Quad
Michigan State
U. Cincinnati

Key differences on Outcomes

  1. 1

    Michigan State grads earn $12.4K more ten years out than U. Cincinnati's ($67,253 vs. $54,810)

    Median earnings, 10 yrs
  2. 2

    Michigan State graduates 10 pts more of its students than U. Cincinnati (82% vs. 73%)

    Graduation rate

Outcomes

Outcomes

Earnings and finishing

Median earnings, 10 yrs
Michigan State$67.3K
U. Cincinnati$54.8K
Graduation rate
Michigan State82%
U. Cincinnati73%
Retention rate
Michigan State91%
U. Cincinnati86%

Borrowing

Median debt
Michigan State$23.3K
U. Cincinnati$21.3K
Undergrads with a federal loan
Michigan State34%
U. Cincinnati37%
Median debt, Pell Grant recipients
Michigan State$20K
U. Cincinnati$13K

Eight-year outcomes

Credential within 4 years, all students
Michigan State65%
U. Cincinnati43%
Credential within 8 years, all students
Michigan State82%
U. Cincinnati74%
Enrolled at another college, 8 years on
Michigan State12%
U. Cincinnati15%

Graduation by group

Graduated in 6 years, Pell Grant recipients
Michigan State71%
U. Cincinnati66%
Graduated in 6 years, neither Pell nor subsidized loan
Michigan State83%
U. Cincinnati80%
Pell graduation gap
Michigan State12 pts lower
U. Cincinnati14 pts lower

Graduated in 6 years, by race and ethnicity

GroupMichigan StateU. Cincinnati
White84%75%
Asian83%84%
Hispanic/Latino72%67%
Black68%63%
Two or more races72%73%
International77%81%

All outcome numbers in the table

Sources:College Scorecard, most recent release;Michigan State University Common Data Set 2025–26, Entered fall 2024;College Scorecard, 2023–24;IPEDS Outcome Measures survey, Students entering fall 2016;IPEDS Graduation Rates survey (Pell Grant and subsidized loan recipients), Entered fall 2018;University of Cincinnati-Main Campus 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