Michigan State University (MSU) vs Cornell

Envision yourself as a student, standing at the crossroads of two prestigious universities: Michigan State University (MSU) and Cornell University. Both institutions offer a world-class education, but they differ in several key aspects. MSU, located in East Lansing, Michigan, boasts a larger student body and a higher acceptance rate compared to Cornell, situated in Ithaca, New York. While MSU excels in fields like engineering, business, and agriculture, Cornell shines in areas such as veterinary medicine, hospitality management, and engineering. Explore the detailed comparison table below to delve into further distinctions between these two academic powerhouses, including student demographics, graduation rates, and popular majors. Discover which university aligns best with your aspirations and academic pursuits.

	Cornell University	Michigan State University
Overview
Location	Ithaca, New York	East Lansing, Michigan
Campus setting	City: Small	City: Small
College type	4 year	4 year
Control/business model	Private (Non Profit)	Public
Calendar system	Semester	Semester
Degrees offered	Undergraduate and Graduate	Undergraduate and Graduate
Students retention rate	97.0%	92.0%
Common app member	Yes	Yes
Religious affiliation

Admission
Acceptance rate	8.7%	83.3%
Application fees	Undergraduate: $80 Graduate: $105	Undergraduate: $65 Graduate: $65
SAT range	1450 - 1560	1100 - 1320
ACT range	33 - 35	23 - 29
Students submitting SAT score	41.0%	48.0%
Students submitting ACT score	20.0%	16.0%
Total number of applicants	67,380	50,630
Total number of admissions given out	5,852	42,150
Admitted students who chose to enroll	3,718	9,225
Yield rate	63.5%	21.9%
Test scores (SAT/ACT)	N/A	N/A
High school GPA	Not required	Required
Recommendation letters	Required	Not required
High school transcript	Not required	Not required
English proficiency test (e.g. TOEFL)	Required	Required

Tuition and Fees
Sticker price	$80,287	In state: $29,734 Out of state: $55,546
Average net price	$24,262	$8,738
Tuition	$60,286	In state: $14,750 Out of state: $40,562
Room & board	Room/dormitory: $9,962 Meal plan: $6,434	Room/dormitory: $4,408 Meal plan: $6,268
Available payment plans		Tuition payment plan

Financial Aid
Students receiving financial aid (Grants & scholarships)	50.0% Average amount $52,674	58.0% Average amount $12,822
Students receiving federal student loan	26.0% Average amount $3,924	34.0% Average amount $4,999
Students taking out private loans	16.0% Average amount $8,357	6.0% Average amount $18,093

Students and Campus
Undergraduate students	15,503 Men 46.1% Women 53.9%	38,574 Men 48.4% Women 51.6%
Graduate students	10,079 Men 51.0% Women 49.0%	11,085 Men 42.4% Women 57.6%
Racial/ethnic diversity	Moderate	Low
Out-of-state students	64.3%	18.7%
International students	24.4%	8.3%
Campus local/setting	City: Small	City: Small
Dormitory capacity	7,422	17,463
First year students are required to live on campus?	No	No
Top 5 states where most U.S. students come from	New York California New Jersey Florida Pennsylvania	Michigan Illinois California Ohio New York

Academics
Popular study areas	Business Engineering Agriculture Computer and Information Science Legal Profession	Business Biological and Biomedical Sciences Communication and Journalism Health Professions Engineering
Students to faculty ratio	9:1	16:1
Institutional accreditation	Middle States Commission on Higher Education	Higher Learning Commission

Outcome
Graduation rate	94.1%	82.1%
Dropout rate	5.2%	7.8%
Transferred out	N/A	9.8%
Alumni salary by major (Top 10)	Law (Doctoral Degrees) Year 1: $185,154 Year 2: $172,867 Year 3: $207,272 Business Administration, Management and Operations (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $150,786 Year 2: $145,332 Year 3: $167,695 Computer Science (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $127,764 Year 2: $122,485 Year 3: $158,076 Computer Science (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $147,241 Year 2: $127,397 Year 3: $155,653 Allied Health Diagnostic, Intervention, and Treatment Professions (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $114,311 Year 2: $111,926 Year 3: $126,082 Operations Research (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $101,067 Year 2: $109,763 Year 3: $124,590 Electrical, Electronics and Communications Engineering (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $88,459 Year 2: $92,277 Year 3: $109,597 Electrical, Electronics and Communications Engineering (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $105,672 Year 2: $97,071 Year 3: $109,553 Systems Engineering (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $95,847 Year 2: $94,408 Year 3: $107,658 Human Resources Management and Services (Master's Degrees) Year 1: N/A Year 2: $101,072 Year 3: $106,693	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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