Why Attend MSU? | Office of Admissions and Scholarships

Why Attend MSU?

Dak the masscot sitting on the Drill Field in his harness

Academics

  • 16:1 student to faculty ratio
  • 180+ programs and majors
  • 22 pre-professional programs
  • Top 100 Research Institution ranked by the National Science Foundation, which means lots of opportunities for hands-on learning even for undergraduates!
  • More than $300 million in research and development expenditures in the latest National Science Foundation report.
  • 1 of the largest biometric research labs of its kind in the Southeast U.S. Market Innovation Lab and Observatory (MILO)
  • Mississippi State is in a select group of universities designated as Land, Sea, and Space-Grant institutions.

Jeffery Greer MSU Engineering student standing beside parts that he is going to school to learn how to build and design

Career Preparation

  • 93% of MSU graduates achieve successful career outcomes which include full-time employment, part-time employment, continuing to graduate or professional school, enrolling in a volunteer experience, or going into the military.
  • At MSU’s Career Day events, hundreds of potential employers recruit for co-op, internship, and full-time positions.
  • Our Academic and Career Planning Class, career assessment tools, and our Career Center can help students discover exciting career paths.
  • The Career Center’s Resume Writing & Review service and Mock Interviews help students prepare for the next step.
  • The E-Center works with 120 new startups annually, and awarded $40,000 in prize money to students during Startup Summit.

Two MSU students standing on the Drill Field on a sunny day smiling at the camera

Community and Student Life

  • 22,000+ students across all campuses and classifications
  • 4,200-acre campus, founded in 1878
  • Small-town feel with big SEC excitement in Starkville, Mississippi, USA Today's Best Small Town in the South!
  • 17 furnished housing options – 7 of which have private baths constructed since 2005
  • 20+ dining options on campus, including Chick-fil-A, The Fresh Food Company, Panda Express, and more!
  • 300+ student organizations-from Fraternity and Sorority Life and intramurals to improv comedy and eSports

Picture of the football team running out the tunnel with Bully right before kick off in Davis Wade Stadium

Southeastern Conference Sports

  • 8 varsity women’s teams
  • 6 varsity men’s teams
  • Cheer the Diamond Dawgs on to another College World Series appearance (12 and counting!) in the country’s premier college baseball stadium, “The Dude.”
  • The Mississippi State Women's Golf team made history in becoming the first SEC Champions to win the SEC Tournament in 2024. 
  • In 2021 Mississippi State became the National Champions when the Diamond Dawgs won the College World Series.
  • Next trivia night, if you are asked who broke UConn women’s basketball 111-game winning streak – the answer is Mississippi State in 2017 Final Four!