Mississippi State University
Mississippi State, MS · Public · Town (remote) · Carnegie R1/R2 · MSU
Public institution in Mississippi State, MS · 18,092 undergraduates · 76% acceptance rate · $51,513 median earnings 10 years after entry.
- Top 6%Undergraduates
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
- $15,501722nd cheapest of 1,969 reporting
- In-state tuition & fees
- $9,815576th cheapest of 2,024 reporting
- Out-of-state tuition & fees
- $26,5801,117th cheapest of 2,024 reporting
- Cost of attendance
- $26,922805th cheapest of 1,969 reporting
- Median graduate debt
- $22,142905th lowest of 1,865 reporting
Outcomes
- Median earnings, 10 years after entry
- $51,513999th highest of 1,954 reporting
- Median earnings, 6 years after entry
- $43,487984th highest of 1,950 reporting
- Graduation rate (4-year)
- 62.9%663rd highest of 2,014 reporting
- Full-time retention
- 82.8%539th highest of 1,837 reporting
Admissions
- Acceptance rate
- 76.3%780th most selective of 1,596 reporting
- Average SAT
- 1220350th highest of 1,022 reporting
- Median ACT
- 26270th highest of 952 reporting
Campus
- Undergraduates
- 18,092134th largest of 2,144 reporting
- Student-faculty ratio
- 16.0:11,454th smallest of 2,141 reporting
- Pell Grant share
- 28.6%1,275th highest of 2,122 reporting
Nearest large-hub airport: 220 mi (BNA)
On 1 of our 111 lists
Every published ranking this school appears on, with its rank there.
Applying
- Common App member
- Yes
- Application fee
- $50
- Personal essay
- Optional / not 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 70 reported programs.
| Field | Level | 1 yr | 2 yr |
|---|---|---|---|
| Chemical EngineeringEngineering | bachelors | $74,845 | $74,307 |
| Electrical, Electronics and Communications EngineeringEngineering | bachelors | $72,320 | $74,405 |
| Computer EngineeringEngineering | bachelors | $71,957 | $67,660 |
| Construction ManagementBusiness | bachelors | $69,338 | $62,012 |
| Industrial EngineeringEngineering | bachelors | $69,002 | $69,710 |
| Mechanical EngineeringEngineering | bachelors | $68,754 | $73,852 |
| Engineering, OtherEngineering | bachelors | $62,508 | — |
| Aerospace, Aeronautical and Astronautical EngineeringEngineering | bachelors | $61,020 | $63,005 |
| Civil EngineeringEngineering | bachelors | $55,964 | $56,776 |
| Computer and Information Sciences, GeneralComputer Science | bachelors | $55,383 | $52,733 |
| Industrial Production Technologies/TechniciansEngineering Technology | bachelors | $53,358 | $48,935 |
| Architecture | bachelors | $50,022 | $52,107 |
Campus facts
- Founded in 1878source
- Athletic nickname: "Bulldogs"source
- Mascot: Bullysource
- Davis Wade Stadium seats about 61,337source
- Competes in Southeastern Conferencesource
- Motto: ""Learning, Service, Research""source
- Campus size: about 4,200 acressource
- Formerly known as "The Agricultural and Mechanical College of the State of Mississippi" (1878–1932)source
- Formerly known as "Mississippi State College" (1932–1958)source
- Athletic conference: SECsource
- A [[National Sea Grant College Program institutionsource
- A sea-grant]] institutionsource
- A [[National Space Grant College and Fellowship Program institutionsource
- A space-grant]]}} institutionsource
- Football rivalry: Auburn–Mississippi State (since 1905)source
- Football rivalry: Battle for Highway 82 (since 1896)source
- Plays for the "Golden Egg Trophy" (since 1901)source
- Football rivalry: LSU–Mississippi State (since 1896)source
- Fight song: ""[[Hail State]]""source
- Notable alum: John Grishamsource
- Notable alum: Marsha Blackburnsource
- Notable alum: Anderson Peterssource
- Notable alum: Marco Aropsource
- Notable alum: Machine Gun Kellysource
Athletics — 9 sports
NCAA Division I-FBS · NCAA Division I
Athletic scholarships allowed · Athletic aid $11,371,327 (M $6,759,366 · W $4,611,961)
- Baseball
- Basketball
- Football
- Golf
- Soccer
- Softball
- Tennis
- Track and Field and Cross Country (combined)
- Volleyball
- Baseball: 2021
Self-reported EADA participants (2024-2025). Athletic aid is institution-level, not per sport.
Similar-size colleges
Nearest undergraduate enrollment to Mississippi State University’s 18,092 (College Scorecard UGDS, compiled 2026-10-24). Size only — not a judgment of similarity or quality.
In MS
- University of MississippiUniversity, MS · 18,995 undergrads
- University of Southern MississippiHattiesburg, MS · 9,899 undergrads
- Jackson State UniversityJackson, MS · 4,769 undergrads
- Mississippi CollegeClinton, MS · 2,423 undergrads
- Alcorn State UniversityAlcorn State, MS · 2,290 undergrads
- William Carey UniversityHattiesburg, MS · 1,818 undergrads
Elsewhere
- Sam Houston State UniversityHuntsville, TX · 18,138 undergrads
- Georgia Institute of Technology-Main CampusAtlanta, GA · 18,260 undergrads
- Boston UniversityBoston, MA · 17,850 undergrads
- University of California-Santa CruzSanta Cruz, CA · 17,812 undergrads
- Illinois State UniversityNormal, IL · 18,414 undergrads
- Florida State College at JacksonvilleJacksonville, FL · 17,739 undergrads
Key links
- Official websitemsstate.edu
- College ScorecardFederal source for every figure above (UNITID 176080)
- Compare colleges in MSRe-score with your weights
- The Most Selective Colleges in MississippiEvery eligible four-year in this state, ranked by published admission rate
- Compare with University of MississippiSide by side on every Scorecard measure — closest in-state school by enrollment
- Showdown: Mississippi State University vs University of MississippiHigher-or-lower on real Scorecard metrics — round 1 is these two
- Sports directoryAll 9 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.