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MSU Facts

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.

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.

Top 30

Public university

51,316

Students

5,200

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.

400+

Academic programs

300+

Education abroad programs

32

Programs and concentrations in the top 25 nationally

16:1

Student-faculty ratio

  • Outstanding record of students earning Rhodes, Goldwater and other prestigious national and international scholarships
  • Average high school GPA for entering class: 3.79
  • 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 American Universities, a group of 71 universities widely regarded as among the top research-intensive institutions in North America
  • No. 30 among public universities and No. 63 overall in U.S. News & World Report’s America’s Best Colleges 2025
  • 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 eight years in a row
  • Gold rating for sustainability achievements in 2022 through the Association for the Advancement of Sustainability in Higher Education
  • Nine No. 1-ranked programs and concentrations and 32 ranked in the top 25 nationally by U.S. News & World Report
  • No. 1 in the nation for 30 straight years for graduate programs in elementary and secondary education and No. 1 supply chain graduate program in the nation, according to U.S. News & World Report
  • Four disciplines are ranked in the top 25 in the world in the 2023 Shanghai Global Ranking of Academic Subjects:
    No. 4 in education
    No. 5 in communication
    No. 10 in environmental science and engineering
    No. 25 in law
  • Three MSU programs are ranked in the top 25 in the world by QS World University Rankings by Subject 2024
    Communication and media: No. 13 globally, No. 8 in the U.S.
    Agriculture and forestry: No. 16 globally, No. 7 in the U.S.
    Education: No. 17 globally, No. 8 in the U.S.
  • MSU has earned global accolades in the Times Higher Education 2023 Impact Rankings, which measure how more than 1,900 universities are making progress in working toward the United Nations' Sustainable Development Goals.
    No. 25 in the world and No. 3 in the country overall
    No. 5 globally and No. 2 in the U.S. for SDG 11, “Sustainable Cities and Communities”
    No. 8 globally and No. 2 in the U.S. for SDG 2, “Zero Hunger” 
    No. 23 globally and No. 2 in the U.S. for SDG 15, “Life on Land”
    No. 34 globally and No. 4 in the U.S. for SDG 17, “Partnerships for the Goals”

MSU has 32 undergraduate and graduate programs and concentrations 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. 3
  • Management No. 15
  • Accounting No. 25

Graduate

  • Elementary education No. 1 for 30 straight years
  • Secondary education No. 1 for 30 straight years
  • Curriculum/instruction No. 1
  • Educational administration No. 1
  • Higher education administration No. 1
  • Supply chain/logistics No. 1 for eight straight years
  • Industrial/organizational psychology No. 2
  • Nuclear physics No. 2
  • Rehabilitation counseling (education) No. 2
  • African history No. 3
  • Educational psychology No. 4
  • Education policy No. 6
  • Special education No. 9
  • Production/operations management No. 9
  • Criminal justice No. 9
  • Biosystems/agricultural engineering No. 12
  • Veterinary medicine No. 15
  • Econometrics No. 16
  • African American history No. 17

 

Best Online Graduate Programs

  • Curriculum and instruction No. 1
  • Educational administration and supervision No. 1
  • Business No. 4
  • Educational and instructional media design No. 4
  • Special education No. 5
  • Education programs No. 7
  • Criminal justice No. 10

Online Graduate Programs for Veterans

  • Master's program in business No. 2
  • Master's program in criminal justice No. 5

 

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.

51,316

Students

40,483

Undergraduates, 10,833 graduate and professional

5,696

Faculty & academic staff

26.6%

Students of color, 8.7% 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.

$844M

2023 research expenditures

100+

Institutes and centers

3,300+

Faculty inventions

Top 50

Research university, Washington Monthly 2023 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.

Learn More

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.

$6.8B

Total economic impact statewide

78%

Undergraduates from Michigan

63%

Recent graduates employed in Michigan

288,700

Alums 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

Public university for education abroad, U.S. News & World Report

1,600+

Faculty and staff engaged in international research, teaching and outreach

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
  • 26 straight NCAA appearances by men’s basketball team, including 10 Final Fours; 2024 appearance by MSU women’s basketball
  • Big Ten champions: Women's soccer, cross country and gymnastics; men's hockey 
  • 91% 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