Campus Profile
Located in East Lansing, three miles east of Michigan’s capitol in Lansing, MSU’s campus is one of the biggest and greenest in the nation.
Michigan State University is the nation’s premier land-grant university and one of the top research universities in the world.
Every day, Spartans work to solve the most pressing global challenges while providing life-changing opportunities to a diverse and inclusive academic community.
Top 100
Global university
49,695
Students
5,300
Acres
Academics
Top-ranked programs, high-caliber opportunities and an inclusive, collaborative community enable Spartan students to create powerful, personalized paths and to compete with the best in the world.
200+
Academic programs
275
Education abroad programs
37
MSU programs ranked in the top 25 nationally
16:1
Student-faculty ratio
- Outstanding record of students earning Rhodes, Goldwater and other prestigious national and international scholarships
- Entering class profile (middle 50% of fall 2020 entering class): high school GPA, 3.5-4.0; SAT combined score (math and critical reading), 1110-1280; ACT composite score, 23-29
- Ranked in the top 10 nationally by U.S. News & World Report for learning communities, study abroad and service-learning offerings
- Member of the prestigious Association of the American Universities, a group of 65 universities widely regarded as among the top research-intensive institutions in North America
- Among 100 Best Global Universities, according to U.S. News & World Report 2021 rankings
- No. 32 among public universities and No. 80 overall in U.S. News & World Report’s America’s Best Colleges 2021
- Among the top 100 global universities, according to Times Higher Education's World University Rankings 2022
- No. 35 among all public institutions in the country, according to Money’s 2020 “Best Colleges” ranking
- Among the top 100 patent-granting universities in the world, according to the National Academy of Inventors and the Intellectual Property Owners Association
- Named a gold-status veteran-friendly school by the Michigan Veterans Affairs Agency six years in a row
- Gold rating for sustainability achievements in 2019 through the Association for the Advancement of Sustainability in Higher Education
- Nine No. 1-ranked programs and 37 ranked in the top 25 nationally by U.S. News & World Report
- No. 1 in the nation for 27 straight years for graduate programs in elementary and secondary education and top nuclear physics graduate program in the nation, according to U.S. News & World Report
- No. 1 in the world for education, according to the 2020 Shanghai Global Ranking of Academic Subjects, a widely used international ranking of universities
- Communication program ranked No. 4 in the world, according to a 2020 ranking by Shanghai Global Ranking of Academic Subjects
- Full-time MBA program in the Broad College of Business ranked No. 17 among public U.S. universities in Bloomberg Businessweek’s ranking of Best U.S. Business Schools of 2019-2020
- Four MSU programs are ranked in the top 25 in the world by QS World University Rankings by Subject 2021
Agriculture and forestry: No. 10 globally, No. 5 in the U.S.
Veterinary science: No. 11 globally, No. 4 in the U.S.
Communication and media: No. 14 globally, No. 9 in the U.S.
Education: No. 19 globally, No. 9 in the U.S. - MSU has earned global accolades in the Times Higher Education 2021 Impact Rankings, which measure how 1,154 universities are making progress in working toward the United Nations' Sustainable Development Goals.
No. 1 in the U.S. and No. 4 globally for SDG 2, "Zero Hunger"
No. 3 in the U.S. and No. 66 globally for SDG 17, "Partnerships for the Goals"
Top 15 in the U.S. and in the 101-200 range globally for SDG 3, "Good Health and Well-Being"
Top 20 in the U.S. and in the 201-300 range globally for SDG 4, "Quality Education"
MSU has 37 undergraduate and graduate programs ranked in the top 25 nationally by U.S. News & World Report, including nine No. 1-ranked programs.
Undergraduate
- Supply chain management/logistics No. 1
- Production/operations management No. 5
- Agricultural engineering No.6
- Management No. 13
- Management information systems No. 19
- International business No. 20
- Accounting No. 21
- Best undergraduate business programs No. 23
Graduate
- Educational administration No. 1
- Elementary education No. 1 for 27 straight years
- Secondary education No. 1 for 27 straight years
- Curriculum/instruction No. 1
- Industrial/organizational psychology No. 1
- Nuclear physics No. 1
- Rehabilitation counseling (education) No. 1
- Supply chain/logistics No. 1
- African history No. 3
- Higher education administration No. 4
- Educational psychology No. 5
- Production/operations management No. 7
- Education policy No. 8
- Criminal justice No. 9
- Biosystems/agricultural engineering No. 12
- Econometrics No. 11
- Special Education No. 12
- African American history No. 17
- Veterinary medicine No. 17
- International business No. 20
Best Online Graduate Programs
- Education programs No. 4
- Educational administration and supervision No. 2
- Curriculum and instruction No. 2
- Educational and instructional media design No. 7
- Criminal justice No. 5
- Business No. 21
Online Graduate Programs for Veterans
- Master's programs in education No. 2
- Master's program in criminal justice No. 3
- Master's programs in business No. 11
Community
Wherever you go, there are Spartans working to make a better world. The MSU community includes more than 12,000 faculty and academic and support staff and an alumni network nearly half a million strong.
49,695
Students
38,491
Undergraduates, 11,204 graduate and professional
5,703
Faculty & academic staff
25.3%
Students of color, 9.1% international students
Research
Dedicated scientists, scholars and students push the boundaries of discovery to tackle the world’s biggest problems and to provide solutions that make a better tomorrow for all.
$725M
2019 research expenditures
100+
Institutes and centers
2,700+
Faculty inventions
Top 40
Research university, Washington Monthly 2021 rankings
Facility for Rare Isotope Beams
The Facility for Rare Isotope Beams will advance understanding of rare isotopes, develop applications for society and provide research opportunities for scientists and students from around the world.
Making a Stronger Michigan
MSU and partners across the state work to create a stronger, healthier, more prosperous tomorrow — for Michigan and the world.
$5.8B
Total economic impact statewide
80%
Undergraduates from Michigan
65%
Recent graduates employed in Michigan
271,000
Alumni living in Michigan
Global Impact
Spartans work together as part of a vibrant global community and create partnerships around the world to make a lasting impact from East Lansing to East Africa.
$82M
Average annual funding for international work
No. 1
Top-ranked public university for education abroad, U.S. News & World Report
1,400
Faculty and staff members engaged in international research and teaching
30+
Internationally focused centers
Athletics
Every day, Spartans of all abilities demonstrate athleticism, leadership, commitment and collaboration in varsity sports, plus adaptive sports and intramural teams.
- 23 varsity squads: 11 intercollegiate sports for men and 12 intercollegiate sports for women
- 23 straight NCAA appearances by men’s basketball team, including 10 Final Fours
- Women's golf team named Big Ten Champions in 2021
- Women’s cross country team named Big Ten Champions in 2019 and 2021
- 91% all-time-high graduation success rate for student-athletes
- One of the largest intramural sports programs in the nation
- Nickname: Spartans
- Colors: Green and white
- Mascot: Sparty
- Conference: Big Ten
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Go Green!
Lisa Mulcrone, MSUToday editor