Quad

Head-to-head

U. Colorado Boulder
Michigan State

Key differences

The biggest gaps between these schools, largest first.

  1. 1

    Michigan State costs about $13.6K less per year on average than U. Colorado Boulder ($30,087 vs. $43,699, all students)

    Average cost, all students
  2. 2

    Michigan State's grants cover 22% of its full price on average, vs. 12% at U. Colorado Boulder

    Aid generosity
  3. 3

    Michigan State graduates 9 pts more of its students than U. Colorado Boulder (82% vs. 74%)

    Graduation rate
  4. 4

    U. Colorado Boulder's SAT midpoint is 65 points higher than Michigan State's

    SAT midpoint
  5. 5

    Michigan State has 6 pts more Pell recipients than U. Colorado Boulder (20% vs. 14%)

    Pell Grant recipients
  6. 6

    Michigan State's yield is 4 pts higher than U. Colorado Boulder's

    Yield rate

The shape of each school

Each axis is a national rank among 4-year colleges; further out = more of it.

SelectivityTest scoresSizePell shareFirst-genDiversity

Who's hardest to get into

U. Colorado Boulder admits 78%, Michigan State 83%; Michigan State's yield is higher, at 18%.

Acceptance rate
U. Colorado Boulder78%
Michigan State83%
Quad's selectivity
  • U. Colorado BoulderSelective
  • Michigan StateSelective
SAT middle 50%Axis 1100–1600
U. Colorado Boulder
1240–1430
Michigan State
1180–1360
How they read a recordfirst-years at 3.75+
  • U. Colorado BoulderGPA, school record, and prep program required
  • Michigan StateGPA very important

Who's on each campus

Michigan State is a bit larger than U. Colorado Boulder (40,922 vs. 31,939 undergrads) and has the larger Pell share.

Undergrads
U. Colorado Boulder31.9K
Michigan State40.9K
Pell Grant share
U. Colorado Boulder14%
Michigan State20%

Majors and faculty

Business Administration and Management leads at U. Colorado Boulder, and Biology/Biological Sciences at Michigan State.

Students per faculty member
U. Colorado Boulder19 to 1
Michigan State17 to 1
Most popular majorshare of graduates
  • U. Colorado BoulderBusiness Administration and Management, General18%
  • Michigan StateBiology/Biological Sciences, General6%

What each costs

Michigan State costs about $13.6K less a year than U. Colorado Boulder on average, and its grants cover the larger share of its price.

Average cost, all students
U. Colorado Boulder$43.7K
Michigan State$30.1K
Aid generosity
U. Colorado Boulder12%
Michigan State22%

What each pays off

U. Colorado Boulder's former students earn more, a median $69.7K ten years after enrolling; both graduate more than 70% within six years.

Median earnings, 10 years
U. Colorado Boulder$69.7K
Michigan State$67.3K
Graduation rate
U. Colorado Boulder74%
Michigan State82%

How each has changed

Applications grew at both; U. Colorado Boulder got more selective while Michigan State got less.

Applications, 10-year change
  • U. Colorado BoulderGrowing+133%
  • Michigan StateGrowing+87%
All the numbersEvery figure for these colleges in one table, with differences highlighted.
Sources for this comparisonEvery dataset and year behind the numbers in this comparison; tap any ⓘ for one number's source

Sources:IPEDS Admissions survey, Fall 2024;College Scorecard, Fall 2024;College Scorecard, most recent release;IPEDS Institutional Characteristics survey, 2023–24;IPEDS Student Financial Aid survey, 2023–24;College Scorecard, Entered fall 2023;IPEDS Fall Enrollment survey (part D), Fall 2024;IPEDS Completions survey (degrees awarded by field), 2024–25 graduates;College Scorecard, 2023–24;IPEDS Graduation Rates survey (Pell Grant and subsidized loan recipients), Entered fall 2018;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