this year, and we are anticipating an ever more vibrant learning community because of this rich diversity.”
Calvin’s diversity is also seen in its portfolio of learners, which has expanded in recent years to meet the needs of a changing environment and to provide more pathways to a Calvin education.
Today, Calvin serves traditional residential undergraduate and graduate students, students at the Handlon Campus through the Calvin Prison Initiative program, transfer students and online learners, and students in the university’s Ready for Life program. Calvin also serves adult learners who are seeking certificates.
“We are excited to reach new learning communities with Calvin's mission,” said Kevin den Dulk, associate provost of Calvin University. Den Dulk oversees the Global Campus, which works to expand Calvin’s offering to nontraditional students. “Over the past few years, we’ve surveyed the market for new learners and have introduced several new graduate-level and certificate programs that are both in-demand and come out of our mission.”
Residential students move onto campus this week. On Friday, August 26, 2022 at 1:45 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 Monday, August 29.
About Calvin University
Founded in 1876, Calvin University is a top-ranked, liberal arts institution that equips its more than 3,200 students from 48 U.S. states, 55 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.
