Quad

Head-to-head

Key differences

The biggest gaps between these schools, largest first.

  1. 1

    UNC costs about $13.8K less per year on average than Michigan ($25,694 vs. $39,461, all students)

    Average cost, all students
  2. 2

    Michigan grads earn $11.4K more ten years out than UNC's ($83,648 vs. $72,200)

    Median earnings, 10 yrs
  3. 3

    Michigan has 1.6× as many undergrads as UNC

    Undergrads
  4. 4

    Michigan's grants cover 27% of its full price on average, vs. 21% at UNC

    Aid generosity
  5. 5

    Michigan is more diverse (index 0.72 vs. 0.67)

    Diversity index
  6. 6

    Michigan graduates 2 pts more of its students than UNC (94% vs. 91%)

    Graduation 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

UNC admits 15%, Michigan 16%; Michigan's yield is higher, at 46%.

Acceptance rate
UNC15%
Michigan16%
Quad's selectivity
  • UNCHighly selective
  • MichiganHighly selective
SAT middle 50%Axis 1300–1600
UNC
1390–1530
Michigan
1370–1530
How they read a recordfirst-years at 3.75+
  • UNCRigor and GPA very importantweighted GPAs
  • MichiganRigor and GPA very important94%

Who's on each campus

Michigan has 1.6× as many undergrads as UNC; UNC has the larger Pell share.

Undergrads
UNC20.8K
Michigan34.2K
Pell Grant share
UNC20%
Michigan18%

Majors and faculty

Biology/Biological Sciences leads at UNC, and Computer and Information Sciences at Michigan; Michigan has 11 students per faculty member to UNC's 15.

Students per faculty member
UNC15 to 1
Michigan11 to 1
Most popular majorshare of graduates
  • UNCBiology/Biological Sciences, General11%
  • MichiganComputer and Information Sciences, General13%

What each costs

UNC costs about $13.8K less a year than Michigan on average; Michigan's grants cover the larger share of its price.

Average cost, all students
UNC$25.7K
Michigan$39.5K
Aid generosity
UNC21%
Michigan27%

What each pays off

Michigan's former students earn more, a median $83.6K ten years after enrolling; both graduate more than 90% within six years.

Median earnings, 10 years
UNC$72.2K
Michigan$83.6K
Graduation rate
UNC91%
Michigan94%

How each has changed

Applications grew at both; both got more selective.

Applications, 10-year change
  • UNCGrowing+112%
  • MichiganGrowing+98%
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

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