Michigan State University (MSU) vs NorthWestern

Envision yourself as a student, standing at the crossroads of two prestigious universities: Michigan State University (MSU) and Northwestern University (NU). While both institutions offer world-class education, they possess distinct characteristics that may influence your academic journey. MSU, rooted in a vibrant college town, boasts a larger and more diverse student body, providing a lively and inclusive campus culture. NU, nestled in a vibrant city, offers a smaller, more selective community, fostering a collaborative and intellectually stimulating environment. As you navigate the comparison table below, delve into the details of acceptance rates, popular majors, student demographics, and graduation outcomes to discern which university aligns best with your aspirations and goals.

	Michigan State University	Northwestern University
Overview
Location	East Lansing, Michigan	Evanston, Illinois
Campus setting	City: Small	City: Small
College type	4 year	4 year
Control/business model	Public	Private (Non Profit)
Calendar system	Semester	Quarter
Degrees offered	Undergraduate and Graduate	Undergraduate and Graduate
Students retention rate	92.0%	99.0%
Common app member	Yes	Yes
Religious affiliation

Admission
Acceptance rate	83.3%	7.0%
Application fees	Undergraduate: $65 Graduate: $65	Undergraduate: $75 Graduate: $95
SAT range	1100 - 1320	1470 - 1570
ACT range	23 - 29	34 - 35
Students submitting SAT score	48.0%	43.0%
Students submitting ACT score	16.0%	39.0%
Total number of applicants	50,630	47,636
Total number of admissions given out	42,150	3,321
Admitted students who chose to enroll	9,225	2,086
Yield rate	21.9%	62.8%
Test scores (SAT/ACT)	N/A	N/A
High school GPA	Required	Not required
Recommendation letters	Not required	Required
High school transcript	Not required	Not required
English proficiency test (e.g. TOEFL)	Required	Required

Tuition and Fees
Sticker price	In state: $29,734 Out of state: $55,546	$83,838
Average net price	$8,738	$29,999
Tuition	In state: $14,750 Out of state: $40,562	$60,276
Room & board	Room/dormitory: $4,408 Meal plan: $6,268	Room/dormitory: $11,271 Meal plan: $6,993
Available payment plans	Tuition payment plan	Tuition payment plan

Financial Aid
Students receiving financial aid (Grants & scholarships)	58.0% Average amount $12,822	57.0% Average amount $51,087
Students receiving federal student loan	34.0% Average amount $4,999	23.0% Average amount $4,625
Students taking out private loans	6.0% Average amount $18,093	2.0% Average amount $38,595

Students and Campus
Undergraduate students	38,574 Men 48.4% Women 51.6%	8,847 Men 46.1% Women 53.9%
Graduate students	11,085 Men 42.4% Women 57.6%	14,562 Men 47.3% Women 52.7%
Racial/ethnic diversity	Low	Moderate
Out-of-state students	18.7%	N/A
International students	8.3%	17.8%
Campus local/setting	City: Small	City: Small
Dormitory capacity	17,463	4,409
First year students are required to live on campus?	No	No
Top 5 states where most U.S. students come from	Michigan Illinois California Ohio New York	N/A

Academics
Popular study areas	Business Biological and Biomedical Sciences Communication and Journalism Health Professions Engineering	Business Communication and Journalism Engineering Health Professions Legal Profession
Students to faculty ratio	16:1	6:1
Institutional accreditation	Higher Learning Commission	Higher Learning Commission

Outcome
Graduation rate	82.1%	95.2%
Dropout rate	7.8%	4.2%
Transferred out	9.8%	N/A
Alumni salary by major (Top 10)	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	Medical Clinical Sciences/Graduate Medical Studies (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $150,242 Year 2: $188,472 Year 3: $221,242 Business/Commerce, General (First Professional Degrees) Year 1: N/A Year 2: $188,472 Year 3: $216,176 Law (First Professional Degrees) Year 1: $187,194 Year 2: $170,971 Year 3: $206,288 Business Administration, Management and Operations (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $120,709 Year 2: $189,565 Year 3: $194,961 Business/Commerce, General (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $162,478 Year 2: $163,561 Year 3: $177,652 Engineering-Related Fields (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $111,200 Year 2: $157,779 Year 3: $159,304 Engineering, Other (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $140,321 Year 2: $141,586 Year 3: $154,556 Medical Illustration and Informatics (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $88,288 Year 2: $118,465 Year 3: $132,325 Management Sciences and Quantitative Methods (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $118,780 Year 2: $111,323 Year 3: $130,124 Community Organization and Advocacy (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $115,760 Year 2: $113,668 Year 3: $128,046

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Michigan State University (MSU) vs NorthWestern

Michigan State University

Northwestern University

Overview

Admission

Tuition and Fees

Financial Aid

Students and Campus

Academics

Outcome

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