Purdue University Fort Wayne (IPFW) vs Michigan State University (MSU)

Purdue University Fort Wayne and Michigan State University, both esteemed institutions of higher learning, offer distinct educational experiences. Purdue Fort Wayne, a regional campus of Purdue University, boasts a smaller student body and a higher acceptance rate, making it a more accessible option for prospective students. Michigan State, on the other hand, is a large, research-intensive university with a more selective admissions process. While both universities offer a wide range of academic programs, Purdue Fort Wayne excels in engineering and technology, while Michigan State is renowned for its programs in agriculture, business, and communication. Explore the detailed comparison table below to delve into further differences, including student demographics, graduation rates, and cost of attendance, to determine which university best aligns with your academic aspirations and personal preferences.

	Purdue University Fort Wayne	Michigan State University
Overview
Location	Fort Wayne, Indiana	East Lansing, Michigan
Campus setting	City: Large	City: Small
College type	4 year	4 year
Control/business model	Public	Public
Calendar system	Semester	Semester
Degrees offered	Undergraduate and Graduate	Undergraduate and Graduate
Students retention rate	57.0%	92.0%
Common app member	Yes	Yes
Religious affiliation

Admission
Acceptance rate	83.2%	83.3%
Application fees	Undergraduate: $30 Graduate: $60	Undergraduate: $65 Graduate: $65
SAT range	1000 - 1210	1100 - 1320
ACT range	20 - 26	23 - 29
Students submitting SAT score	63.0%	48.0%
Students submitting ACT score	16.0%	16.0%
Total number of applicants	6,007	50,630
Total number of admissions given out	4,998	42,150
Admitted students who chose to enroll	1,293	9,225
Yield rate	25.9%	21.9%
Test scores (SAT/ACT)	N/A	N/A
High school GPA	Required	Required
Recommendation letters	Not required	Not required
High school transcript	Not required	Not required
English proficiency test (e.g. TOEFL)	Not required	Required

Tuition and Fees
Sticker price	In state: $23,441 Out of state: $35,849	In state: $29,734 Out of state: $55,546
Average net price	$11,820	$8,738
Tuition	In state: $7,703 Out of state: $20,111	In state: $14,750 Out of state: $40,562
Room & board		Room/dormitory: $4,408 Meal plan: $6,268
Available payment plans	Tuition payment plan	Tuition payment plan

Financial Aid
Students receiving financial aid (Grants & scholarships)	96.0% Average amount $7,108	58.0% Average amount $12,822
Students receiving federal student loan	41.0% Average amount $4,577	34.0% Average amount $4,999
Students taking out private loans	4.0% Average amount $7,294	6.0% Average amount $18,093

Students and Campus
Undergraduate students	7,768 Men 48.5% Women 51.5%	38,574 Men 48.4% Women 51.6%
Graduate students	530 Men 46.6% Women 53.4%	11,085 Men 42.4% Women 57.6%
Racial/ethnic diversity	Low	Low
Out-of-state students	N/A	18.7%
International students	3.5%	8.3%
Campus local/setting	City: Large	City: Small
Dormitory capacity	1,328	17,463
First year students are required to live on campus?	No	No
Top 5 states where most U.S. students come from	N/A	Michigan Illinois California Ohio New York

Academics
Popular study areas	Education Business Visual & Performing Arts Public Administration and Social Service Health Professions	Business Biological and Biomedical Sciences Communication and Journalism Health Professions Engineering
Students to faculty ratio	13:1	16:1
Institutional accreditation	Higher Learning Commission	Higher Learning Commission

Outcome
Graduation rate	38.3%	82.1%
Dropout rate	57.7%	7.8%
Transferred out	N/A	9.8%
Alumni salary by major (Top 10)	Business/Commerce, General (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $76,891 Year 2: $81,333 Year 3: $88,532 Mechanical Engineering Related Technologies/Technicians (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $58,127 Year 2: $62,508 Year 3: $71,227 Construction Engineering Technologies (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $49,864 Year 2: $51,106 Year 3: $59,608 Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $53,059 Year 2: $51,813 Year 3: $55,597 Educational Administration and Supervision (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $62,529 Year 2: $46,087 Year 3: $51,831 Business/Commerce, General (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $41,756 Year 2: $42,309 Year 3: $50,227 Dental Support Services and Allied Professions (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $44,157 Year 2: $45,305 Year 3: $46,663 Student Counseling and Personnel Services (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $40,423 Year 2: $38,289 Year 3: $43,573 Business Administration, Management and Operations (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $38,451 Year 2: $36,668 Year 3: $42,453 Criminal Justice and Corrections (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $35,308 Year 2: $36,344 Year 3: $42,039	Business/Commerce, General (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $126,500 Year 2: $123,886 Year 3: $132,790 Business Administration, Management and Operations (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $101,863 Year 2: $98,481 Year 3: $108,546 Human Resources Management and Services (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $90,313 Year 2: $89,435 Year 3: $101,511 Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $92,361 Year 2: $96,183 Year 3: $100,492 Educational Administration and Supervision (First Professional Degrees) Year 1: N/A Year 2: $101,072 Year 3: $97,714 Veterinary Medicine (First Professional Degrees) Year 1: $79,294 Year 2: N/A Year 3: $93,263 Management Sciences and Quantitative Methods (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $84,609 Year 2: $83,915 Year 3: $92,316 Educational Administration and Supervision (Doctoral Degrees) Year 1: $83,457 Year 2: $86,129 Year 3: $91,721 Food Science and Technology (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $81,178 Year 2: $83,915 Year 3: $89,761 Computer Engineering (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $75,462 Year 2: $80,133 Year 3: $84,869

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