Comparison tool
Rankings across 8 publishers plus admissions, cost, debt and outcome data for University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Michigan State University. Every figure is sourced and dated.
| Metric | UIUCChampaign, IL | UW–MadisonMadison, WI | Michigan StateEast Lansing, MI |
|---|---|---|---|
| Acceptance rate | 42.4% | 45.2% | 84.8% |
| SAT middle 50% | 1310–1520 | 1380–1520 | 1180–1360 |
| Average net price | $14,35523.4% on Pell grants | $17,35415.9% on Pell grants | $19,68020.1% on Pell grants |
| Published tuition & fees | $16,004 in-state · $35,124 outMost recent reported academic year, College Scorecard June 2026 release | $11,603 in-state · $42,103 outMost recent reported academic year, College Scorecard June 2026 release | $16,458 in-state · $43,842 outMost recent reported academic year, College Scorecard June 2026 release |
| 6-year graduation rate | 85.1% | 89.5% | 80.7% |
| First-year retention | 94.8% | 96.2% | 90.0% |
| Undergraduates on Pell grants | 23.4% | 15.9% | 20.1% |
| Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry | $81,054 | $73,792 | $67,253 |
| Median federal debt at graduation | $19,500 | $20,484 | $23,250 |
| Student-faculty ratio | 20:1 | 18:1 | 17:1 |
| Undergraduate enrollment | 36,258 | 36,902 | 40,922 |
| Consensus percentile | 6Lower is better | 8Lower is better | 11Lower is better |
| Methodology sensitivity | 9 ptsHow far published lists disagree, in percentile points | 13 ptsHow far published lists disagree, in percentile points | 12 ptsHow far published lists disagree, in percentile points |
Highlighted cells mark the most favourable value in that row where a direction is meaningful. No highlight appears for metrics like enrollment or SAT range, where “better” depends entirely on what you want.
“Not ranked by this source” means that publisher’s list does not include the school — not missing data and not a poor rank.
| Source | UIUC | UW–Madison | Michigan State |
|---|---|---|---|
| US News | #36 of 436National universitiesNational Universities · 2026 | #36 of 436National universitiesNational Universities · 2026 | #64 of 436National universitiesNational Universities · 2026 |
| Forbes | #38 of 500Top colleges (Forbes)America's Top Colleges · 2026 | #53 of 500Top colleges (Forbes)America's Top Colleges · 2026 | #79 of 500Top colleges (Forbes)America's Top Colleges · 2026 |
| Washington Monthly | Not ranked by this source | #69 of 1,504Tuition & tax value (WM)Best Colleges for Your Tuition (and Tax) Dollars · 2026 | #127 of 1,504Tuition & tax value (WM)Best Colleges for Your Tuition (and Tax) Dollars · 2026 |
| WSJ | #53 of 500U.S. colleges (WSJ)Best Colleges in the U.S. · 2026 | #73 of 500U.S. colleges (WSJ)Best Colleges in the U.S. · 2026 | #60 of 500U.S. colleges (WSJ)Best Colleges in the U.S. · 2026 |
| Niche | #34 of 2,605Overall (Niche)Best Colleges (Overall) · 2026 | #44 of 2,605Overall (Niche)Best Colleges (Overall) · 2026 | #97 of 2,605Overall (Niche)Best Colleges (Overall) · 2026 |
| Money | Listed | Listed | Listed |
| Princeton Review | Listed | Listed | Listed |
| QS | #70 of 1,504World (QS)World University Rankings · 2026 | #111 of 1,504World (QS)World University Rankings · 2026 | #161 of 1,504World (QS)World University Rankings · 2026 |
Students comparing University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign on federal cost, completion, and earnings data who will layer in fit, location, and program strength separately.
This school may not appear on every publisher list we track; an empty rankings table means no tracked publisher ranked it, not missing federal data.
Full profileStudents comparing University of Wisconsin-Madison on federal cost, completion, and earnings data who will layer in fit, location, and program strength separately.
This school may not appear on every publisher list we track; an empty rankings table means no tracked publisher ranked it, not missing federal data.
Full profileStudents comparing Michigan State University on federal cost, completion, and earnings data who will layer in fit, location, and program strength separately.
This school may not appear on every publisher list we track; an empty rankings table means no tracked publisher ranked it, not missing federal data.
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