Michigan State University was the first land-grant institution in the country and became a model for similar schools. Michigan State is also home to one of the nation's only environmental journalism organizations, a solar car racing team and a student-run organic farm. Its graduate programs include the highly ranked College of Education and the well-regarded Eli Broad College of Business.Students can join more than 900 student clubs, including 60-plus fraternities and sororities. The university has one of the largest single-campus residence hall systems in the U.S., and freshmen must live on campus, with a few exceptions. Students can take advantage of more than 275 study abroad programs.

North Carolina State University, known as NC State for short, is the largest four-year college in the state. Students have more than 100 degree programs and more than 580 clubs and organizations to choose from.