Olivet College vs Michigan State University (MSU)

Olivet College and Michigan State University, two esteemed institutions of higher learning in Michigan, offer distinct educational experiences tailored to diverse student aspirations. Olivet College, a private liberal arts college, fosters a close-knit community with a focus on personalized attention and undergraduate research opportunities. In contrast, Michigan State University, a large public research university, provides a comprehensive range of academic programs, extensive research facilities, and a vibrant campus life. While both institutions boast impressive faculty and strong alumni networks, their acceptance rates, popular majors, student body demographics, and graduation rates vary significantly. Explore the detailed comparison table below to discover which institution aligns best with your academic goals, preferred campus environment, and personal preferences.

	Michigan State University	Olivet College
Overview
Location	East Lansing, Michigan	Olivet, Michigan
Campus setting	City: Small	Rural: Distant
College type	4 year	4 year
Control/business model	Public	Private (Non Profit)
Calendar system	Semester	Semester
Degrees offered	Undergraduate and Graduate	Undergraduate and Graduate
Students retention rate	92.0%	56.0%
Common app member	Yes	No
Religious affiliation		Protestant

Admission
Acceptance rate	83.3%	88.5%
Application fees	Undergraduate: $65 Graduate: $65	$25
SAT range	1100 - 1320	910 - 1120
ACT range	23 - 29	18 - 23
Students submitting SAT score	48.0%	30.0%
Students submitting ACT score	16.0%	3.0%
Total number of applicants	50,630	1,200
Total number of admissions given out	42,150	1,062
Admitted students who chose to enroll	9,225	218
Yield rate	21.9%	20.5%
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	Not required

Tuition and Fees
Sticker price	In state: $29,734 Out of state: $55,546	$45,570
Average net price	$8,738	$23,779
Tuition	In state: $14,750 Out of state: $40,562	$30,032
Room & board	Room/dormitory: $4,408 Meal plan: $6,268	$10,838
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 $20,813
Students receiving federal student loan	34.0% Average amount $4,999	84.0% Average amount $5,248
Students taking out private loans	6.0% Average amount $18,093	84.0% Average amount $10,739

Students and Campus
Undergraduate students	38,574 Men 48.4% Women 51.6%	851 Men 58.0% Women 42.0%
Graduate students	11,085 Men 42.4% Women 57.6%	34 Men 55.9% Women 44.1%
Racial/ethnic diversity	Low	Low
Out-of-state students	18.7%	N/A
International students	8.3%	0.6%
Campus local/setting	City: Small	Rural: Distant
Dormitory capacity	17,463	781
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	N/A

Academics
Popular study areas	Business Biological and Biomedical Sciences Communication and Journalism Health Professions Engineering	Business Law Enforcement and Firefighting Health Professions Kinesiology & Leisure Studies Communication and Journalism
Students to faculty ratio	16:1	15:1
Institutional accreditation	Higher Learning Commission	Higher Learning Commission

Outcome
Graduation rate	82.1%	44.1%
Dropout rate	7.8%	35.7%
Transferred out	9.8%	20.2%
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	Insurance (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $46,626 Year 2: $51,035 Year 3: $56,285 Business Administration, Management and Operations (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $40,783 Year 2: $40,896 Year 3: $48,098 Criminal Justice and Corrections (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $35,640 Year 2: $36,560 Year 3: $43,659 Biology, General (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $28,174 Year 2: $29,685 Year 3: $41,413 Health and Physical Education/Fitness (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $28,707 Year 2: $28,381 Year 3: $34,449 Journalism (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: N/A Year 2: $25,967 Year 3: N/A Psychology, General (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: N/A Year 2: $32,391 Year 3: N/A

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Olivet College vs Michigan State University (MSU)

Michigan State University

Olivet College

Overview

Admission

Tuition and Fees

Financial Aid

Students and Campus

Academics

Outcome

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