Why Attend MSU? | Office of Admissions and Scholarships

Why Attend MSU?

Old Main Academic Center viewed through opening in between trees.

Academics

  • 16:1 student to faculty ratio
  • Nearly 80 undergraduate majors
  • 22 pre-professional programs
  • Average first-time freshman GPA for Fall 2021: 3.74
  • Average first-time freshman ACT score for Fall 2021: 21
  • Average first-time freshman SAT score for Fall 2021: 1210
  • 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.
  • 2500+ Shackouls Honors College students in Fall 2021

Career Fair 2020 at Humphrey Coliseum

Career Preparation

  • 97% 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.

Students studying on Old Main plaza, with fall leaves:  Emily Hubbard (Food Science major) and Andric Knott (Electrical Engineering).

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

Parade celebrations for Baseball Diamond Dogs winning National Championship team.

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.