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Comparison tool

Michigan vs. MIT

Rankings across 8 publishers plus admissions, cost, debt and outcome data for University of Michigan–Ann Arbor, Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Every figure is sourced and dated.

Side-by-side metric comparison of University of Michigan–Ann Arbor, Massachusetts Institute of Technology
MetricMichiganAnn Arbor, MIMITCambridge, MA
Acceptance rate15.6%4.5%
SAT middle 50%1360–15301520–1580
Average net price$13,13818.1% on Pell grants$20,11119.3% on Pell grants
Published tuition & fees$17,736 in-state · $60,946 outMost recent reported academic year, College Scorecard June 2026 release$62,396Most recent reported academic year, College Scorecard June 2026 release
6-year graduation rate93.2%96.4%
First-year retention97.5%99.1%
Undergraduates on Pell grants18.1%19.3%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry$83,648$143,372
Median federal debt at graduation$19,500$14,768
Student-faculty ratio11:13:1
Undergraduate enrollment34,1774,535
Consensus percentile4Lower is better1Lower is better
Methodology sensitivity6 ptsHow far published lists disagree, in percentile points3 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.

Rankings across all sources

“Not ranked by this source” means that publisher’s list does not include the school — not missing data and not a poor rank.

SourceMichiganMIT
US News#20 of 436National universitiesNational Universities · 2026#2 of 436National universitiesNational Universities · 2026
Forbes#21 of 500Top colleges (Forbes)America's Top Colleges · 2026#1 of 500Top colleges (Forbes)America's Top Colleges · 2026
Washington Monthly#29 of 442National universitiesNational Universities · 2026#12 of 442National universitiesNational Universities · 2026
WSJ#22 of 500U.S. colleges (WSJ)Best Colleges in the U.S. · 2026#6 of 500U.S. colleges (WSJ)Best Colleges in the U.S. · 2026
Niche#20 of 2,605Overall (Niche)Best Colleges (Overall) · 2026#1 of 2,605Overall (Niche)Best Colleges (Overall) · 2026
MoneyNot ranked by this sourceNot ranked by this source
Princeton ReviewNot ranked by this sourceNot ranked by this source
QS#45 of 1,504World (QS)World University Rankings · 2026#1 of 1,504World (QS)World University Rankings · 2026

What each school is for

University of Michigan–Ann Arbor

Self-directed students who want research-university resources and big-campus energy — and especially Michigan residents, for whom the value is hard to beat anywhere.

Biggest caution

Out-of-state cost approaches private-university levels with limited need-based aid.

Full profile

Massachusetts Institute of Technology

Students with demonstrated, self-directed technical intensity — competition math, original research, shipped projects — who want to be surrounded by peers operating at the same level.

Biggest caution

A 4.5% acceptance rate means even exceptional applicants should treat admission as unlikely.

Full profile