Northland College vs Michigan State University (MSU)

Northland College and Michigan State University, two distinct institutions of higher learning, offer unique educational experiences to prospective students. Northland College, a private liberal arts college nestled in the scenic Northwoods of Wisconsin, boasts a close-knit community and a focus on experiential learning. In contrast, Michigan State University, a large public research university located in East Lansing, Michigan, offers a wide range of academic programs and a vibrant campus life. With varying acceptance rates, popular majors, student body demographics, and graduation rates, these institutions cater to different student preferences and aspirations. Explore the comprehensive comparison table below to discover which university aligns best with your academic goals and personal preferences.

	Michigan State University	Northland College
Overview
Location	East Lansing, Michigan	Ashland, Wisconsin
Campus setting	City: Small	Town: Remote
College type	4 year	4 year
Control/business model	Public	Private (Non Profit)
Calendar system	Semester	4-1-4
Degrees offered	Undergraduate and Graduate	Undergraduate
Students retention rate	92.0%	73.0%
Common app member	Yes	Yes
Religious affiliation		Protestant

Admission
Acceptance rate	83.3%	57.7%
Application fees	Undergraduate: $65 Graduate: $65
SAT range	1100 - 1320	1010 - 1160
ACT range	23 - 29	20 - 27
Students submitting SAT score	48.0%	17.0%
Students submitting ACT score	16.0%	50.0%
Total number of applicants	50,630	1,436
Total number of admissions given out	42,150	828
Admitted students who chose to enroll	9,225	124
Yield rate	21.9%	15.0%
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	$53,032
Average net price	$8,738	$22,994
Tuition	In state: $14,750 Out of state: $40,562	$38,376
Room & board	Room/dormitory: $4,408 Meal plan: $6,268	Room/dormitory: $4,470 Meal plan: $6,104
Available payment plans	Tuition payment plan	Tuition payment plan

Financial Aid
Students receiving financial aid (Grants & scholarships)	58.0% Average amount $12,822	100.0% Average amount $28,740
Students receiving federal student loan	34.0% Average amount $4,999	69.0% Average amount $5,173
Students taking out private loans	6.0% Average amount $18,093	13.0% Average amount $13,657

Students and Campus
Undergraduate students	38,574 Men 48.4% Women 51.6%	531 Men 46.9% Women 53.1%
Graduate students	11,085 Men 42.4% Women 57.6%	N/A
Racial/ethnic diversity	Low	Low
Out-of-state students	18.7%	67.5%
International students	8.3%	6.8%
Campus local/setting	City: Small	Town: Remote
Dormitory capacity	17,463	500
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 Minnesota Illinois Michigan Texas

Academics
Popular study areas	Business Biological and Biomedical Sciences Communication and Journalism Health Professions Engineering	Physical Science Education Biological and Biomedical Sciences Visual & Performing Arts Business
Students to faculty ratio	16:1	10:1
Institutional accreditation	Higher Learning Commission	Higher Learning Commission

Outcome
Graduation rate	82.1%	58.3%
Dropout rate	7.8%	25.2%
Transferred out	9.8%	16.5%
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	Natural Resources Conservation and Research (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $29,122 Year 2: N/A Year 3: N/A Natural Resources and Conservation, Other (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $26,937 Year 2: N/A Year 3: N/A Teacher Education and Professional Development, Specific Levels and Methods (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $34,854 Year 2: N/A Year 3: N/A Biology, General (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $28,129 Year 2: $25,194 Year 3: N/A

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.

Northland College vs Michigan State University (MSU)

Michigan State University

Northland College

Overview

Admission

Tuition and Fees

Financial Aid

Students and Campus

Academics

Outcome

Compare Similar Colleges

Find Colleges By State

Resources

About