Michigan State University (MSU) vs The Pennsylvania State University (PSU)

Envision yourself as a student, standing at the crossroads of two prestigious universities: Michigan State University (MSU) and The Pennsylvania State University (PSU). Both institutions offer a world-class education, but they also possess unique characteristics that set them apart. MSU boasts a slightly higher acceptance rate, welcoming a diverse student body from various backgrounds. PSU, on the other hand, has a lower acceptance rate, resulting in a more selective student population. While MSU excels in fields like engineering, business, and social sciences, PSU shines in engineering, business, and health sciences. Explore the comprehensive comparison table below to delve into further details, such as graduation rates, student demographics, and popular majors, to determine which university aligns best with your academic aspirations and personal preferences.

	Michigan State University	The Pennsylvania State University
Overview
Location	East Lansing, Michigan	University Park, Pennsylvania
Campus setting	City: Small	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	92.0%	87.0%
Common app member	Yes	Yes
Religious affiliation

Admission
Acceptance rate	83.3%	92.3%
Application fees	Undergraduate: $65 Graduate: $65	Undergraduate: $65 Graduate: $65
SAT range	1100 - 1320	1140 - 1360
ACT range	23 - 29	25 - 31
Students submitting SAT score	48.0%	32.0%
Students submitting ACT score	16.0%	6.0%
Total number of applicants	50,630	96,686
Total number of admissions given out	42,150	89,207
Admitted students who chose to enroll	9,225	16,049
Yield rate	21.9%	18.0%
Test scores (SAT/ACT)	N/A	N/A
High school GPA	Required	Required
Recommendation letters	Not 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: $29,734 Out of state: $55,546	In state: $38,270 Out of state: $55,848
Average net price	$8,738	$24,012
Tuition	In state: $14,750 Out of state: $40,562	In state: $18,368 Out of state: $35,946
Room & board	Room/dormitory: $4,408 Meal plan: $6,268	Room/dormitory: $7,360 Meal plan: $5,618
Available payment plans	Tuition payment plan	Tuition payment plan

Financial Aid
Students receiving financial aid (Grants & scholarships)	58.0% Average amount $12,822	51.0% Average amount $9,884
Students receiving federal student loan	34.0% Average amount $4,999	49.0% Average amount $5,305
Students taking out private loans	6.0% Average amount $18,093	13.0% Average amount $19,837

Students and Campus
Undergraduate students	38,574 Men 48.4% Women 51.6%	73,476 Men 53.7% Women 46.3%
Graduate students	11,085 Men 42.4% Women 57.6%	15,438 Men 51.7% Women 48.3%
Racial/ethnic diversity	Low	Low
Out-of-state students	18.7%	34.1%
International students	8.3%	10.5%
Campus local/setting	City: Small	City: Small
Dormitory capacity	17,463	20,547
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	Pennsylvania New Jersey New York Maryland Virginia

Academics
Popular study areas	Business Biological and Biomedical Sciences Communication and Journalism Health Professions Engineering	Business Engineering Computer and Information Science Health Professions Social Sciences
Students to faculty ratio	16:1	15:1
Institutional accreditation	Higher Learning Commission	Middle States Commission on Higher Education

Outcome
Graduation rate	82.1%	72.3%
Dropout rate	7.8%	25.7%
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	Information Science/Studies (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $109,295 Year 2: $120,549 Year 3: $125,527 Computer and Information Sciences, General (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $99,798 Year 2: $95,930 Year 3: $120,289 Computer Engineering (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $100,190 Year 2: $97,959 Year 3: $113,544 Mining and Mineral Engineering (Associate's Degrees) Year 1: N/A Year 2: $98,403 Year 3: $108,754 Management Sciences and Quantitative Methods (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $100,372 Year 2: $100,455 Year 3: $107,874 Systems Engineering (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $96,574 Year 2: $99,291 Year 3: $104,370 Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $95,304 Year 2: $97,855 Year 3: $104,056 Business Administration, Management and Operations (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $92,512 Year 2: $94,864 Year 3: $103,461 Management Information Systems and Services (Master's Degrees) Year 1: N/A Year 2: $92,632 Year 3: $98,201 Nuclear Engineering (Master's Degrees) Year 1: N/A Year 2: $89,155 Year 3: $94,780

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