UM-Dearborn vs Michigan State University (MSU)

When it comes to higher education in Michigan, two prominent universities that often draw comparisons are the University of Michigan-Dearborn (UM-Dearborn) and Michigan State University (MSU). While both institutions offer a wide range of academic programs and opportunities, they differ in several key aspects. UM-Dearborn, with its smaller size and lower acceptance rate, provides a more intimate learning environment, while MSU, with its larger student body and higher graduation rate, offers a more diverse and vibrant campus life. Additionally, the two universities vary in their popular majors, with UM-Dearborn excelling in engineering and business, and MSU excelling in agriculture and natural resources. To help you make an informed decision about your educational journey, we have compiled a comprehensive comparison table that delves into these differences and more. Explore the table to discover which university better aligns with your academic aspirations and personal preferences.

	Michigan State University	University of Michigan-Dearborn
Overview
Location	East Lansing, Michigan	Dearborn, Michigan
Campus setting	City: Small	City: 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%	84.0%
Common app member	Yes	Yes
Religious affiliation

Admission
Acceptance rate	83.3%	68.8%
Application fees	Undergraduate: $65 Graduate: $65	$60
SAT range	1100 - 1320	1050 - 1300
ACT range	23 - 29	22 - 28
Students submitting SAT score	48.0%	58.0%
Students submitting ACT score	16.0%	7.0%
Total number of applicants	50,630	8,065
Total number of admissions given out	42,150	5,546
Admitted students who chose to enroll	9,225	1,084
Yield rate	21.9%	19.5%
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	Required

Tuition and Fees
Sticker price	In state: $29,734 Out of state: $55,546	In state: $27,552 Out of state: $41,784
Average net price	$8,738	$11,818
Tuition	In state: $14,750 Out of state: $40,562	In state: $13,416 Out of state: $27,648
Room & board	Room/dormitory: $4,408 Meal plan: $6,268
Available payment plans	Tuition payment plan	Tuition payment plan

Financial Aid
Students receiving financial aid (Grants & scholarships)	58.0% Average amount $12,822	87.0% Average amount $10,899
Students receiving federal student loan	34.0% Average amount $4,999	31.0% Average amount $4,861
Students taking out private loans	6.0% Average amount $18,093	3.0% Average amount $12,857

Students and Campus
Undergraduate students	38,574 Men 48.4% Women 51.6%	6,355 Men 53.6% Women 46.4%
Graduate students	11,085 Men 42.4% Women 57.6%	1,976 Men 61.2% Women 38.8%
Racial/ethnic diversity	Low	Low
Out-of-state students	18.7%	1.6%
International students	8.3%	8.9%
Campus local/setting	City: Small	City: Midsize
Dormitory capacity	17,463	N/A
First year students are required to live on campus?	No	N/A
Top 5 states where most U.S. students come from	Michigan Illinois California Ohio New York	Michigan Florida California Indiana Minnesota

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

Outcome
Graduation rate	82.1%	56.3%
Dropout rate	7.8%	11.5%
Transferred out	9.8%	27.2%
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	Electrical, Electronics and Communications Engineering (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $99,849 Year 2: $105,083 Year 3: $121,452 Business Administration, Management and Operations (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $97,476 Year 2: $90,856 Year 3: $94,412 Electrical, Electronics and Communications Engineering (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $76,680 Year 2: $77,464 Year 3: $88,869 Computer Programming (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $67,925 Year 2: $76,460 Year 3: $88,448 Mechanical Engineering (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $72,006 Year 2: $80,486 Year 3: $85,289 Computer Engineering (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $73,051 Year 2: $73,949 Year 3: $81,239 Biomedical/Medical Engineering (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $56,541 Year 2: $77,401 Year 3: $77,316 Computer and Information Sciences, General (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $67,918 Year 2: $69,338 Year 3: $74,693 Accounting and Related Services (Master's Degrees) Year 1: N/A Year 2: $62,260 Year 3: $74,483 Management Information Systems and Services (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $53,109 Year 2: $62,508 Year 3: $66,466

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UM-Dearborn vs Michigan State University (MSU)

Michigan State University

University of Michigan-Dearborn

Overview

Admission

Tuition and Fees

Financial Aid

Students and Campus

Academics

Outcome

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