Looking forward to the face-off between the Spartans and the Tigers? While Michigan State’s fate on the court is yet to be decided, the school is winning big-time in lots of other ways.
Basketball Program Makes the Grade
In its sports rankings, College Factual also takes into account how students perform academically to help identify those colleges and universities with strong student outcomes. Less than 1% of college athletes go on to play pro, so it’s important to know that they are being prepared to enter other successful careers.
For the 2019 College Factual rankings, Michigan State comes in at #24 for Division I Men’s Basketball. That’s 2 rungs higher than last year’s ranking of #26. This puts the school’s basketball program in the top 10% of all Division I programs that were reviewed in the nationwide analysis.
Louisiana State University, on the other hand, landed the #145 spot. So, Michigan State wins in this category.
Michigan State has had a strong season with its 28-6 win-loss record, but that’s not the only thing this Big Ten Conference school is known for. Let’s take a look at other areas where Michigan State is a clear winner.
Learn more about sports at Michigan State.
Outcomes of Michigan State Students
Has a Better APR
One important tool used to measure the academic performance of a college basketball team is the Academic Progress Rate (APR). Michigan State’s APR is 1000, which is 47 points higher than Louisiana State University’s APR of 953.
Having a high APR is important for many reasons. For one, it’s a good indicator of whether or not you’ll be able to graduate on time with a degree in hand. For another, it means your team is less likely to receive a sanction from the NCAA that could restrict scholarship money or even prevent you from participating in postseason play.
Get Higher-Paying Jobs
One way to measure post-college success is to look at how much money you’ll make after you get your degree. The average entry-level salary for a graduate of Michigan State is $39,633, while the average for a graduate of Louisiana State University is $39,483.
That 0.4% difference in salary adds up over time, and it could even help you pay off any student loans or buy a new home faster.
Graduate Faster
The longer you spend working on your degree, the more the bills will stack up. So, by finishing college on time, you could end up spending tens of thousands of dollars less than those students who took a year or more longer to graduate.
Michigan State students should be smiling since their average time to graduate is 4.4 years, while Louisiana State University students spend an average of 4.5 years working in their degrees.
Less Likely to Default on Student Loans
If you’re lucky, you won’t have to take out any student loans for college, but for those that do, it’s a good idea to know upfront that you’ll be able to pay them back. One indicator of this is a school’s student loan default rate.
Michigan State’s student loan default rate is only 3.5% while Louisiana State University’s is 5.2%. This means that Michigan State graduates are more likely to be able to make their student loan payments than Louisiana State University graduates.
Off the Court: Other Rankings
Educational Quality
In terms of overall school quality, Michigan State ranks #140 out of 1,779 schools. This puts Michigan State solidly in the top 10% of all schools in the country.
This is 124 positions higher than Louisiana State University’s ranking of #264.
Diversity
Out of the 2238 colleges in the nation that were looked at in this ranking, Michigan State came in at #326. This puts Michigan State in the top 15% countrywide, making it an excellent choice for students who want to meet others from all types of backgrounds. Louisiana State University is ranked at #410.
Non-Traditional Students
For this ranking, Michigan State came in at #33, putting it in the top 5% of all schools countrywide. Louisiana State University, on the other hand, ranked #406.
Michigan State Fast Facts
- The student-to-faculty ratio at Michigan State is 17 to 1 as compared to Louisiana State University’s ratio of 22 to 1. A lower student-to-faculty ratio generally means that students have more opportunities to interact with their professors one on one.
- The freshman retention rate at Michigan State is 91%, while it is only 83% at Louisiana State University. This means fewer freshmen transfer or drop out from Michigan State.
- Michigan State has approximately 38,996 undergraduates, while Louisiana State University has 25,444.
- The average cost per year to attend Michigan State is $42,497, while the average cost to attend Louisiana State University is $34,624.
See more stats about Michigan State.
If you want to continue comparing Michigan State and Louisiana State University head-to-head on the factors that matter the most to you, check out College Factual’s free tool, College Combat®.
