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-quality opportunities and a diverse, inclusive and collaborative community enable Spartan students to create personalized paths that prepare them to succeed and lead.
200+
Academic programs
300+
Education abroad programs
39
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 2021 entering class): high school GPA, 3.5-4.0; SAT combined score (math and critical reading), 1110-1310; 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
- 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 2021 “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
- Eight No. 1-ranked programs and 39 ranked in the top 25 nationally by U.S. News & World Report
- No. 1 in the nation for 28 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. 19 among public U.S. universities in Bloomberg Businessweek’s ranking of Best U.S. Business Schools for 2021
- Three MSU programs are ranked in the top 25 in the world by QS World University Rankings by Subject 2022
Communication and media: No. 9 globally, No. 6 in the U.S. - Agriculture and forestry: No. 10 globally, No. 5 in the U.S.
Education: No. 19 globally, No. 8 in the U.S. - MSU has earned global accolades in the Times Higher Education 2022 Impact Rankings, which measure how more than 1,400 universities are making progress in working toward the United Nations' Sustainable Development Goals.
Tied for No. 33 in the world and No. 2 in the country overall
No. 6 globally and No. 1 in the U.S. for SDG 2, “Zero Hunger”
No. 25 globally and No. 4 in the U.S. for SDG 11, “Sustainable Cities and Communities”
No. 26 globally and No. 1 in the U.S. for SDG 17, “Partnerships for the Goals”
No. 27 globally and No. 4 in the U.S. for SDG 15, “Life on Land”
No. 33 globally and No. 1 in the U.S. for SDG 1, “No Poverty”
MSU has 39 undergraduate and graduate programs ranked in the top 25 nationally by U.S. News & World Report, including eight No. 1-ranked programs.
Undergraduate
- Supply chain management/logistics No. 1
- Educational administration and supervision No. 4
- 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
- Elementary education No. 1 for 28 straight years
- Secondary education No. 1 for 28 straight years
- Curriculum/instruction No. 1
- Nuclear physics No. 1 for 13 straight years
- Rehabilitation counseling (education) No. 1
- Supply chain/logistics No. 1
- Educational administration No. 2
- Higher education administration No. 2
- Industrial/organizational psychology No. 2
- African history No. 3
- Educational psychology No. 6
- Education policy No. 8
- Production/operations management No. 9
- Criminal justice No. 9
- Biosystems/agricultural engineering No. 12
- Special education No. 12
- Econometrics No. 16
- African American history No. 17
- Veterinary medicine No. 17
- International business No. 20
Best Online Graduate Programs
- Curriculum and instruction No. 1
- Criminal justice No. 5
- Educational and instructional media design No. 5
- Special education No. 7
- Business No.12
- Mechanical engineering No. 14
- Education programs No. 24
Online Graduate Programs for Veterans
- Master's programs in business No. 3
- Master's program in criminal justice No. 3
- Master's programs in education No. 10
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
38,574
Undergraduates, 11,085 graduate and professional
5,670
Faculty & academic staff
25.9%
Students of color, 8.3% international students
Research
MSU’s rising research funding, nationally recognized faculty and programs, and innovative research facilities push the boundaries of discovery and yield solutions that make daily life better.
$713M
2020 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 applies its vast knowledge and resources to create solutions in partnership with communities across the state and helps make Michigan a place of opportunity, economic growth and innovation.
$5.8B
Total economic impact statewide
80%
Undergraduates from Michigan
65%
Recent graduates employed in Michigan
277,000
Alumni living in Michigan
Global Impact
Spartans work together as part of a vibrant global campus community, creating partnerships around the world and making a lasting impact from East Lansing to East Africa.
$78M
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 teamwork in varsity, adaptive, and club and intramural sports.
- 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
- Spartan Football Head Coach Mel Tucker named Big Ten Coach of the Year
- 2021 Big Ten Champions in women's golf; men's golfer James Piot named 2021 U.S. Amateur champion
- Women’s cross country team named Big Ten Champions in 2019 and 2021
- 92% 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