Michigan State University (MSU) is a public land-grant research university located in East Lansing, Michigan, United States. It was established in 1855 as the Agricultural College of the State of Michigan, the first of its kind in the United States. In 1863, after the Morrill Act was passed in 1862, the state made the college a land-grant institution, making it the first land-grant college in the United States. The college allowed both men and women to attend in 1870. Michigan State has facilities throughout the state and has more than 550,500 alumni.
The university includes six professional schools: the College of Law (founded in Detroit in 1891 as the Detroit College of Law and moved to East Lansing in 1997), the Eli Broad College of Business, the College of Nursing, the College of Osteopathic Medicine (the first state-funded osteopathic college in the world), the College of Human Medicine, and the College of Veterinary Medicine. Michigan State was the first university to offer studies in music therapy, packaging, hospitality business, supply chain management, and communication sciences.
Michigan State is a member of the Association of American Universities and is classified as an "R1: Doctoral Universities – Very high research activity" institution. It is also recognized as a Public Ivy university. According to Time magazine, the university ranks among the world’s top 100 institutions. The campus includes the Facility for Rare Isotope Beams, the W. J. Beal Botanical Garden, the Abrams Planetarium, the Wharton Center for Performing Arts, the Eli and Edythe Broad Art Museum, and one of the largest residence hall systems in the country.
The university’s faculty, alumni, and affiliates include 1 Nobel laureate, 20 Rhodes Scholars, 20 Marshall Scholars, and 8 Pulitzer Prize winners. The Michigan State Spartans compete in the NCAA Division I Big Ten Conference. Spartan teams have won national championships in sports such as football, men’s basketball, ice hockey, and women’s cross country.
History
The State Agricultural College owed much of its success to John Clough Holmes. — Theophilus C. Abbot, third president of the State Agricultural College
In early 1855, John Clough Holmes, who worked for the agricultural society, persuaded the Michigan legislature to create a law that would establish "a State Agricultural School" near Lansing. On February 12, 1855, Governor Kinsley S. Bingham signed the bill, creating the nation’s first agriculture college, the Agricultural College of the State of Michigan. William J. Beal called Holmes "the most important agent" of the college. Holmes Hall, which is now part of the Lyman Briggs College, is named in his honor.
The State Board of Education was responsible for managing the college. This same board also oversaw the Michigan State Normal School in Ypsilanti, which had opened in 1852. Classes began on May 13, 1857, with three buildings, five teachers, and 63 male students.
Joseph R. Williams, the first president, believed in teaching a wide range of subjects, not just agriculture. He said the college would offer courses in English, science, chemistry, botany, geology, and other subjects. From the start, the college’s education included topics that later became part of the land-grant philosophy after the Morrill Act of 1862. The college aimed to train students to be informed citizens and skilled farmers.
However, after two years, Williams had disagreements with the State Board of Education. The board believed the college was not focused enough on agriculture, as its founder, John Clough Holmes, had intended. Some people criticized the college’s curriculum, calling for its closure. Williams resigned in 1859. The board then changed the program to a two-year, job-related farming course, which caused enrollment to drop quickly. Many people wanted a broader education, but the board ignored this. The college soon faced financial problems and risked closing.
In 1860, Williams became acting lieutenant governor and helped pass the Reorganization Act of 1861. This act restored the college’s four-year program and allowed it to award master’s degrees. A new group, the State Board of Agriculture, took over from the State Board of Education. The college was renamed the State Agricultural College, and its first class graduated in 1861.
In 1862, President Abraham Lincoln signed the Morrill Land-Grant Acts, which provided federal support for similar colleges across the United States. Soon after, on March 18, 1863, the state made the college its land-grant institution, making it the first land-grant college in the nation. This federal funding saved the college from closing.
Although the college’s location limited student housing and enrollment in the 19th century, it gained a good reputation because of its graduates, many of whom worked at other land-grant colleges. The college focused on scientific agriculture, but its students went into many different careers.
The college first admitted women in 1870, though there were no dormitories for women. Female students lived with faculty families or traveled by stagecoach from Lansing. They took the same science and agriculture courses as male students. In 1896, the faculty created a "Women Course" that combined home economics with other subjects. That year, the Abbot Hall dormitory was converted into a women’s dormitory.
In 1899, the college admitted its first African American student, William O. Thompson. After graduating, he taught at what is now Tuskegee University. A few years later, Myrtle Craig became the first African American woman student. Two years later, the college changed its name to Michigan Agricultural College.
In the early 20th century, Michigan Agricultural College added many new subjects beyond agriculture. By 1925, it had grown enough to change its name to Michigan State College of Agriculture and Applied Science, or "Michigan State" for short. In 1941, John A. Hannah, who later became president of the college, joined the State Board of Agriculture.
After World War II, Hannah led the college’s largest expansion with help from the G.I. Bill, which helped veterans attend college. He used a strategy of building dormitories and increasing enrollment to fund more buildings. Enrollment grew from 15,000 in 1950 to 38,000 in 1965.
In 1955, the State of Michigan officially named the school a university, even though many believed it had been one for years. The college became Michigan State University of Agriculture and Applied Science. During the 1950s, Michigan State University was a leading example of former agricultural colleges becoming research universities. In 1957, Hannah helped create Michigan State University–Oakland, now Oakland University, with Matilda Dodge Wilson. After the 1964 Michigan Constitution was passed, the university’s governing body was renamed the Michigan State University Board of Trustees.
MSU was connected to Oakland University from 1957 until 1970, when Oakland University became independent.
In September 2005, President Lou Anna Simon said Michigan State should become the top example of land-grant institutions by 2012. Her plans included building a new residential college and increasing research funding from the National Institutes of Health to over $100 million. While there are more than 100 land-grant universities in the United States, she wanted Michigan State University to lead them.
Campus
Michigan State University's large campus is located in East Lansing, Michigan. The campus is situated along the Red Cedar River. Construction of the campus began in 1856 with three buildings: a building used for many purposes called College Hall, a dormitory later named "Saints' Rest," and a barn. Today, the connected campus covers 5,200 acres (2,100 ha), with 2,000 acres (810 ha) developed. There are 563 buildings: 107 for classes, 131 for agriculture, 166 for housing and food service, and 42 for sports. The university has 22,763,025 square feet (2,114,754.2 m²) of indoor space. The campus is connected by 60 miles (97 km) of roads and 120 miles (190 km) of sidewalks. The university manages over 26,000 acres of land across Michigan.
In early 2017, construction began on a $22.5 million solar project at five parking lots on campus. The solar carport array covers five of the largest commuter parking lots and provides space for 5,000 cars. The carports can produce up to 10.5 Megawatts of power and generate 15 million kilowatt-hours of energy each year, enough to power about 1,800 homes in Michigan. The project won the Onsite Renewable Energy award at the Smart Energy Decisions Innovation Summit 2018 for being the largest carport solar array in North America.
Some of the land owned by MSU is in Lansing, Lansing Charter Township, Alaiedon Township, Delhi Charter Township, and Meridian Charter Township.
The oldest part of the campus is on the north bank of the Red Cedar River. This area includes buildings with Collegiate Gothic architecture, many trees, and curved roads. The first three buildings built here no longer exist. Other historic buildings on the north side include Cowles House, the president's official residence, and Beaumont Tower, a clock tower with bells that marks the site of College Hall, the original classroom building. To the east is Eustace–Cole Hall, the first freestanding horticulture laboratory in America. Other landmarks include a bronze statue of former president John A. Hannah, the W. J. Beal Botanical Garden, and "The Rock," a painted boulder used for events like theater performances and vigils. On the northwest corner of campus is the Kellogg Hotel and Conference Center. The university also has two museums: the MSU Museum, started in 1857, and the Eli and Edythe Broad Art Museum, which opened in 2012 and displays over 10,000 works of art.
In recent years, the university has focused on reusing already developed areas for new buildings while protecting green spaces. The STEM Teaching and Learning Facility, completed in 2021, replaced a former coal plant and used parts of the old structure. The Multicultural Center, set to open in 2025, was built on a former parking lot. The Student Recreation and Wellness Center is being built on the site of the former Cherry Lane Apartments. Other projects include the Leinweber Center for Engineering and Digital Innovation, which will replace several existing buildings. These efforts show the university’s plan to reuse land and promote long-term sustainability.
The campus south of the river has mostly buildings built after World War II, with fewer trees, straighter roads, and many parking lots. The "2020 Vision" Master Plan plans to replace some parking lots with parking ramps and green space, but these changes will take many years. As part of the plan, a new bronze statue of The Spartan was placed in 2005 at the intersection of Chestnut and Kalamazoo, just south of the Red Cedar River. This statue replaced an older terra cotta statue, which is still inside Spartan Stadium. Notable buildings on the south campus include the Cyclotron, the College of Law, the Facility for Rare Isotope Beams (FRIB), the Interdisciplinary Science and Technology Building, and the Broad College of Business.
This area also includes the MSU Horticulture Gardens and the 4-H Children's Garden. South of the gardens are the Canadian National and CSX railroads, which separate the main campus from thousands of acres of university-owned farmland. The university’s agricultural facilities include farms for horses, dairy cattle, beef cattle, swine, sheep, and poultry, as well as the Air Quality Control Lab and the Veterinary Diagnostic Laboratory.
The Kellogg Hotel and Conference Center is a full-service hotel and conference center located on the northwest corner of the campus, across from the Brody Complex on Harrison Road, just south of Michigan Avenue. The hotel has 160 rooms and suites for visitors attending conferences, sporting events, or campus visits. In addition to lodging, the hotel serves as a "learning laboratory" for students in the School of Hospitality Business and other programs. It hosts conferences and seminars to support education.
MSU had a small campus in Dubai Knowledge Village, United Arab Emirates. It first offered a master’s program in human resources and labor relations. In 2011, it added a master’s program in public health. Before this, MSU had an education center in Dubai offering six undergraduate programs, making it the first American university in Dubai International Academic City. The program started with 100 students in 2007 but could not meet the goal of 100–150 new students per year. In 2010, the program and campus were
Admissions
Michigan State University uses a rolling admissions system, which means applications are reviewed as they are received. The early application deadline is in October, and the university does not have an early decision plan. In 2022, U.S. News & World Report ranked Michigan State as "more selective." For students starting in fall 2024, the university received 62,138 applications and accepted 52,690 students (84.8% acceptance rate). Of those accepted, 9,625 students chose to enroll, which is an 18.3% yield rate. The freshman retention rate at Michigan State is 91.4%, and 82.52% of students graduate within six years.
In response to the COVID-19 pandemic, Michigan State made test-optional admissions available for the fall 2021 class. This policy continues through fall 2025. In 2023, 51% of enrolled freshmen submitted SAT scores, with the middle 50% of scores ranging from 1110 to 1320. Among the 14% of students who submitted ACT scores, the middle 50% of scores ranged from 26 to 31.
The number of applications to Michigan State has grown steadily over the years. In 2007, the university received 24,436 applications, and by 2024, the number had more than doubled. Michigan law does not require public universities to reserve spots for students who live in the state.
Michigan State is one of seven college sponsors of the National Merit Scholarship Program in Michigan, along with other universities. In 2020, the university awarded 30 Merit Scholarships. During the 2020–2021 academic year, 38 first-year students were National Merit Scholars.
For fall 2024, the College of Law at Michigan State received 1,359 applications and accepted 433 students (31.86% acceptance rate). Of those accepted, 139 students enrolled, which is a 32.1% yield rate. The middle 50% of LSAT scores for the 2024 first-year law class ranged from 157 to 162.
Academics
In 2025, Times Higher Education World University Rankings placed MSU 105th globally. In 2022, the Academic Ranking of World Universities ranked Michigan State 151st worldwide. Washington Monthly ranked MSU 43rd nationally in 2024. The 2025 QS World University Rankings listed MSU at 161st internationally. In its 2025–2026 edition, U.S. News & World Report ranked MSU tied for 29th best public university in the U.S., tied for 64th nationally, and tied for 37th among best universities for veterans.
In its 2020 edition, U.S. News & World Report ranked the following MSU graduate programs number one in the country: elementary teacher education and secondary teacher education (ranked #1 for 26 straight years), African history (tied), curriculum and instruction (tied), industrial and organizational psychology, nuclear physics, rehabilitation counseling (tied), and supply chain management/logistics.
The Eli Broad College of Business was ranked No. 39 nationally for 2019–20 by Bloomberg Businessweek. Ninety-two percent of the school’s graduates received job offers in 2019. The latest edition of U.S. News ranked Michigan State’s undergraduate and graduate supply chain management/logistics programs in the Eli Broad College of Business first in the nation. Additionally, the Eli Broad College of Business undergraduate accounting program is ranked 22nd, the master’s accounting program is ranked 15th, and the doctoral program is ranked 18th, according to the 2018 Public Accounting Report’s Annual Survey of Accounting Professors. The MBA program is ranked 27th in the U.S. by Forbes magazine.
The College of Communication Arts and Sciences was established in 1955 and was the first of its kind in the United States. The college’s Media and Information Studies doctoral program was ranked No. 2 in 2007 by The Chronicle of Higher Education in the category of mass communication. The communication doctoral program was ranked No. 4 in a separate category of communication in The Chronicle of Higher Education’s 2005 Faculty Scholarly Productivity Index, published in 2007.
The Eli and Edythe Broad Art Museum is the university’s contemporary art museum.
The MSU Museum is the university’s oldest museum, founded in 1857. It is Michigan’s first Smithsonian Affiliate. The museum holds collections in anthropology, folklife, cultural heritage and history, mammalogy, ornithology, herpetology, ichthyology, and vertebrate paleontology.
Michigan State University Libraries comprise North America’s 29th largest academic library system with over 4.9 million volumes and 6.7 million microforms.
The university has a long history of academic research and innovation. In 1877, botany professor William J. Beal performed the first documented genetic crosses to produce hybrid corn, which led to increased yields. MSU dairy professor G. Malcolm Trout improved the process for the homogenization of milk in the 1930s, making it more commercially viable. In the 1960s, MSU scientists developed cisplatin, a leading cancer-fighting drug, and followed that work with the derivative, carboplatin. Albert Fert, an adjunct professor at MSU, was awarded the 2007 Nobel Prize in Physics together with Peter Grünberg.
Michigan State continues its research with facilities such as the U.S. Department of Energy–sponsored MSU-DOE Plant Research Laboratory and a particle accelerator called the National Superconducting Cyclotron Laboratory. The U.S. Department of Energy Office of Science named Michigan State University as the site for the Facility for Rare Isotope Beams (FRIB) facility. Construction began in 2014 and was completed in 2022. The $730 million facility aims to attract top researchers from around the world to conduct experiments in basic nuclear science, astrophysics, and applications of isotopes to other fields.
In 2004, scientists at the cyclotron produced and observed a new isotope of the element germanium, called Ge-60. In that same year, Michigan State, in consortium with the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and the government of Brazil, broke ground on the 4.1-meter Southern Astrophysical Research Telescope (SOAR) in the Andes Mountains of Chile. The consortium telescope allows the Physics & Astronomy department to study galaxy formation and origins. Since 1999, MSU has been part of a consortium called the Michigan Life Sciences Corridor, which aims to develop biotechnology research in the State of Michigan. Finally, the College of Communication Arts and Sciences’ Quello Center researches issues of information and communication management.
Michigan State, the University of Michigan, and Wayne State University created the University Research Corridor in 2006. This alliance was formed to transform and strengthen Michigan’s economy by reaching out to businesses, policymakers, innovators, investors, and the public to speed up technology transfer, make resources more accessible, and attract new jobs to the state.
MSU’s (private, non-Morrill Act) endowment started in 1916, when the Engineering Building burned down. Automobile magnate Ransom E. Olds helped the program stay afloat with a gift of $100,000, equivalent to $2.96 million in 2025.
There was a time when MSU lagged behind peer institutions in terms of endowments. As recently as the early 1990s, MSU was last among the eleven Big Ten schools (of the time), with barely over $100 million in endowment funds. This changed dramatically in the 2000s, when the university started a campaign to increase the size of the endowment.
At the close of fiscal year 2004–2005, the endowment had risen to $1.325 billion, raising the university to sixth of the 11 Big Ten schools in terms of endowment; within $2 million of the fifth-rated school. As
Colleges
Michigan State University (MSU) offers more than 200 academic programs across 17 colleges that award degrees.
MSU’s first residential college, Justin Morrill College, opened in 1965 and focused on learning across many subjects. MSU closed Morrill College in 1979, but now the university has three residential colleges. One of these is the Residential College in Arts & Humanities (RCAH), which opened in Snyder and Phillips halls.
James Madison College, established in 1967, is a smaller residential college that offers programs in the social sciences. It is located in Case Hall. Classes are small, with about 25 students each, and most teachers are on long-term contracts. James Madison College has about 1,150 students total, with around 320 new students each year. Students must complete two years of a foreign language and one semester of hands-on experience, such as an internship or study abroad, to graduate. Though James Madison students make up about 4% of MSU graduates, they account for around 35% of the university’s Phi Beta Kappa members.
Lyman Briggs College, also founded in 1967, teaches math and science within social, historical, and philosophical contexts. Many students plan to become doctors, but the college supports over 30 different majors, including human biology and computer science. Lyman Briggs is one of the few colleges that allows undergraduate students to teach as "Learning Assistants."
MSU’s newest residential college is the Residential College in the Arts and Humanities (RCAH), which opened in 2005. RCAH provides about 600 students with a personalized curriculum in the liberal, visual, and performing arts. While all students earn the same degree, MSU encourages them to pursue a second degree or specialization. RCAH is located in Snyder-Phillips Hall, the same building where Justin Morrill College once operated.
The law school at MSU was founded in Detroit in 1891 as the Detroit College of Law. It moved to East Lansing in 1995 and became Michigan State University College of Law. Students come from 42 U.S. states and 13 countries. The law school publishes several legal journals and is home to the Geoffrey Fieger Trial Practice Institute, the first of its kind in the United States. In 2018, MSU’s board voted to make the College of Law a public institution. By 2020, the law school was fully integrated into the university.
The Eli Broad College of Business offers programs in accounting, information systems, finance, management, marketing, supply chain management, and hospitality. It has 2,066 undergraduate students and 817 graduate students. The Eli Broad Graduate School of Management was ranked 35th nationally and 14th among public schools in 2012. It offers MBA programs and joint degrees with the College of Law. The Eppley Center for Graduate Studies in Hotel, Restaurant, and Institutional Management was the first program in the U.S. to offer a Master of Business Administration in that field.
The Michigan State University College of Nursing offers bachelor’s, master’s, and doctorate degrees, as well as post-graduate certificates. Founded in 1950, it has trained over 6,000 nurses. The college focuses on research, education, and practice and is located in the Life Sciences Building and Bott Building on campus. In 2020, the college’s dean joined a state task force to help create training for health care workers to address bias.
The Michigan State University College of Osteopathic Medicine was the first publicly funded osteopathic medical school in the world. More than two-thirds of its graduates stay in Michigan to practice. In 2008, the university expanded the college to two locations in southeast Michigan to improve medical education and address a future shortage of doctors. In 2016, the College of Osteopathic Medicine ranked tied for 12th in the U.S. for primary care, and the College of Human Medicine ranked 70th for primary care.
The College of Human Medicine trains doctors and has seven campuses in cities like East Lansing, Kalamazoo, and Grand Rapids. Each campus partners with local hospitals and medical facilities. The Grand Rapids campus includes the Secchia Center, which opened in 2010 to support the region’s growing medical industry.
Though MSU has taught veterinary science since its founding, the College of Veterinary Medicine was officially established in 1910. In 2011, the college was ranked No. 9 in the U.S. It has over 170,000 square feet of space for teaching, research, and a veterinary hospital.
MSU’s music program has grown significantly, with enrollment increasing by more than 97% between 1991 and 2004. In 2007, the university created the MSU College of Music as a separate unit. The new college faces challenges, such as limited space and funding, but plans to continue placing about 25 graduates in university teaching positions each year.
The College of Education offers degrees in counseling, educational psychology, special education, teacher education, and kinesiology. Its programs are ranked highly by U.S. News & World Report, including first in elementary and secondary teacher education. The college is located in Erickson Hall. MSU also offers a 30-credit online Master of Arts in Educational Technology program.
Founded in 1956, the MSU Honors College provides personalized curricula for top undergraduate students. While it does not offer its own majors, it has its own dean and advisers to support Honors students. High school students who start at MSU may join the Honors program.
Athletics
Michigan State's NCAA Division I-A program includes 11 men's and 12 women's varsity sports. The teams are called the Spartans, use the school colors green and white, and have a mascot named Sparty, who is a Spartan warrior. The university participates in the Big Ten Conference for all varsity sports. The current athletic director is J Batt, who previously worked as the vice president and director of athletics at Georgia Tech and started his role on June 2, 2025.
Michigan State has a long history of athletic success, with multiple national championships in football, men’s basketball, ice hockey, and cross country. The football team has won several Big Ten titles and played in the College Football Playoff in 2015. The men’s basketball program, led by head coach Tom Izzo for many years, has earned multiple Big Ten championships and made 28 consecutive NCAA tournament appearances, including several Final Fours and two national titles in 1979 and 2000.
The women’s athletics programs have also achieved success in many sports. The women’s basketball team has won Big Ten championships and made deep NCAA tournament runs, including a Final Four appearance in 2005. In 2014, the women’s cross country team won a national championship. Other programs, such as women’s soccer, gymnastics, and volleyball, have earned conference titles and NCAA tournament appearances.
In 1888, Michigan State University (then called Michigan State Agricultural College) was one of the founding members of the Michigan Intercollegiate Athletic Association (MIAA), the oldest athletic conference in the nation. Michigan State left the MIAA in 1907.
Football has a long history at Michigan State. It began as a club sport in 1884 and became a varsity sport in 1896. The Spartans won the Rose Bowl in 1954, 1956, 1988, and 2014. They also won national championships in 1951, 1952, 1955, 1957, 1965, and 1966. In 1967, four of the top eight players selected in the NFL/AFL draft were from Michigan State, a feat no other college football program has matched. As of 2020, Michigan State was one of only four schools to have at least one player selected in every NFL draft since 1967. No Michigan State players were selected in the 2021 NFL Draft, the first time this has happened since 1941.
The men’s basketball team has won two National Championships, in 1979 and 2000. Under head coach Tom Izzo, the team has made 28 consecutive NCAA tournament appearances. The Spartans play their home games at the Jack Breslin Student Events Center.
The men’s ice hockey team started in 1924 but became a varsity sport in 1950. The team has won national titles in 1966, 1986, and 2007. In 1987, the Spartans lost the national championship game to the North Dakota Fighting Hawks. The team plays at MSU’s Munn Ice Arena. Ron Mason, a former head coach, holds the record for the most wins in college hockey history, with 924 total and 635 at MSU. The current head coach is Adam Nightingale. The ice hockey team competes in the Big Ten Conference and previously played in the Central Collegiate Hockey Association (CCHA). Michigan State leads the CCHA in all-time wins, is second in conference championships with 7, and is first in CCHA Tournament Championships with 11. The rivalry between the Spartans and the Michigan Wolverines is strong, and in 2001, the two teams played the "Cold War" game, which ended in a 3–3 tie with a record crowd of 74,554 fans. In 2006–2007, the Spartans defeated Boston College to win their third NCAA hockey championship.
Between World War I and World War II, Michigan State College competed in the Central Collegiate Conference, winning titles in 1926–1929, 1932, 1933, and 1935. The school also won 15 team titles in the IC4A at New York’s Van Cortlandt Park between 1933 and 1937, 1949, 1953, 1956–1960, 1962, 1963, and 1968. Since joining the Big Ten in 1950, Michigan State has won 14 men’s team titles (1951–1953, 1955–1960, 1962, 1963, 1968, 1970, and 1971). The Spartans hosted the first NCAA cross country championships in 1938 and every year until 1964 (except 1943). They won NCAA championships in 1939, 1948, 1949, 1952, 1955, 1956, 1958, and 1959.
The Spartan Wrestling team won its only team NCAA Championship in 1967. The current head coach is Roger Chandler, who is in his second season. The team competes at the Jenison Field House.
Student life
East Lansing is a college town, with 63.5% of the population aged 15 to 24. President John A. Hannah's efforts in the 1950s and 1960s led to the creation of the largest residence hall system in the United States. About 16,000 students live in MSU's 23 undergraduate halls, one graduate hall, and three apartment villages. Each residence hall has its own hall government, with representatives in the Residence Halls Association. Even though on-campus housing is large, students also have other housing choices. About 58% of students live off-campus, mostly in areas near campus, such as apartment buildings, former homes, fraternity and sorority houses, or co-ops.
In 2014, there were about 50,085 students at MSU, including 38,786 undergraduates and 11,299 graduate and professional students. These students come from all 50 U.S. states and 130 countries worldwide.
MSU tied for tenth place among U.S. universities with the largest student enrollment in fall 2018. During the 2018–19 fiscal year, the Office of the Registrar awarded 12,354 degrees. The student body is 52% female and 48% male. About 75.1% of students are from Michigan’s 83 counties, while students also come from all 50 U.S. states and 138 other countries.
In fall 2019, 5,660 international students enrolled at MSU. The top five countries outside North America were China (2,965), India (506), South Korea (331), Saudi Arabia (222), and Taiwan (144). In the 2017–2018 academic year, 2,805 students participated in MSU’s study abroad program, with 2,755 of them being MSU students. These students studied in over 60 countries, including Antarctica.
A Brookings Institution report from 2008 to 2012 showed that MSU had the most Chinese international students in the U.S., with about 4,700 enrolled during that time. Later, Chinese enrollment dropped, and MSU lost its position as the top destination for Chinese students. This change was linked to increased anti-China statements by former U.S. President Donald Trump and changes in China’s policies. During the first full year of the COVID-19 pandemic, MSU saw a 25% drop in international enrollment, but numbers began to rise again by fall 2021. Officials expected full recovery by the 2022–2023 academic year.
In August 2021, during the fall of Kabul, MSU worked with U.S. Representative Elissa Slotkin to help evacuate over 70 staff, scholars, and their families from an MSU-USAID program in Afghanistan. Twelve of these evacuees were students in the Grain Research and Innovation (GRAIN) project at Kabul University. MSU paid $250,000 from a university credit card to charter an airplane to help reunite evacuees in Albania. MSU then helped transfer the students to the Agricultural University of Tirana and arranged their entry into the U.S. in early 2022.
In February 2023, the Chinese Consulate-General in Chicago reported that two Chinese MSU students were injured in the 2023 Michigan State University shooting. At the time of the shooting, China was likely the largest source of international students at MSU, based on 2021 enrollment data.
MSU’s Greek Community has over 3,000 members and is one of the largest in the U.S. The Greek system was started in 1872 and re-established in 1922 by Lambda Chi Alpha fraternity, Alpha Gamma Rho fraternity, and Alpha Phi sorority. Today, it includes 55 student societies under four governing councils: National Panhellenic Conference, North American Interfraternity Council, National Pan-Hellenic Council, and Independent Greek Council. The National Pan-Hellenic Council includes nine groups, five fraternities, and four sororities. The Interfraternity Council and Women’s Panhellenic Council manage their own budgets, allowing them to host fundraising and recruitment events. Greek groups also organize philanthropy events, such as raising over $260,000 for the American Cancer Society in 2011.
The Associated Students of Michigan State University (ASMSU) is the undergraduate student government at MSU. It had a unique structure with two parts working separately but together, and limited influence from the Greek system. This structure changed in the late 2000s to a single General Assembly. ASMSU representatives are nonpartisan and often run in noncompetitive races. Services include free blue books, low-cost printing, free yearbooks, interest-free loans, funding for student groups, free legal help, and rentals for iClicker devices and graphing calculators.
Students pay $21 per semester to fund ASMSU activities, including officer stipends. Some students have criticized ASMSU for low voter turnout, which has ranged between 3% and 17% since 2001.
Student-run organizations also impact the East Lansing/MSU community. Over 800 student groups are registered through the Department of Student Life. The Eli Broad College of Business includes 27 student organizations, with the Finance Association, Accounting Student Association, and Supply Chain Management Association being the largest. The Supply Chain Management Association hosts the university’s largest career fair, attracting over 100 companies and 400 students yearly.
Activists have influenced MSU’s history. During the Vietnam War, student protests led to co-ed residence halls and blocked the construction of Interstate 496 through campus. In the 1980s, students pushed the university to remove stocks from companies involved in apartheid South Africa, such as Coca-Cola. In 2011, a student group protested to transition the university to 100% clean energy. In 2019, Governor Gretchen Whitmer joined the Lansing Women’s March to support victims of campus sexual assault. After the February 2023 shooting, a student group organized a protest at the Michigan State Capitol, which led to new gun control laws in Michigan.
MSU has many student groups focused on political change, including the Graduate Employees Union.
Investment office
The Michigan State University Investment Office is responsible for managing the university's endowment. Its goal is to help the endowment grow over time while reducing risks from changes in the market. The office was established in 2016 to combine the university's investment activities into one place. In 2024, Philip Zecher led the office. He was in charge of choosing outside investment managers and making sure they followed the university's investment rules. The office is located on campus at 426 Auditorium Road, Room 412.
People
Michigan State University (MSU) has approximately 5,703 faculty members and 7,365 staff members.
Important leaders at the university in the 19th century included John C. Holmes, the founder; Joseph R. Williams, the first president; and Theophilus C. Abbot, the third president, who helped the college recover after the Civil War. These individuals played key roles in creating and keeping the college’s early balanced curriculum that included both liberal and practical subjects. William J. Beal, a botany professor, was an early scientist who studied plants before genetics was understood. He supported teaching through laboratory methods. Another notable faculty member was Liberty Hyde Bailey, an alumnus who raised the study of horticulture to a science, earning him the title of "Father of American Horticulture." William L. Carpenter was a lawyer who served in the Michigan Supreme Court and was elected to the Third Judicial Circuit of Michigan in 1894. Other famous alumni from this time included Ray Stannard Baker, a journalist who won a Pulitzer Prize; Minakata Kumagusu, an environmental scientist; and William Chandler Bagley, an education reformer.
As of the fall of 2018, about 634,300 MSU alumni were still living worldwide. Notable politicians and public servants from MSU include current Michigan Governor Gretchen Whitmer, former Michigan Governors James Blanchard and John Engler, U.S. Senators Debbie Stabenow, Tim Johnson, and Spencer Abraham (who also served as Secretary of Energy), U.S. Ambassador to Brazil Donna Hrinak, former South Korean Prime Minister Lee Wan-koo, Consumer Financial Protection Bureau Director Richard Cordray, former Jordan Prime Minister Adnan Badran, and Chief Justice of the Texas Supreme Court Wallace B. Jefferson. Billionaire philanthropists Tom Gores, Andrew Beal, and Eli Broad; Pulitzer Prize-winning novelist Richard Ford; labor union leader James P. Hoffa; and Quicken Loans founder and billionaire Cleveland Cavaliers owner Dan Gilbert are also MSU alumni.
MSU alumni in Hollywood include actors such as James Caan, Anthony Heald, Robert Urich, and William Fawcett; voice actor SungWon Cho; comedian Jackie Martling; film directors Michael Cimino and Sam Raimi; film producer Jeff Katz; film editor Bob Murawski; and screenwriter David Magee. Composer Dika Newlin earned her undergraduate degree from MSU, while lyricist, theatrical director, and clinical psychologist Jacques Levy earned a doctorate in psychology. The university has also produced jazz musicians such as pianist Henry Butler, vibraphonist Milt Jackson, and keyboardist/composer-arranger Clare Fischer.
Russell Kirk, whose writings influenced the American conservative movement, attended MSU on a scholarship. Journalists include NBC reporter Chris Hansen, ESPN sportcaster and columnist Jemele Hill, AP White House correspondent Nedra Pickler, and NPR Washington correspondent Don Gonyea. Novelist Michael Kimball graduated in 1990. Novelist and true crime author R. Barri Flowers earned a bachelor’s degree in 1977 and a master’s degree in criminal justice in 1980. He was inducted into the MSU Criminal Justice Wall of Fame in 2006. Author Erik Qualman graduated with honors in 1994 and was also Academic Big-Ten in basketball. Susan K. Avery, the first female president and director of the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution, earned a bachelor’s degree in physics from MSU. Two members of the Little Rock Nine, Ernest Green and Carlotta Walls LaNier, also attended MSU. The university awarded an honorary degree to Robert Mugabe in 1990 but later revoked it in 2008.
MSU alumni have made their mark in major American sports. NBA players include point guard and three-time MVP Earvin "Magic" Johnson, Greg Kelser, Jay Vincent, Steve Smith, Scott Skiles, Jason Richardson, and Zach Randolph. In the NFL, alumni include Carl Banks, a member of the Giants teams that won Super Bowls XXI and XXV; quarterback Earl Morrall; defensive end and actor Bubba Smith; former Detroit Lions head coach Wayne Fontes; NFL games-played leader Morten Andersen; and players such as Plaxico Burress, Andre Rison, Derrick Mason, Muhsin Muhammad, T. J. Duckett, Flozell Adams, Julian Peterson, Charles Rogers, and Jim Miller. The American Football League’s All-Time Team includes tight-end Fred Arbanas and safety George Saimes.
In the NHL, former MSU players include All-Star defensemen Duncan Keith, Rod Brind’
References
- Among students who chose to submit