A public R1 land-grant flagship in East Lansing, MI, admitting 84.80% of applicants with colleges of veterinary medicine and human medicine and a $5 billion endowment.
East Lansing, Michigan
Michigan State University is a public R1 research university in East Lansing, Michigan, founded in 1855 as the pioneer land-grant college of the United States and a model for the Morrill Act. It enrolls 40,922 undergraduates and 10,855 graduate students across fifteen colleges, including the Broad College of Business, the College of Engineering, the College of Natural Science, the College of Veterinary Medicine, the College of Human Medicine, and the College of Agriculture and Natural Resources.
Biological sciences, communications, business, engineering, and social sciences account for the largest shares of bachelor's degrees. Michigan State is accredited through the Higher Learning Commission (HLC). Michigan State is test-optional; submitting SAT or ACT scores is not required. Michigan State operates one of the country's premier veterinary medicine programs and the College of Human Medicine, which trains physicians across Michigan and is based in part at the MSU Health Care system.
Official website: msu.edu
UCD scores every college on four pillars: Outcomes, Value, Affordability, and Selectivity. Within peer group A (four-year selective institutions), Michigan State scores 77.47 overall, rated Good. Outcomes (89.01) reflects an 80.72% six-year graduation rate and 90.74% first-year retention. Value scores 72.61, driven by ten-year earnings of $67,253 relative to an average net price of $19,680. Affordability scores 35.31. Selectivity scores 52.08, reflecting the 84.80% admit rate. All scores use verified federal data only.
Michigan State admits 84.80% of applicants, making it among the most accessible Big Ten flagship universities. Michigan State is test-optional; submitting SAT or ACT scores is not required. Michigan State uses the Common App. The early action deadline is November 1 (non-binding); the regular decision deadline is February 1.
Some colleges within MSU, including the Broad College of Business and the College of Engineering, have higher de facto admissions standards for declared majors and may require supplemental applications for full major admission after enrollment. The high overall admit rate reflects MSU's land-grant mission of broad access; the academic profile of enrolled students is competitive with other Big Ten institutions.
Acceptance rate over the last five admission cycles. The trend tells you whether Michigan State University is getting harder, easier, or staying about the same.
Michigan State charges $16,458 in in-state tuition and $43,842 in out-of-state tuition, plus $12,564 in room and board, bringing the estimated in-state total cost of attendance to approximately $32,198 before aid. The average net price after all grants and scholarships is $19,680. For families earning under $30,000, the average net price is $7,068. For families earning between $30,001 and $48,000, the net price averages $10,830.
For families earning between $75,001 and $110,000, the net price averages $22,703. The federal loan rate of 33.63% and median debt of $23,250 are in the middle range for public flagships; approximately one third of Michigan State students carry federal loans. Michigan State's $5 billion endowment supports meaningful financial aid for students from lower-income families.
Published cost of attendance, the sticker price before grants and scholarships. Most students underestimate room & board and other expenses.
Application fee: $65 (one-time, due at submission)
Aid is need-based, so net price varies by family income. Here's what each bracket typically pays after grants and scholarships.
Cumulative federal-loan debt across the full borrowing distribution. The 10th and 90th percentiles bracket the typical range; the median sits in the middle.
Median federal-loan debt at graduation broken down by demographic. Each slice's size is proportional to the dollar amount that group typically borrows.
Michigan State completes a solid majority of students it enrolls. The six-year graduation rate is 80.72% for full-time, first-time bachelor's-seeking students. The four-year graduation rate is 72.56%, and first-year retention stands at 90.74%. The federal loan rate of 33.63% and median debt of $23,250 are notable; students from higher-income families and those in competitive programs tend to have better completion outcomes.
Michigan State graduates earn above the national median for public research universities. Median earnings are $55,084 six years after first enrolling and $67,253 at ten years. At the ten-year mark, 86.94% of former students earn more than a typical high school graduate. The ten-year earnings reflect MSU's mix of business, engineering, biological sciences, communications, and education graduates, with the strongest earnings concentrated in engineering, computer science, and finance.
MSU graduates place heavily in Michigan's automotive and manufacturing sectors (Ford, GM, Stellantis), the Detroit metro financial services community, and technology companies nationally. The Broad College of Business has strong corporate recruiting relationships and places graduates into major accounting, consulting, and financial services firms.
Median annual earnings 6, 8, and 10 years after students first enrolled.
Mean annual earnings 10 years after entry, segmented by demographic. Reveals gaps the headline median can't show.
Median earnings for female grads ten years after first enrolling here.
Median earnings for male grads ten years after first enrolling here.
Earnings of grads from the bottom-third of family incomes at entry.
Earnings of grads from the middle-third of family incomes at entry.
Earnings of grads from the top-third of family incomes at entry.
Share of completer-cohort borrowers paying down at least $1 of principal at the 1-, 3-, 5-, and 7-year mark. Climbing rates show graduates settling into careers and managing debt; flat or declining rates are a warning.
Michigan State enrolls 40,922 undergraduates on its main campus in East Lansing, Michigan, adjacent to the state capital of Lansing and approximately 90 miles northwest of Detroit. White students account for 67.23% of undergraduates; Asian 7.89%, Hispanic 6.72%, and Black 6.60%. Approximately 20.09% of undergraduates receive Pell grants, and 20.95% are first-generation college students. East Lansing is a classic college town with the campus as its defining feature; the city has a dense concentration of student-oriented businesses, bars, and restaurants along Grand River Avenue.
MSU athletics compete in the Big Ten; Spartan football and basketball are major programs with strong national followings, and the Michigan-Michigan State rivalry is among the most intense in college sports. The MSU campus is one of the largest by acreage in the country, with extensive agricultural land, arboretum, and natural areas integrated with the academic campus.
Undergraduate student body composition reported to the US Department of Education.
Where students live, learn, and connect at Michigan State University. The campus setting, housing profile, and signals that shape day-to-day life here.
Michigan State University offers an extensive catalog of programs: 313 distinct programs across 29 majors. Below are its strongest majors, each with flagship programs and typical earnings. Open a major to explore it in depth, or browse the full program catalog.
Michigan State operates at a student-to-faculty ratio of 17:1. 85.91% of instruction is delivered by full-time faculty. Instructional spending per full-time equivalent student is $19,397 per year. The endowment stands at approximately $5.0 billion. Michigan State's College of Veterinary Medicine is one of the most respected in the United States; it operates the MSU Veterinary Medical Center, a major animal hospital and clinical training facility. The College of Human Medicine trains physicians at community-based campuses in Flint, Grand Rapids, Lansing, Saginaw, and Traverse City, serving medically underserved communities across Michigan.
2,778 instructional faculty across 5 ranks. The rank mix shows how many senior faculty are teaching versus contingent or junior staff, with average salary equated to a 9-month contract.
| Rank | Faculty Count | Share | Avg Salary |
|---|---|---|---|
| Full Professors | 870 | 31% | $172,979 |
| Associate Professors | 727 | 26% | $118,209 |
| Assistant Professors | 938 | 34% | $92,108 |
| Instructors | 226 | 8% | $59,338 |
| Lecturers | 17 | 1% | $61,012 |
Michigan State's defining strengths are its UCD 77.47 Good score, accessible admissions (84.80% admit rate), a $5 billion endowment providing meaningful financial aid, and strong graduate and professional programs in veterinary medicine and medicine that distinguish it from most public flagships. UCD 77.47 Good.
The considerations: the 80.72% six-year graduation rate is below the top public flagships in this peer group; the federal loan rate of 33.63% and median debt of $23,250 are moderate for a public university; the 19:1 student-to-faculty ratio at its size creates large introductory classes; and East Lansing is a college town without major metro employment proximity. Best fit for Michigan residents who want a large Big Ten research university with agricultural, veterinary, medical, and pre-professional program strength at in-state costs that are competitive with other public flagships.
The questions below address what students and families most commonly search about Michigan State: how MSU compares to University of Michigan, what programs are strongest, how the Broad College of Business works, and what East Lansing is like.
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