Comparison tool
Rankings across 8 publishers plus admissions, cost, debt and outcome data for University of Wisconsin-Madison, University of California-Riverside, Michigan State University. Every figure is sourced and dated.
| Metric | UW–MadisonMadison, WI | California-RiversideRiverside, CA | Michigan StateEast Lansing, MI |
|---|---|---|---|
| Acceptance rate | 45.2% | 76.4% | 84.8% |
| SAT middle 50% | 1380–1520 | Not reportedUniversity of California-Riverside reports that it neither requires nor recommends admissions test scores, and does not report a score range to the Department of Education. | 1180–1360 |
| Average net price | $17,35415.9% on Pell grants | $14,30446.9% on Pell grants | $19,68020.1% on Pell grants |
| Published tuition & fees | $11,603 in-state · $42,103 outMost recent reported academic year, College Scorecard June 2026 release | $15,606 in-state · $49,806 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 | 89.5% | 76.0% | 80.7% |
| First-year retention | 96.2% | 87.6% | 90.0% |
| Undergraduates on Pell grants | 15.9% | 46.9% | 20.1% |
| Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry | $73,792 | $67,699 | $67,253 |
| Median federal debt at graduation | $20,484 | $17,500 | $23,250 |
| Student-faculty ratio | 18:1 | 23:1 | 17:1 |
| Undergraduate enrollment | 36,902 | 22,593 | 40,922 |
| Consensus percentile | 8Lower is better | 16Lower is better | 11Lower is better |
| Methodology sensitivity | 13 ptsHow far published lists disagree, in percentile points | 23 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 | UW–Madison | California-Riverside | Michigan State |
|---|---|---|---|
| US News | #36 of 436National universitiesNational Universities · 2026 | #75 of 436National universitiesNational Universities · 2026 | #64 of 436National universitiesNational Universities · 2026 |
| Forbes | #53 of 500Top colleges (Forbes)America's Top Colleges · 2026 | #77 of 500Top colleges (Forbes)America's Top Colleges · 2026 | #79 of 500Top colleges (Forbes)America's Top Colleges · 2026 |
| Washington Monthly | #69 of 1,504Tuition & tax value (WM)Best Colleges for Your Tuition (and Tax) Dollars · 2026 | #101 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 | #73 of 500U.S. colleges (WSJ)Best Colleges in the U.S. · 2026 | #108 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 | #44 of 2,605Overall (Niche)Best Colleges (Overall) · 2026 | #161 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 | #111 of 1,504World (QS)World University Rankings · 2026 | #444 of 1,504World (QS)World University Rankings · 2026 | #161 of 1,504World (QS)World University Rankings · 2026 |
Students 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 University of California-Riverside 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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