UW-Madison vs Michigan State University (MSU)

Envision yourself immersed in the vibrant college towns of Madison, Wisconsin, and East Lansing, Michigan, home to two esteemed universities: University of Wisconsin-Madison (UW-Madison) and Michigan State University (MSU). While both institutions share a commitment to academic excellence, they offer distinct experiences. UW-Madison boasts a lower acceptance rate, attracting a diverse student body with a higher percentage of out-of-state students. MSU, on the other hand, welcomes a larger undergraduate population and offers a wider range of undergraduate programs, including popular majors like engineering and business. Explore our comprehensive comparison table to delve into further details, such as graduation rates, student-faculty ratios, and available financial aid, to help you make an informed decision that aligns with your academic aspirations and personal preferences.

	Michigan State University	University of Wisconsin-Madison
Overview
Location	East Lansing, Michigan	Madison, Wisconsin
Campus setting	City: Small	City: Large
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	92.0%	95.0%
Common app member	Yes	Yes
Religious affiliation

Admission
Acceptance rate	83.3%	60.4%
Application fees	Undergraduate: $65 Graduate: $65	Undergraduate: $60 Graduate: $75
SAT range	1100 - 1320	1320 - 1500
ACT range	23 - 29	26 - 32
Students submitting SAT score	48.0%	15.0%
Students submitting ACT score	16.0%	55.0%
Total number of applicants	50,630	53,781
Total number of admissions given out	42,150	32,459
Admitted students who chose to enroll	9,225	8,465
Yield rate	21.9%	26.1%
Test scores (SAT/ACT)	N/A	N/A
High school GPA	Required	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	In state: $27,418 Out of state: $55,306
Average net price	$8,738	$13,484
Tuition	In state: $14,750 Out of state: $40,562	In state: $9,273 Out of state: $37,161
Room & board	Room/dormitory: $4,408 Meal plan: $6,268	Room/dormitory: $7,367 Meal plan: $4,100
Available payment plans	Tuition payment plan	Tuition payment plan

Financial Aid
Students receiving financial aid (Grants & scholarships)	58.0% Average amount $12,822	54.0% Average amount $10,932
Students receiving federal student loan	34.0% Average amount $4,999	26.0% Average amount $5,175
Students taking out private loans	6.0% Average amount $18,093	6.0% Average amount $16,550

Students and Campus
Undergraduate students	38,574 Men 48.4% Women 51.6%	34,561 Men 47.5% Women 52.5%
Graduate students	11,085 Men 42.4% Women 57.6%	12,455 Men 46.6% Women 53.4%
Racial/ethnic diversity	Low	Low
Out-of-state students	18.7%	50.6%
International students	8.3%	13.8%
Campus local/setting	City: Small	City: Large
Dormitory capacity	17,463	9,226
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	Wisconsin Illinois Minnesota California New York

Academics
Popular study areas	Business Biological and Biomedical Sciences Communication and Journalism Health Professions Engineering	Health Professions Business Social Sciences Engineering Computer and Information Science
Students to faculty ratio	16:1	17:1
Institutional accreditation	Higher Learning Commission	Higher Learning Commission

Outcome
Graduation rate	82.1%	89.2%
Dropout rate	7.8%	10.0%
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	Finance and Financial Management Services (Master's Degrees) Year 1: N/A Year 2: $107,256 Year 3: $131,458 Marketing (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $113,083 Year 2: $111,992 Year 3: $130,357 Business/Commerce, General (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $112,390 Year 2: $113,091 Year 3: $124,360 Pharmacy, Pharmaceutical Sciences, and Administration (First Professional Degrees) Year 1: $96,320 Year 2: $117,042 Year 3: $123,777 Engineering, General (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $110,338 Year 2: $106,421 Year 3: $111,424 Real Estate (Master's Degrees) Year 1: N/A Year 2: $115,339 Year 3: $104,219 Allied Health Diagnostic, Intervention, and Treatment Professions (First Professional Degrees) Year 1: $115,387 Year 2: $100,213 Year 3: $103,937 Computer Engineering (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $78,839 Year 2: $81,997 Year 3: $97,306 Mechanical Engineering (Master's Degrees) Year 1: N/A Year 2: $85,538 Year 3: $94,093 Real Estate (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $69,730 Year 2: $73,949 Year 3: $91,306

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