Getting in
For Fall 2025, 62,965 first-year students applied to Michigan State, 52,411 were admitted and 9,355 enrolled: an acceptance rate of 83.2%.
Source: MSU Common Data Set 2025-2026 (opens in a new tab), section C1. Read Oct 1, 2026.
By residency, first-year applicants, Fall 2025
| Applicants | Applied | Admitted | Rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| In-state | 25,102 | 21,067 | 83.9% |
| Out-of-state | 30,768 | 25,087 | 81.5% |
| International | 7,095 | 6,257 | 88.2% |
Source: MSU Common Data Set 2025-2026 (opens in a new tab), section C1, residency table. Read Oct 1, 2026.
By school or major. MSU's Common Data Set reports one first-year acceptance rate for the whole university, with no rate by college or major.
Source: MSU Common Data Set 2025-2026 (opens in a new tab). Read Oct 1, 2026.
Early action. MSU's early action plan is not binding. The Common Data Set lists its dates (apply by November 1, notified by January 15) but no early decision plan, and it does not report how many applied or were admitted early, so it gives no early acceptance rate.
Source: MSU Common Data Set 2025-2026 (opens in a new tab), sections C21 and C22. Read Oct 1, 2026.
Programs with extra requirements
For students applying in fall 2026, entering fall 2027
As a first-year applicant you do not declare a major yet, but the application asks for a major preference ("Exploratory preference" if you are undecided):
- Major preference. Fall first-year applicants can change their major preference in their account until May 1. Anyone who applies or is admitted after May 1 cannot change it until New Student Orientation.
Every applicant writes one essay of 250 to 650 words from MSU's list of prompts. Letters of recommendation are not required. The application fee is $75.
Source: MSU Admissions, How to apply (opens in a new tab). Read Oct 1, 2026.
Majors
164 majors across 13 schools. Every bachelor's degree major in Michigan State University's official program finder, grouped by the college that offers it. Minors, certificates, pre-professional preferences and graduate programs are left out.
College of Agriculture and Natural Resources27
- Agribusiness Management
- Agriculture Food and Natural Resources Education
- Animal Science
- Applied Conservation Biology
- Aquatic Ecology and Management
- Construction Management
- Crop and Soil Sciences
- Cropping systems science
- Dietetics
- Entomology
- Environmental Economics and Management
- Environmental soil and water science
- Environmental Studies and Sustainability
- Fish Ecology and Management
- Food Industry Management
- Food Science
- Forestry
- Horticulture
- Interior Design
- Landscape Architecture
- Managerial economics for the bioeconomy
- Nutritional Sciences
- Packaging
- Sustainable Parks, Recreation and Tourism
- Turfgrass science and management
- Urban and Regional Planning
- Wildlife Ecology and Management
Source: MSU Admissions, Majors, degrees and programs (opens in a new tab). Read Oct 1, 2026.
College of Arts and Letters33
- African American and African Studies
- Apparel and Textiles
- Arabic
- Art Education
- Art History and Visual Culture
- Arts and Humanities
- Arts and Humanities Health and Wellbeing
- Chinese
- English
- Experience Architecture
- Film Studies
- French and Francophone Studies
- French Education
- German
- Global Studies in the Arts and Humanities
- Graphic Design
- Humanities - Prelaw
- Interdisciplinary Humanities
- Japanese
- Korean
- Linguistics
- Nonprofit Leadership, Religion and Social Change
- Philosophy
- Philosophy and law
- Philosophy and the sciences
- Professional and Public Writing
- Religious Studies
- Russian
- Spanish
- Spanish Education
- Studio Art
- Theatre
- Women's and Gender Studies
Source: MSU Admissions, Majors, degrees and programs (opens in a new tab). Read Oct 1, 2026.
College of Communication Arts and Sciences10
- Advertising Creative
- Advertising Management
- Communication
- Communication Leadership and Strategy
- Communicative Sciences and Disorders
- Digital Storytelling
- Games and Interactive Media
- Information Science
- Journalism
- Public Relations
Source: MSU Admissions, Majors, degrees and programs (opens in a new tab). Read Oct 1, 2026.
College of Education3
- Elementary Education
- Kinesiology
- Special Education
Source: MSU Admissions, Majors, degrees and programs (opens in a new tab). Read Oct 1, 2026.
College of Engineering12
- Applied Engineering Sciences
- Biosystems Engineering
- Chemical Engineering
- Civil Engineering
- Computational Data Science
- Computer Engineering
- Computer Science
- Electrical Engineering
- Environmental Engineering
- Materials Science and Engineering
- Mechanical Engineering
- Technology Engineering
Source: MSU Admissions, Majors, degrees and programs (opens in a new tab). Read Oct 1, 2026.
College of Music5
- Composition
- Jazz Studies
- Music
- Music Education
- Music Performance
Source: MSU Admissions, Majors, degrees and programs (opens in a new tab). Read Oct 1, 2026.
College of Natural Science29
- Actuarial Science
- Astrophysics
- Biochemistry and Molecular Biology
- Biochemistry and Molecular Biology - Biotechnology
- Biomedical Laboratory Science
- Chemical Physics
- Chemistry
- Computational and Applied Mathematics
- Data Science
- Earth and environmental sciences
- Environmental Biology - Microbiology
- Environmental Biology - Plant Biology
- Environmental Biology - Zoology
- Genetics and Genomics
- Human Biology
- Integrated Science - Secondary Education
- Integrative Biology
- Mathematics
- Mathematics - Secondary Education
- Mathematics, Advanced
- Medical Laboratory Science
- Microbiology
- Neuroscience
- Physics
- Physiology
- Plant Biology
- Quantitative Risk Analytics
- Statistics
- Zoology
Source: MSU Admissions, Majors, degrees and programs (opens in a new tab). Read Oct 1, 2026.
College of Nursing3
- Nursing
- Nursing (Online Program) - RN license required
- Nursing - Accelerated Second Degree Program
Source: MSU Admissions, Majors, degrees and programs (opens in a new tab). Read Oct 1, 2026.
College of Social Science19
- Anthropology
- Child Development and Early Education: Birth to Kindergarten and Special Education
- Criminal Justice
- Economics
- Geography
- Global and International Studies in Social Science
- Global History
- History
- History: Social Studies Education
- Human Development and Family Studies
- Human resources and labor relations
- Interdisciplinary Studies in Social Science
- Political Science
- Political Science - Prelaw
- Psychology
- Public Policy
- Social Work
- Sociology
- World Politics
Source: MSU Admissions, Majors, degrees and programs (opens in a new tab). Read Oct 1, 2026.
College of Veterinary Medicine1
- Veterinary Nursing
Source: MSU Admissions, Majors, degrees and programs (opens in a new tab). Read Oct 1, 2026.
Eli Broad College of Business7
- Accounting
- Finance
- Hospitality Business
- Human Resource Management
- Management
- Marketing
- Supply Chain Management
Source: MSU Admissions, Majors, degrees and programs (opens in a new tab). Read Oct 1, 2026.
James Madison College5
- International Relations
- Political Theory and Constitutional Democracy
- Politics, rights and culture
- Public affairs for secondary education
- Social Relations and Policy
Source: MSU Admissions, Majors, degrees and programs (opens in a new tab). Read Oct 1, 2026.
Lyman Briggs College10
Some Lyman Briggs College majors are also listed under the College of Agriculture and Natural Resources or the College of Natural Science.
- Applied Conservation Biology
- Aquatic Ecology and Management
- Biology
- Environmental Sciences and Management
- Food Science
- Integrated Science - Secondary Education
- Mathematics - Secondary Education
- Physical Science
- Science and Society
- Wildlife Ecology and Management
Source: MSU Admissions, Majors, degrees and programs (opens in a new tab). Read Oct 1, 2026.
Deadlines for Fall 2027
For students applying in fall 2026, entering fall 2027
| Plan | Apply by | Decision | Binding |
|---|---|---|---|
| Early action | November 1 | By January 15 | No |
| Regular decision, priority date | February 1 | By March 31 | No |
| Regular decision, final deadline | April 1 | not published | No |
Early action means your application and all required materials are in by November 1 and you chose the early action option on the application; it also gives you maximum scholarship consideration. Regular decision applications are reviewed on a rolling basis, and those received between February 1 and April 1 get no set decision date. Admitted students accept and pay the acceptance fee by May 1.
Source: MSU Admissions, First-year dates and deadlines (opens in a new tab). Read Oct 1, 2026.
Early action is non-binding: if admitted, you are not required to attend MSU.
Source: MSU Admissions, First-year dates and deadlines (opens in a new tab). Read Oct 1, 2026.
Testing
For students applying in fall 2026, entering fall 2027
MSU is test-optional: you choose on the application whether your SAT or ACT scores are part of your review, and you may self-report them. MSU considers your highest total SAT or composite ACT score and does not combine section scores from different sittings. Admitted students who entered their own scores must send official results before New Student Orientation.
Source: MSU Admissions, ACT/SAT optional (opens in a new tab). Read Oct 1, 2026.
The Common Data Set also marks the SAT or ACT as not required for fall 2027 applicants, but considered if submitted, with scores due by June 15.
Source: MSU Common Data Set 2025-2026 (opens in a new tab), section C8. Read Oct 1, 2026.
Applying next year?
For students applying in fall 2027, entering fall 2028
Not announced yet. When we checked Michigan State's admission pages on October 1, 2026, we found no announced changes for fall 2028 entry. The deadlines and rules above are for fall 2027 entry.
Source: MSU Admissions, First-year applicants (opens in a new tab). Read Oct 1, 2026.
Cost, and what families paid after aid
The published cost of a year at Michigan State, 2026-2027:
| Item | In-state | Out-of-state |
|---|---|---|
| Tuition (first year) | $16,916 | $44,300 |
| Required fees | $340 | $340 |
| Food and housing (on campus) | $12,928 | $12,928 |
| Books and supplies | $1,420 | $1,420 |
| Transportation | $1,310 | $1,310 |
| Other expenses | $3,930 | $3,930 |
| Total | $36,844 | $64,228 |
For a full-time first-year student living on campus, fall and spring. Tuition is higher after the first year: $19,284 in-state and $45,636 out-of-state for other undergraduates.
Source: MSU Common Data Set 2025-2026 (opens in a new tab), sections G1 and G5. Read Oct 1, 2026.
Average net price per year, by family income, 2023-24:
| Family income | Paid after grants |
|---|---|
| $0 to $30,000 | $7,068 |
| $30,001 to $48,000 | $10,830 |
| $48,001 to $75,000 | $16,521 |
| $75,001 to $110,000 | $22,703 |
| Over $110,000 | $28,546 |
| All incomes | $19,680 |
What first-year, full-time, in-state students who received federal aid paid after grants and scholarships, by family income, in 2023-24, the latest year the Department of Education publishes. Your own price comes from MSU's aid offer.
Source: College Scorecard, U.S. Department of Education (opens in a new tab). Read Oct 1, 2026.
Similar schools
Chosen for how close each is to Michigan State University on acceptance rate, public or private, location and majors offered.
Wayne State UniversityDetroit, MI · Public83.6% admitted$12,766 average net price
Western Michigan UniversityKalamazoo, MI · Public85.3% admitted$15,273 average net price
Michigan Technological UniversityHoughton, MI · Public85.5% admitted$14,182 average net price
Illinois State UniversityNormal, IL · Public85.5% admitted$19,398 average net price
Ohio UniversityAthens, OH · Public85% admitted$21,637 average net price
Admitted: each school's latest first-year acceptance rate, so the year can differ from school to school; each school's page names its year and source. Average net price: what federal aid recipients paid per year after grants, 2023-24, and the in-state figure for a public university.