Duke University vs Michigan State University (MSU)

Envision yourself as a student, standing at the crossroads of two prestigious universities: Duke University and Michigan State University. Both institutions offer a world-class education, yet they possess distinct characteristics that may influence your academic journey. Duke, a private research university in Durham, North Carolina, boasts a highly selective admissions process, with an acceptance rate of 8.7%. Michigan State, a public research university in East Lansing, Michigan, welcomes a broader range of students, reflected in its acceptance rate of 70.6%. While Duke's student body is predominantly undergraduate, Michigan State offers a more balanced mix of undergraduate and graduate students. Explore the comparison table below to delve into further details, such as popular majors, student demographics, graduation rates, and more, to help you make an informed decision that aligns with your academic aspirations and personal preferences.

	Duke University	Michigan State University
Overview
Location	Durham, North Carolina	East Lansing, Michigan
Campus setting	City: Large	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	98.0%	92.0%
Common app member	Yes	Yes
Religious affiliation	Methodism

Admission
Acceptance rate	5.9%	83.3%
Application fees	Undergraduate: $85 Graduate: $95	Undergraduate: $65 Graduate: $65
SAT range	1468 - 1558	1100 - 1320
ACT range	33 - 35	23 - 29
Students submitting SAT score	47.0%	48.0%
Students submitting ACT score	46.0%	16.0%
Total number of applicants	49,703	50,630
Total number of admissions given out	2,927	42,150
Admitted students who chose to enroll	1,744	9,225
Yield rate	59.6%	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)	Not required	Required

Tuition and Fees
Sticker price	$79,860	In state: $29,734 Out of state: $55,546
Average net price	$27,297	$8,738
Tuition	$58,085	In state: $14,750 Out of state: $40,562
Room & board	Room/dormitory: $9,164 Meal plan: $6,862	Room/dormitory: $4,408 Meal plan: $6,268
Available payment plans	Prepaid tuition plan	Tuition payment plan

Financial Aid
Students receiving financial aid (Grants & scholarships)	46.0% Average amount $50,731	58.0% Average amount $12,822
Students receiving federal student loan	20.0% Average amount $4,537	34.0% Average amount $4,999
Students taking out private loans	3.0% Average amount $22,957	6.0% Average amount $18,093

Students and Campus
Undergraduate students	6,883 Men 48.4% Women 51.6%	38,574 Men 48.4% Women 51.6%
Graduate students	10,737 Men 45.5% Women 54.5%	11,085 Men 42.4% Women 57.6%
Racial/ethnic diversity	Moderate	Low
Out-of-state students	N/A	18.7%
International students	21.4%	8.3%
Campus local/setting	City: Large	City: Small
Dormitory capacity	5,718	17,463
First year students are required to live on campus?	Yes	No
Top 5 states where most U.S. students come from	N/A	Michigan Illinois California Ohio New York

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

Outcome
Graduation rate	95.9%	82.1%
Dropout rate	4.0%	7.8%
Transferred out	N/A	9.8%
Alumni salary by major (Top 10)	International Business (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $151,472 Year 2: $213,978 Year 3: $201,782 Law (Doctoral Degrees) Year 1: $155,031 Year 2: $168,098 Year 3: $200,300 Business Administration, Management and Operations (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $143,622 Year 2: $148,189 Year 3: $163,560 Health and Medical Administrative Services (Graduate/Professional Certificates) Year 1: $163,977 Year 2: $138,342 Year 3: $159,598 Computer Science (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $115,135 Year 2: $106,898 Year 3: $134,542 Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing (Doctoral Degrees) Year 1: $123,138 Year 2: $116,541 Year 3: $124,406 Computer Engineering (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $108,817 Year 2: $97,071 Year 3: $117,262 Economics (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $94,699 Year 2: $90,856 Year 3: $112,646 Engineering-Related Fields (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $97,661 Year 2: $91,078 Year 3: $108,736 Economics (Master's Degrees) Year 1: N/A Year 2: $76,460 Year 3: $104,348	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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