Michigan State University (MSU) vs CSU-FC

Michigan State University (MSU) and Colorado State University-Fort Collins (CSU) are two highly regarded public research universities with distinct characteristics. MSU, located in East Lansing, Michigan, boasts a larger student body and a higher acceptance rate compared to CSU, which is situated in Fort Collins, Colorado. While both universities offer a wide range of academic programs, MSU excels in fields like engineering, business, and agriculture, while CSU is renowned for its strengths in veterinary medicine, natural resources, and atmospheric science. Explore our comprehensive comparison table to delve into further details about these universities, including their acceptance rates, popular majors, student demographics, and graduation rates, to help you make an informed decision about your higher education journey.

	Colorado State University-Fort Collins	Michigan State University
Overview
Location	Fort Collins, Colorado	East Lansing, Michigan
Campus setting	City: Midsize	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	86.0%	92.0%
Common app member	Yes	Yes
Religious affiliation

Admission
Acceptance rate	89.6%	83.3%
Application fees	Undergraduate: $50 Graduate: $60	Undergraduate: $65 Graduate: $65
SAT range	1080 - 1290	1100 - 1320
ACT range	23 - 29	23 - 29
Students submitting SAT score	38.0%	48.0%
Students submitting ACT score	17.0%	16.0%
Total number of applicants	31,586	50,630
Total number of admissions given out	28,314	42,150
Admitted students who chose to enroll	5,197	9,225
Yield rate	18.4%	21.9%
Test scores (SAT/ACT)	N/A	N/A
High school GPA	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	In state: $27,174 Out of state: $46,456	In state: $29,734 Out of state: $55,546
Average net price	$18,320	$8,738
Tuition	In state: $9,709 Out of state: $28,991	In state: $14,750 Out of state: $40,562
Room & board	Room/dormitory: $6,186 Meal plan: $6,830	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)	70.0% Average amount $10,034	58.0% Average amount $12,822
Students receiving federal student loan	36.0% Average amount $5,018	34.0% Average amount $4,999
Students taking out private loans	7.0% Average amount $19,976	6.0% Average amount $18,093

Students and Campus
Undergraduate students	24,954 Men 45.6% Women 54.4%	38,574 Men 48.4% Women 51.6%
Graduate students	7,632 Men 43.7% Women 56.3%	11,085 Men 42.4% Women 57.6%
Racial/ethnic diversity	Low	Low
Out-of-state students	34.3%	18.7%
International students	4.8%	8.3%
Campus local/setting	City: Midsize	City: Small
Dormitory capacity	8,300	17,463
First year students are required to live on campus?	No	No
Top 5 states where most U.S. students come from	Colorado California Texas Illinois Washington	Michigan Illinois California Ohio New York

Academics
Popular study areas	Business Engineering Biological and Biomedical Sciences Agriculture Kinesiology & Leisure Studies	Business Biological and Biomedical Sciences Communication and Journalism Health Professions Engineering
Students to faculty ratio	17:1	16:1
Institutional accreditation	Higher Learning Commission	Higher Learning Commission

Outcome
Graduation rate	69.1%	82.1%
Dropout rate	18.5%	7.8%
Transferred out	10.4%	9.8%
Alumni salary by major (Top 10)	Business/Commerce, General (Master's Degrees) Year 1: N/A Year 2: $94,915 Year 3: $106,015 Engineering, General (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $82,613 Year 2: $76,460 Year 3: $95,296 Computer Engineering (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $74,379 Year 2: $75,706 Year 3: $93,827 Business Administration, Management and Operations (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $98,747 Year 2: $80,301 Year 3: $92,215 Chemistry (Doctoral Degrees) Year 1: $73,256 Year 2: $63,005 Year 3: $89,957 Computer and Information Sciences, General (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $72,253 Year 2: $73,070 Year 3: $88,889 Veterinary Medicine (First Professional Degrees) Year 1: $77,603 Year 2: N/A Year 3: $88,546 Information Science/Studies (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $76,387 Year 2: $83,546 Year 3: $86,814 Electrical, Electronics and Communications Engineering (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $68,629 Year 2: $71,778 Year 3: $83,089 Biomedical/Medical Engineering (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $55,849 Year 2: $67,101 Year 3: $80,723	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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