Key differences on Getting in

1
U. Colorado Boulder's SAT midpoint is 65 points higher than Michigan State's
SAT midpoint
2
Michigan State's yield is 4 pts higher than U. Colorado Boulder's
Yield rate
3
U. Colorado Boulder admits 78% vs. 83% at Michigan State
Acceptance rate

Admissions

Getting in, fall 2024

Acceptance and yield, test score ranges, test policy, and what each college weighs.

The funnel

Acceptance rate

U. Colorado Boulder78%Most selective

Michigan State83%

Applicants

U. Colorado Boulder67.3KMost

Michigan State63K

Admitted

U. Colorado Boulder52.5KMost

Michigan State52.4K

Yield rate

U. Colorado Boulder14%

Michigan State18%Highest

Quad's selectivity

U. Colorado BoulderSelective
Michigan StateSelective

Men and women

Acceptance rate for men and women who applied, where a college reports admissions by sex.

Women admitted

U. Colorado Boulder83%

Michigan State85%

Men admitted

U. Colorado Boulder73%

Michigan State84%

Test scores

SAT total,

U. Colorado Boulder

1240–1430

Michigan State

1180–1360

Axis runs 1100–1600. The dark tick marks the national median midpoint.

ACT composite,

U. Colorado Boulder

29–33

Michigan State

25–31

Axis runs 21–36. The dark tick marks the national median midpoint.

Submitted SAT

U. Colorado Boulder18%

Michigan State39%

Submitted ACT

U. Colorado Boulder6%

Michigan State7%

Test policy

U. Colorado BoulderTest-optional
Michigan StateTest-optional

How they read a record

U. Colorado Boulder
GPA, the high school record, and a college-prep program are required; class rank is considered.
Michigan State
GPA is very important; is important; tests are considered.

What they look at

Factor	U. Colorado Boulder	Michigan State
High school GPA	Required	Very important
High school record	Required	Not considered
Class rank	Considered	Not considered
College-prep program	Required	Required
Recommendations	Required	Not considered
Essay	Required	Important
Legacy status	Not considered	Not considered
Work experience	Considered	Considered
Demonstration of competencies	Not considered	Not considered
English proficiency test	Required	Required
Other tests	Not considered	Considered

All admissions numbers in the table

Sources:IPEDS Admissions survey, Fall 2024;College Scorecard, Entered fall 2023;College Scorecard, most recent release;Michigan State University (Fall 2025), Fall 2025;Michigan State University Common Data Set 2025–26, Fall 2027 applicants;Michigan State University Common Data Set 2025–26, Entered fall 2024About the data(retrieved 2026-10-12)

Figures are the newest each college has published; years can differ between colleges. Each value's ⓘ shows its source and year. Why