Saginaw Valley State University (SVSU) vs Michigan State University (MSU)

Saginaw Valley State University (SVSU) and Michigan State University (MSU) are two distinct institutions of higher learning in Michigan, each offering unique educational experiences. SVSU, located in University Center, is a public university with a smaller student body, fostering a close-knit community feel. MSU, situated in East Lansing, is a large, public research university with a diverse student population and a wide range of academic programs. While both universities offer a variety of undergraduate and graduate degrees, they differ in acceptance rates, popular majors, student demographics, and graduation rates. Explore the comprehensive comparison table below to discover which university aligns best with your academic aspirations and personal preferences.

	Michigan State University	Saginaw Valley State University
Overview
Location	East Lansing, Michigan	University Center, Michigan
Campus setting	City: Small	Suburb: Midsize
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%	73.0%
Common app member	Yes	Yes
Religious affiliation

Admission
Acceptance rate	83.3%	77.8%
Application fees	Undergraduate: $65 Graduate: $65
SAT range	1100 - 1320	960 - 1170
ACT range	23 - 29	19 - 25
Students submitting SAT score	48.0%	80.0%
Students submitting ACT score	16.0%	6.0%
Total number of applicants	50,630	5,899
Total number of admissions given out	42,150	4,590
Admitted students who chose to enroll	9,225	1,336
Yield rate	21.9%	29.1%
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: $26,036 Out of state: $41,050
Average net price	$8,738	$15,476
Tuition	In state: $14,750 Out of state: $40,562	In state: $11,130 Out of state: $26,144
Room & board	Room/dormitory: $4,408 Meal plan: $6,268	Room/dormitory: $4,608 Meal plan: $4,150
Available payment plans	Tuition payment plan	Tuition payment plan

Financial Aid
Students receiving financial aid (Grants & scholarships)	58.0% Average amount $12,822	98.0% Average amount $7,607
Students receiving federal student loan	34.0% Average amount $4,999	54.0% Average amount $5,138
Students taking out private loans	6.0% Average amount $18,093	6.0% Average amount $9,204

Students and Campus
Undergraduate students	38,574 Men 48.4% Women 51.6%	6,789 Men 35.6% Women 64.4%
Graduate students	11,085 Men 42.4% Women 57.6%	734 Men 21.1% Women 78.9%
Racial/ethnic diversity	Low	Very Low
Out-of-state students	18.7%	N/A
International students	8.3%	3.2%
Campus local/setting	City: Small	Suburb: Midsize
Dormitory capacity	17,463	2,233
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	Health Professions Education Public Administration and Social Service Business Engineering
Students to faculty ratio	16:1	16:1
Institutional accreditation	Higher Learning Commission	Higher Learning Commission

Outcome
Graduation rate	82.1%	42.5%
Dropout rate	7.8%	53.3%
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	Mechanical Engineering (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $67,762 Year 2: $73,378 Year 3: $76,097 Computer Systems Analysis (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $61,415 Year 2: $64,990 Year 3: $71,386 Computer and Information Sciences, General (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: N/A Year 2: $59,169 Year 3: $70,201 Rehabilitation and Therapeutic Professions (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $61,282 Year 2: $64,990 Year 3: $66,489 Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $61,511 Year 2: $61,688 Year 3: $63,045 Educational Administration and Supervision (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $54,063 Year 2: $56,776 Year 3: $62,740 Business Administration, Management and Operations (Master's Degrees) Year 1: N/A Year 2: $57,318 Year 3: $60,104 Chemistry (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: N/A Year 2: $40,641 Year 3: $55,381 Accounting and Related Services (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $50,943 Year 2: $44,468 Year 3: $53,829 Health and Medical Administrative Services (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $50,863 Year 2: $48,682 Year 3: $53,438

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Saginaw Valley State University (SVSU) vs Michigan State University (MSU)

Michigan State University

Saginaw Valley State University

Overview

Admission

Tuition and Fees

Financial Aid

Students and Campus

Academics

Outcome

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