Michigan State University (MSU) vs UC Davis

Envision yourself immersed in the vibrant college towns of East Lansing, Michigan, or Davis, California, home to Michigan State University (MSU) and University of California-Davis (UC Davis), respectively. While both institutions share a commitment to academic excellence and offer a diverse range of programs, they possess distinct characteristics that may influence your higher education journey. MSU boasts a higher acceptance rate, making it a more accessible option, while UC Davis maintains a slightly smaller student body, fostering a more intimate learning environment. Explore the nuances of each university's popular majors, student demographics, and graduation rates in the comprehensive comparison table provided. Discover which institution aligns best with your academic aspirations and personal preferences, setting the stage for an enriching and transformative college experience.

	Michigan State University	University of California-Davis
Overview
Location	East Lansing, Michigan	Davis, California
Campus setting	City: Small	Suburb: Small
College type	4 year	4 year
Control/business model	Public	Public
Calendar system	Semester	Quarter
Degrees offered	Undergraduate and Graduate	Undergraduate and Graduate
Students retention rate	92.0%	91.0%
Common app member	Yes	No
Religious affiliation

Admission
Acceptance rate	83.3%	48.8%
Application fees	Undergraduate: $65 Graduate: $65	Undergraduate: $70 Graduate: $120
SAT range	1100 - 1320	N/A
ACT range	23 - 29	N/A
Students submitting SAT score	48.0%
Students submitting ACT score	16.0%
Total number of applicants	50,630	87,120
Total number of admissions given out	42,150	42,475
Admitted students who chose to enroll	9,225	7,482
Yield rate	21.9%	17.6%
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: $32,584 Out of state: $62,338
Average net price	$8,738	$16,640
Tuition	In state: $14,750 Out of state: $40,562	In state: $11,442 Out of state: $41,196
Room & board	Room/dormitory: $4,408 Meal plan: $6,268	$17,018
Available payment plans	Tuition payment plan	Tuition payment plan

Financial Aid
Students receiving financial aid (Grants & scholarships)	58.0% Average amount $12,822	59.0% Average amount $17,628
Students receiving federal student loan	34.0% Average amount $4,999	23.0% Average amount $4,043
Students taking out private loans	6.0% Average amount $18,093	11.0% Average amount $3,360

Students and Campus
Undergraduate students	38,574 Men 48.4% Women 51.6%	31,657 Men 39.8% Women 60.2%
Graduate students	11,085 Men 42.4% Women 57.6%	8,393 Men 43.8% Women 56.2%
Racial/ethnic diversity	Low	Moderate
Out-of-state students	18.7%	7.5%
International students	8.3%	17.0%
Campus local/setting	City: Small	Suburb: Small
Dormitory capacity	17,463	11,142
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	California Washington Illinois Texas Hawaii

Academics
Popular study areas	Business Biological and Biomedical Sciences Communication and Journalism Health Professions Engineering	Biological and Biomedical Sciences Business Agriculture Engineering Family and Consumer Sciences
Students to faculty ratio	16:1	21:1
Institutional accreditation	Higher Learning Commission	Western Association of Schools and Colleges Senior Colleges and University Commission

Outcome
Graduation rate	82.1%	86.9%
Dropout rate	7.8%	11.8%
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	Health Professions and Related Clinical Sciences, Other (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $121,903 Year 2: $135,393 Year 3: $137,917 Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $127,500 Year 2: $125,015 Year 3: $135,009 Business Administration, Management and Operations (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $106,299 Year 2: $116,258 Year 3: $127,335 Computer and Information Sciences, General (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $76,488 Year 2: $81,609 Year 3: $103,694 Veterinary Biomedical and Clinical Sciences (First Professional Degrees) Year 1: $80,669 Year 2: N/A Year 3: $100,961 Educational Administration and Supervision (Doctoral Degrees) Year 1: $112,976 Year 2: $98,186 Year 3: $99,585 Computer Engineering (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $81,487 Year 2: $82,440 Year 3: $98,364 Mechanical Engineering (Master's Degrees) Year 1: N/A Year 2: $87,604 Year 3: $94,032 Engineering, General (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $74,487 Year 2: $70,370 Year 3: $89,594 Law (First Professional Degrees) Year 1: $73,514 Year 2: $74,262 Year 3: $87,586

Compare Similar Colleges

The list of suggested college comparisons provided below is generated automatically by our system, utilizing statistics gathered from the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) and various online sources. If you don't find the colleges you wish to compare, please visit our comparison page. There, you can search for the specific colleges and initiate your comparison.

Michigan State University (MSU) vs UC Davis

Michigan State University

University of California-Davis

Overview

Admission

Tuition and Fees

Financial Aid

Students and Campus

Academics

Outcome

Compare Similar Colleges

Find Colleges By State

Resources

About