Why Attend MSU? | Office of Admissions and Scholarships

Why Attend MSU?

Dak the masscot sitting on the Drill Field in his harness

Academics

  • 16:1 student to faculty ratio
  • Nearly 80 undergraduate majors
  • 22 pre-professional programs
  • MSU awarded Scholarship Amount to entering Freshman for 2022: $29,254,926.75
  • Number of MSU students receiving scholarships as an entering Freshman for 2022: 3,084
  • Top 100 Research Institution ranked by the National Science Foundation, which means lots of opportunities for hands-on learning even for undergraduates!
  • MSU ranked #2 in best value for the state of MS
  • #1 in the SEC in social science research expenditures (for nine consecutive years) according to the National Science Foundation
  • #14 in the nation in agricultural science research according to the National Science Foundation
  • 1 of the largest biometric research labs of its kind in the Southeast U.S. Market Innovation Lab and Observatory (MILO)
  • MSU ranks #1 for 2023 Best Education Colleges for Veterans in Mississippi
  • Mississippi State is in a select group of universities designated as Land, Sea, and Space-Grant institutions.

Jeffery Greer MSU Engineering student standing beside parts that he is going to school to learn how to build and design

Career Preparation

  • 94% of MSU graduates achieve successful career outcomes which include full-time employment, part-time employment, continuing to graduate or professional school, enrolling in a volunteer experience, or going into the military.
  • At MSU’s Career Day events, hundreds of potential employers recruit for co-op, internship, and full-time positions.
  • Our Academic and Career Planning Class, the Strong Interest Inventory, and our Career Center can help students discover exciting career paths.
  • The Career Center’s Resume Writing & Review service and Mock Interviews help students prepare for the next step.
  • The E-Center works with 120 new startups annually. In the last five years, several of these companies have together raised nearly $4 million to help students step into a job they created.

Two MSU students standing on the Drill Field on a sunny day smiling at the camera

Community and Student Life

  • 23,000+ students across all campuses and classifications
  • 4,200-acre campus, founded in 1878
  • Small-town feel with big SEC excitement in Starkville, Mississippi!
  • 17 furnished housing options – 7 of which have private baths constructed since 2005
  • 20+ dining options on campus, including Chick-fil-A, The Fresh Food Company, The Marketplace at Perry, and Provisions on Demand (PODs)
  • 300+ student organizations-from Fraternity and Sorority Life and intramurals to improv comedy and eSports

Picture of the football team running out the tunnel with Bully right before kick off in Davis Wade Stadium

Southeastern Conference Sports

  • 8 varsity women’s teams
  • 6 varsity men’s teams
  • Cheer the Diamond Dawgs on to another College World Series appearance (12 and counting!) in the country’s premier college baseball stadium, “The Dude.”
  • Next trivia night, if you are asked who broke UConn women’s basketball 111-game winning streak – the answer is Mississippi State in 2017 Final Four!
  • The Bulldogs swept the podium and 1st, 2nd, and 3rd in Javelin at the 2019 NCAA Outdoor Track and Field Championships.
  • In the 2020 season, our football team scored its 11th straight bowl game.
  • In 2021 Mississippi State became the National Champions when the Diamond Dawgs won the College World Series.