Michigan State University
East Lansing, MI · Public · Small city · Carnegie R1/R2 · MI State U · MI State University · MSU · Spartans · State
Public institution in East Lansing, MI · 40,243 undergraduates · 84% acceptance rate · $67,253 median earnings 10 years after entry.
- Top 1%Undergraduates
- Top 9%Graduation rate (4-year)
- Top 11%Full-time retention
- Top 17%Median earnings, 10 years after entry
Stats
College Scorecard figures, each with where this school sits nationally among institutions that report the same measure. A dash means the school does not report it.
Cost
- Average net price
- $20,7511,141st cheapest of 1,969 reporting
- In-state tuition & fees
- $15,988988th cheapest of 2,024 reporting
- Out-of-state tuition & fees
- $43,3721,692nd cheapest of 2,024 reporting
- Cost of attendance
- $30,528959th cheapest of 1,969 reporting
- Median graduate debt
- $23,2501,033rd lowest of 1,865 reporting
Outcomes
- Median earnings, 10 years after entry
- $67,253334th highest of 1,954 reporting
- Median earnings, 6 years after entry
- $55,084342nd highest of 1,950 reporting
- Graduation rate (4-year)
- 82.2%180th highest of 2,014 reporting
- Full-time retention
- 91.4%206th highest of 1,837 reporting
Admissions
- Acceptance rate
- 83.9%1,028th most selective of 1,596 reporting
- Average SAT
- 1261254th highest of 1,022 reporting
- Median ACT
- 26270th highest of 952 reporting
Campus
- Undergraduates
- 40,24317th largest of 2,144 reporting
- Student-faculty ratio
- 17.0:11,581st smallest of 2,141 reporting
- Pell Grant share
- 20.0%1,706th highest of 2,122 reporting
Nearest large-hub airport: 67 mi (DTW)
On 5 of our 111 lists
Every published ranking this school appears on, with its rank there.
Applying
- EANov 1
- RDApr 1
- Common App member
- Yes
- Application fee
- $75
- Personal essay
- Required
- Writing supplement
- No
Deadlines and essay flags come from the Common App Requirements Grid, joined by school name. Always confirm against the school’s own admissions page before applying.
Best-paying fields of study
Median earnings one and two years after graduating, by field. Showing 12 of 102 reported programs.
| Field | Level | 1 yr | 2 yr |
|---|---|---|---|
| Computer EngineeringEngineering | bachelors | $76,998 | $80,133 |
| Electrical, Electronics and Communications EngineeringEngineering | bachelors | $76,460 | $77,115 |
| Computer and Information Sciences, GeneralComputer Science | bachelors | $75,814 | $75,291 |
| Mechanical EngineeringEngineering | bachelors | $72,327 | $75,936 |
| Construction Engineering TechnologiesEngineering Technology | bachelors | $71,295 | $68,422 |
| Chemical EngineeringEngineering | bachelors | $70,680 | $71,351 |
| Materials EngineeringEngineering | bachelors | $69,817 | $69,338 |
| Engineering, GeneralEngineering | bachelors | $67,548 | $63,997 |
| Engineering-Related FieldsEngineering Technology | bachelors | $66,768 | $67,429 |
| Civil EngineeringEngineering | bachelors | $65,295 | $63,788 |
| Business Administration, Management and OperationsBusiness | bachelors | $63,005 | $62,654 |
| Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical NursingHealth Professions | bachelors | $61,498 | $61,634 |
Campus facts
- Founded in 1855source
- Athletic nickname: "Spartans"source
- Mascot: Spartysource
- Spartan Stadium seats about 75,005source
- Competes in NCAA Division Isource
- Motto: ""Spartans Will.""source
- Campus size: about 5,200 acressource
- Formerly known as "{{collapsible list"source
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- Formerly known as "| title=|Agricultural College of the State of Michigan" (1855–1861)source
- Formerly known as "State Agricultural College" (1861–1909)source
- Formerly known as "Michigan Agricultural College" (1909–1925)source
- Formerly known as "Michigan State College of Agriculture and Applied Science" (1925–1955)source
- Formerly known as "Michigan State University of Agriculture and Applied Science (1955–1964)}}"source
- Athletic conference: Big Tensource
- A [[National Sea Grant College Program institutionsource
- A sea-grant]] institutionsource
- A [[National Space Grant College and Fellowship Program institutionsource
- A space-grant]] }} institutionsource
- Plays for the "Land Grant Trophy" (since 1914)source
- Football rivalry: Chicago–Michigan (since 1892)source
- Football rivalry: Illinois–Michigan (since 1898)source
- Plays for the "Old Brass Spittoon" (since 1922)source
- Plays for the "Paul Bunyan Trophy" (since 1898)source
- Plays for the "Paul Bunyan Trophy" (since 1898)source
- Plays for the "Little Brown Jug" (since 1892)source
- Plays for the "George Jewitt Trophy" (since 1892)source
- Football rivalry: Michigan–Notre Dame (since 1887)source
- Football rivalry: Michigan–Penn State (since 1993)source
- Plays for the "Megaphone Trophy" (since 1897)source
- Football rivalry: The Game (since 1897)source
- Plays for the "Miner's Cup" (since 1920)source
- 1 Nobel laureate affiliatedsource
- Fight song: ""[[The Victors]]""source
- Notable alum: Magic Johnsonsource
- Notable alum: James Caansource
- Notable alum: Sam Raimisource
- Notable alum: Alfred Hersheysource
- Notable alum: Michael Ciminosource
Athletics — 14 sports
NCAA Division I-FBS · NCAA Division I
Athletic scholarships allowed · Athletic aid $19,484,982 (M $11,243,351 · W $8,241,631)
- Baseball
- Basketball
- Field Hockey
- Football
- Golf
- Gymnastics
- Ice Hockey
- Rowing
- Soccer
- Softball
- Tennis
- Track and Field and Cross Country (combined)
- Volleyball
- Wrestling
- Ice Hockey: 2007
Self-reported EADA participants (2024-2025). Athletic aid is institution-level, not per sport.
Similar-size colleges
Nearest undergraduate enrollment to Michigan State University’s 40,243 (College Scorecard UGDS, compiled 2026-10-24). Size only — not a judgment of similarity or quality.
In MI
- University of Michigan-Ann ArborAnn Arbor, MI · 33,488 undergrads
- Grand Valley State UniversityAllendale, MI · 19,073 undergrads
- Wayne State UniversityDetroit, MI · 15,676 undergrads
- Western Michigan UniversityKalamazoo, MI · 12,704 undergrads
- Oakland UniversityRochester Hills, MI · 12,450 undergrads
- Eastern Michigan UniversityYpsilanti, MI · 10,751 undergrads
Elsewhere
- University of ArizonaTucson, AZ · 40,769 undergrads
- Purdue University-Main CampusWest Lafayette, IN · 39,637 undergrads
- Kennesaw State UniversityKennesaw, GA · 39,503 undergrads
- American Public University SystemCharles Town, WV · 38,976 undergrads
- Florida International UniversityMiami, FL · 38,761 undergrads
- Dallas CollegeDallas, TX · 41,815 undergrads
Key links
- Official websitemsu.edu
- College ScorecardFederal source for every figure above (UNITID 171100)
- Compare colleges in MIRe-score with your weights
- The Most Selective Colleges in MichiganEvery eligible four-year in this state, ranked by published admission rate
- Compare with University of Michigan-Ann ArborSide by side on every Scorecard measure — closest in-state school by enrollment
- Showdown: Michigan State University vs University of Michigan-Ann ArborHigher-or-lower on real Scorecard metrics — round 1 is these two
- Sports directoryAll 14 EADA programs at this school
- Build an admissions plan8th–12th grade actions for this college — sports, activities, timeline
- MethodologyWhat these figures do and do not capture
- How to read a school page end to endStats, standings, lists, athletics, news — one profile, many jobs. Know which panel answers which question.
- Sticker price is a trapPublished tuition is a starting rumor. Net price is closer to what families actually pay.
- What acceptance rate actually measuresSelectivity is a competition statistic — not a quality score, and not your personal odds.
- A plan from eighth grade — without fake certaintySchool-anchored milestones, sports scarcity honesty, and EC playbooks — not invented admit odds.