What is Michigan State University’s Compass Score?

Excellent (grade A-). It ranks in the top 14% of rated colleges. The grade comes from outcomes (40%: graduation, retention and earnings), entering students (40%: test scores and selectivity), cost (15%: debt and price after aid) and teaching (5%: class size), all from federal data.

How much does Michigan State University cost after financial aid?

The average net price is $19,680 a year for students who receive federal aid, after grants and scholarships. What your family pays depends on income; the college’s net price calculator gives your own estimate.

How hard is it to get into Michigan State University?

Michigan State University admitted 85% of applicants in the most recent federal data.

How do Michigan State University’s graduates do?

81% of first-time, full-time students graduate within six years; the median earnings of former students ten years after entry are $67,253; the median federal debt at graduation is $23,250.

National university

#3 Best colleges in Michigan

Michigan State University

East Lansing, MI · Public · 4-year

Your real cost

Average price after aid $19,680 a year

Median debt at graduation: $23,250 (all students)

Estimate your own price · the college’s net price calculator

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Rankings

Where this college places on our top lists. Lists are worked out from official data and our own research; places in the top quarter of each list are shown. See every list

In America

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In Michigan

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Academic Excellence

A-

Excellent · Top 12%

From federal data, on fixed published scales.

Each measure counts for the share shown.

Graduation rate 35% of score81%
First-year retention 20% of score90%
Entering students' test scores 15% of scoreSAT 1,269 · ACT 28
Student-to-faculty ratio 15% of score17 to 1
Instructional spending per student 15% of score$19,397

Bars show points on each measure’s scale. How Academic Excellence is computed.

Source: College Scorecard (College Scorecard, most recent cohorts (data release 06/10/2026))

What families pay, by income

Average yearly price after grants and scholarships, for students who receive federal aid.

Average net price by family income
Family income	Price after aid
Up to $30,000	$7,068
$30,001–$48,000	$10,830
$48,001–$75,000	$16,521
$75,001–$110,000	$22,703
Over $110,000	$28,546

Full cost of attendance before aid: $32,198 a year.

Use the college’s net price calculator for your own estimate.

Cost and value

Federal data: what families pay after aid, what graduates earn, and what they owe.

Value and outcomes
Undergraduate students Fall enrollment (IPEDS)	40,483
Men and women College Scorecard, fall 2023	Men 48% · Women 52%
First-generation students College Scorecard	21%
First-year students from another state IPEDS, fall 2023	19%
Total students	51,316
Average net price (per year) After grants and scholarships, for students receiving federal aid	$19,680
Cost of attendance (per year)	$32,198
Median federal debt at graduation	$23,250
Graduation rate First-time, full-time students finishing within 150% of normal time	81%
Graduation rate for Pell grant recipients College Scorecard, within 6 years	75%
Graduation rate for first-generation students College Scorecard, within 6 years	75%
Borrowers paying down their loans within 3 years College Scorecard, within 3 years	67%
First-year retention	90%
Median earnings 10 years after entry	$67,253
Admission rate	85%
Application fee IPEDS, 2023–24	$65
Typical rent HUD fair market rent, FY2026	About $1,012 a month for a one-bedroom
Students receiving Pell grants	20%

Admitted students’ middle range:SAT 1180–1360ACT 25–31

Admission test scores (middle 50% of admitted students who submitted scores)
Average SAT	1269
SAT reading & writing	590–680
SAT math	590–680
ACT composite	25–31
Test policy	Considered but not required

Value: Very good · Top 26% (how it’s computed)

Sources: College Scorecard · IPEDS College Navigator · Net price calculator
College Scorecard, most recent cohorts (data release 06/10/2026); IPEDS 2024-25 directory and institutional characteristics; fall 2023 enrollment.

Earnings by major

Median earnings of bachelor’s graduates a few years after finishing, by major (College Scorecard).

Median earnings by major
Major	Median earnings
Computing and information science	$116,905
Computer engineering	$104,627
Engineering (general)	$102,301
Chemical Engineering	$102,223
Finance	$102,017
Electrical engineering	$100,481
Mechanical engineering	$97,946
Management science	$97,236
Accounting	$96,093
Materials Engineering	$95,761
Construction Engineering Technology/Technician	$95,387
Engineering-Related Fields	$94,143
Statistics	$93,930
Business administration	$91,187
Civil engineering	$90,650
Marketing	$90,453
Agricultural Engineering	$86,498
Human resources	$85,886
Nursing	$80,129
Other engineering	$79,609
Economics	$79,428
Middle/Near Eastern and Semitic Languages, Literatures, and Linguistics	$75,147
International relations	$74,709
Information technology	$73,880
Pre-law and legal studies	$72,414
Mathematics	$72,226
City/Urban, Community, and Regional Planning	$71,158
Clinical laboratory science	$70,940
Food Science and Technology	$70,380
Hospitality management	$69,651
Public relations	$69,300
Agricultural business	$69,108
Environmental/Natural Resources Management and Policy	$68,913
Soil Sciences	$67,666
Kinesiology and exercise science	$67,290
Political science	$67,032
Nutrition Sciences	$66,437
Chemistry	$65,983
Linguistics	$65,667
Global studies	$64,372
Biology	$64,018
Biochemistry	$63,419
Criminal justice	$62,715
Geology and earth science	$62,448
Sociology	$62,204
Microbiological Sciences and Immunology	$61,953
Physiology and pathology	$61,309
Communication studies	$60,807
Natural resources and conservation	$60,728
Journalism	$59,498
Romance languages	$59,315
Dietetics and Clinical Nutrition Services	$58,989
Social sciences	$58,797
Public Policy Analysis	$58,535
Special education	$58,522
Neuroscience	$58,046
Social work	$57,321
Writing and rhetoric	$56,662
Geography	$56,515
Psychology	$56,040
Forestry	$55,724
Genetics	$55,404
Ecology and evolutionary biology	$55,159
Animal Sciences	$54,751
Family and human development	$53,740
Design	$53,250
German	$53,183
East Asian Languages, Literatures, and Linguistics	$52,496
Education (general)	$52,243
Music	$52,132
Allied health	$51,658
Liberal arts	$51,436
Secondary education	$50,127
Fine arts	$50,098
Wildlife and Wildlands Science and Management	$49,948
Parks, Recreation, and Leisure Facilities Management	$49,377
English	$49,154
Plant Sciences	$47,404
History	$47,224
Veterinary/Animal Health Technologies/Technicians	$46,669
Interdisciplinary studies	$45,167
Theatre	$42,820
Zoology/Animal Biology	$41,768
Anthropology	$41,512

Also offered (no earnings published yet): Agriculture/Veterinary Preparatory Programs, Applied mathematics, Astronomy and Astrophysics, Biological and physical sciences, Botany/Plant Biology, Broadcasting, Computational Science, Ethnic and gender studies, Film and video, Landscape Architecture, Other health professions and related clinical sciences, Philosophy, Physical Sciences, Physics, Public administration, Religious studies, Science, Technology and Society, Slavic, Baltic and Albanian Languages, Literatures, and Linguistics, Speech-language pathology, Sustainability Studies, Visual and performing arts.

What students study most

Share of bachelor’s degrees by field, first majors in 2023–24 (IPEDS).

Most common bachelor’s fields
Field	Share of degrees
Business	17%
Biology	14%
Communication	10%
Engineering	9%
Social sciences	8%

Campus life

School colors
Setting	City
Part-time undergraduates	6%
Undergraduates aged 25 and older	2%
On-campus room and board (per year)	$12,564
Sports	NCAA Division I · Big Ten Conference
ROTC	Army · Air Force
Study abroad	Offered
Students per faculty member	17 to 1
Undergraduates registered with the disability office	About 5%IPEDS, 2023–24
Disability services	Visit the office’s pageThe college’s own page
Faculty who are full-time	86%College Scorecard, fall 2023
Endowment per student	$95,430IPEDS, 2023, per student
Dorm space	For about 43% of studentsBeds per undergraduate; not who lives on campus
Nearest airport with airline service	Capital Region International Airport (LAN)About 6 miles away · about 15 minutes by car
Nearest major airport	Detroit Metropolitan Wayne County Airport (DTW)About 67 miles away
Town population	45,758Census, 2020–2024
Nearest city of 250,000 people or more	DetroitAbout 74 miles away · about 1 hour 40 minutes by car
Typical weather	25°F in January · 72°F in JulyNOAA, 1991–2020, from East Lansing 4 S, MI, about 4 miles away

Federal data (IPEDS and College Scorecard), except school colors.

Campus safety reports

On-campus crimes reported in 2024, per 1,000 students.

On-campus crimes per 1,000 students
Category	This campus	U.S. rate
Rape	0.12	0.07
Robbery	0.02	0.01
Aggravated assault	0.09	0.04
Burglary	0.13	0.08
Motor vehicle theft	0.16	0.15

Numbers reflect what each campus reported. They differ with campus size and how reporting is done, so compare with care. U.S. rate: total reported offenses divided by total students at every institution in the report.

Source: Official data: U.S. Department of Education

Questions families ask

What is Michigan State University’s Compass Score?: Excellent (grade A-). It ranks in the top 14% of rated colleges. The grade comes from outcomes (40%: graduation, retention and earnings), entering students (40%: test scores and selectivity), cost (15%: debt and price after aid) and teaching (5%: class size), all from federal data.
How much does Michigan State University cost after financial aid?: The average net price is $19,680 a year for students who receive federal aid, after grants and scholarships. What your family pays depends on income; the college’s net price calculator gives your own estimate.
How hard is it to get into Michigan State University?: Michigan State University admitted 85% of applicants in the most recent federal data.
How do Michigan State University’s graduates do?: 81% of first-time, full-time students graduate within six years; the median earnings of former students ten years after entry are $67,253; the median federal debt at graduation is $23,250.

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About this school’s data

IPEDS unit ID 171100
Carnegie classification: Doctoral university (very high research)
Accreditation: Higher Learning Commission (U.S. Department of Education DAPIP)
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Colleges like this one

The same kind of school first, then the closest in selectivity, size and cost.

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