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Grand Valley State University Police Department entry pay
What this agency pays a new officer to start, and how that compares with the rest of the country.
Entry pay onlyEvery salary here is what an officer is paid on day one, out of the academy — base pay on a 40-hour week, with no overtime, shift differential, specialty or education pay counted. Nobody stays on it.
Grand Valley State University Police Department starts at $65,000 a year — about $31.25 an hour on a 2,080-hour year, before overtime. That is $3,390 below the median of the 1,681 agencies on this list, and $4,805 above the median for special jurisdiction agencies.
Cost of livingPrices in Michigan run about 4% below the national average, so this goes about as far as $67,556 would somewhere at average prices — $2,556 more than the headline figure. Most of that is rent, at 82 against a national average of 100, where goods are 96. Based on state-wide price levels, because this agency is not tied to a single metro area, from the U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis, 2024. The salary above is what the employer publishes; this line is our arithmetic on it, and nothing on this site is ranked on it.
How big the department isGrand Valley State University Police Department reported 21 sworn officers and 18 civilian staff to the FBI for 2025.No rate is shown: this agency does not police a single population the FBI publishes a figure for. Reporting to the FBI is voluntary, so a count can reflect a partial return as easily as a small agency, and the FBI asks that agencies not be compared on staffing. Source: FBI Uniform Crime Reporting, Full-time Law Enforcement Employees, 2025.
What Grand Valley State University says about itself
The GVSU Police Department is a full-service law enforcement agency charged with the responsibility of enforcing the laws of the State of Michigan. DESCRIPTION: Current official GVSU Department of Public Safety About Us page directly identifies GVPD as a full-service law-enforcement agency enforcing Michigan law and University rules, with sworn officers patrolling and responding on the Allendale and Grand Rapids campuses.
What Grand Valley State University does
GVSU Police is a full-service law-enforcement agency charged with enforcing the laws of the State of Michigan on the university's campuses.
Where the figure comes from
Checked 13 August 2026. $31.25/hour ($65,000 annual) upon successful academy completion. Official Michigan Commission on Law Enforcement Standards posting for GVSU says sponsored recruits earn $26. — open the source document
$31.25/hour ($65,000 annual) upon successful academy completion. Official Michigan Commission on Law Enforcement Standards posting for GVSU says sponsored recruits earn $26.88/hour in academy and become GVSU Police Officers at $31.
Entry-level base salary only. Overtime, bonuses, education incentives, shift
differentials, locality pay and lateral rates are excluded, so most officers earn more
than this.
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How this level compares
Where Grand Valley State University sits is partly about the agency and partly about which level of policing it belongs to. The three levels do not pay the same.
| Level | Lowest | Median | Highest | Agencies |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Municipal | $35,006 | $71,287 | $163,619 | 1046 |
| County | $36,492 | $65,374 | $132,263 | 416 |
| Special jurisdiction | $31,200 | $60,195 | $107,954 | 69 |
| State | $33,994 | $64,998 | $102,692 | 143 |
| Federal | $70,477 | $73,502 | $86,530 | 5 |
| Territory | $16,640 | $28,236 | $43,354 | 9 |
Federal agencies pay the most to start
The middle federal agency starts at $73,502 — about $2,200 more than the middle municipal agency and about $8,100 more than the middle county agency and about $13,300 more than the middle special jurisdiction agency and about $8,500 more than the middle state agency and about $45,300 more than the middle territory agency. Grand Valley State University starts at $65,000, so $4,805 above the special jurisdiction middle.
How it ranks
Common questions
How much does a Grand Valley State University Police Department officer make?
Grand Valley State University Police Department starts a new officer on $65,000 a year, about $31.25 an hour on a 2,080-hour year. That is base salary before overtime, bonuses, education incentives, shift differentials and locality pay, so most serving officers earn more. The figure comes from $31.25/hour ($65,000 annual) upon successful academy completion. Official Michigan Commission on Law Enforcement Standards posting for GVSU says sponsored recruits earn $26..
Is that good pay for a police officer in Michigan?
It ranks #13 of 38 agencies we have verified in Michigan — 25 pay less, 12 pay more in the state — and #1,023 of 1,681 nationally. Against the national median it is $3,390 below, and against other special jurisdiction agencies $4,805 above.
Compare with another department
Put Grand Valley State University Police Department side by side with any other agency on the site — the two salaries, what each is worth once local prices are counted, and which comes out ahead.
The agencies either side of it
Other agencies in MI
| # | Agency | Level | Sworn # | Entry pay | Vs Grand | National |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Troy Police Department | Municipal | 110 | $78,224 | +$13,224 | #452 |
| 2 | Grand Rapids Police Department | Municipal | 299 | $77,467 | +$12,467 | #471 |
| 3 | Wyoming Police Department | Municipal | 97 | $75,400 | +$10,400 | #539 |
| 4 | Sumpter Township Police Department | Municipal | 18 | $71,732 | +$6,732 | #684 |
| 5 | Lincoln Charter Township Police Department | Municipal | — | $71,696 | +$6,696 | #686 |
| 6 | Macomb County Sheriff's Office | County | 274 | $71,098 | +$6,098 | #718 |
| 7 | Muskegon Police Department | Municipal | 70 | $69,888 | +$4,888 | #781 |
| 8 | Livonia Police Department | Municipal | 117 | $69,784 | +$4,784 | #783 |
| 9 | Dearborn Police Department | Municipal | 186 | $69,080 | +$4,080 | #810 |
| 10 | Plymouth Township Police Department | Municipal | 33 | $68,140 | +$3,140 | #852 |
| 11 | Oscoda Township Police Department | Municipal | 12 | $68,140 | +$3,140 | #853 |
| 12 | Northville Police Department | Municipal | 12 | $65,956 | +$956 | #969 |
Base pay is only part of the year
Whatever the figure above, the rotation is what decides your year — which weekends you lose, when the changeovers land, what you can plan around. Save yours once and BlueShifts shows it a year ahead, with the off-duty jobs you take and what each one paid.
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