Michigan State University

Michigan State University (Michigan State or MSU) is a public land-grant research university in East Lansing, Michigan, United States. It was founded in 1855 as the Agricultural College of the State of Michigan, the first of its kind in the country. After the introduction of the Morrill Act in 1862, the state designated the college a land-grant institution in 1863, making it the first of the land-grant colleges in the United States. The college became coeducational in 1870. Michigan State has facilities across the state, and over 550,500 alumni.

The university's six professional schools include the College of Law (founded in Detroit, in 1891, as the Detroit College of Law and moved to East Lansing in 1997), Eli Broad College of Business; the College of Nursing, the College of Osteopathic Medicine (the world's first state-funded osteopathic college), the College of Human Medicine, and the College of Veterinary Medicine. The university pioneered the studies of music therapy, packaging, hospitality business, supply chain management, and communication sciences.

Michigan State is a member of the Association of American Universities, classified among "R1: Doctoral Universities – Very high research activity", and a Public Ivy institution. MSU ranks among the world's top 100 institutions, according to Time magazine. The university's campus houses 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 country's largest residence hall system.

University faculty, alumni, and affiliates include 3 Nobel laureates, 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 many sports, including football, men's basketball, ice hockey, and women's cross country.

History

In early 1855, John Clough Holmes, secretary of the agricultural society, convinced the Michigan legislature to pass an act establishing "a State Agricultural School" to be located on a site selected by the Michigan State Agricultural Society within ten miles of Lansing. On February 12, 1855, Michigan Governor Kinsley S. Bingham signed a bill establishing 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, the home of the Lyman Briggs College, is named in his honor.

The State Board of Education was designated as the institution's governing body. The 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 faculty members, and 63 male students.

Joseph R. Williams, the first president and a passionate promoter of interdisciplinary liberal arts education, encouraged a curriculum that went far beyond practical agriculture: "The course of instruction in said college shall include the following branches of education, viz: an English and scientific course, natural philosophy, chemistry, botany, animal and vegetable anatomy and physiology, geology, mineralogy, meteorology, entomology, veterinary art, mensuration, leveling and political economy, with bookkeeping and the mechanic arts which are directly connected with agriculture..." From its inception, the Agricultural College of the State of Michigan offered courses of study that would characterize the land-grant philosophy of higher education after the passage of the Morrill Act in 1862. Michigan's agricultural college educated people to be well-informed citizens, as well as good farmers.

However, after just two years, Williams ran into conflict with the managing State Board of Education. Despite Williams' eloquent defense of an all-round education for the masses, the board saw the college as inefficient and had far deviated from the agriculture focus as the founder, John Clough Holmes, had anticipated. Indeed, some agriculturalists began protesting against the college's unpractical curriculum with some even calling for the college's abolition. Williams eventually resigned in 1859. The board then reduced the curriculum to a two-year, vocation-oriented farming program, which proved catastrophic and resulted almost overnight in a drastic reduction in enrollment. There was a high demand for an all-round education grounded in the liberal arts tradition instead of a specialized agriculture program, a fact the board disregarded. With a sharp decrease in tuition revenue, the college was soon in dire financial straits and threatened with dissolution.

Campus

MSU's sprawling campus is in East Lansing, Michigan. The campus is perched on the banks of the Red Cedar River. Development of the campus started in 1856 with three buildings: a multipurpose College Hall building, a dormitory later called "Saints' Rest", and a barn. Today, MSU's contiguous campus consists of 5,200 acres (2,100 ha), 2,000 acres (810 ha) of which are developed. There are 563 buildings: 107 for academics, 131 for agriculture, 166 for housing and food service, and 42 for athletics. Overall, the university has 22,763,025 square feet (2,114,754.2 m2) of indoor space. Connecting it all is 60 miles (97 km) of roads and 120 miles (190 km) of sidewalks. The university manages land holdings totaling more than 26,000 acres throughout Michigan.

In early 2017, construction of a $22.5 million solar project began at five parking lots on campus. MSU's solar carport array is constructed on five of the university's largest commuter parking lots and covers 5,000 parking spaces. The solar carports are designed to deliver a peak power of 10.5 Megawatts and an annual energy of 15 million kilowatt-hours, which is enough to power approximately 1,800 Michigan homes. The solar carport project was recognized at the Smart Energy Decisions Innovation Summit 2018, earning the Onsite Renewable Energy award for "The Largest Carport Solar Array in North America."

Some land owned by MSU is in Lansing, Lansing Charter Township, Alaiedon Township, Delhi Charter Township, and Meridian Charter Township.

North campus

The oldest part of campus lies on the Red Cedar river's north bank. It includes Collegiate Gothic architecture, plentiful trees, and curving roads with few straight lines. The college built its first three buildings here, of which none survive. Other historic buildings north of the river include the president's official residence, Cowles House; and Beaumont Tower, a carillon clock tower marking the site of College Hall, the original classroom building. To the east lies Eustace–Cole Hall, America's first freestanding horticulture laboratory. Other landmarks include the bronze statue of former president John A. Hannah, the W. J. Beal Botanical Garden, and the painted boulder known as "The Rock", a popular spot for theater, tailgating, and candlelight vigils. On the campus's northwest corner is the university's hotel, the Kellogg Hotel and Conference Center. The university also has two museums. MSU Museum, initiated in 1857, is one of the Midwest's oldest museums and is accredited by the American Alliance of Museums. The Eli and Edythe Broad Art Museum, designed by Zaha Hadid, opened in 2012 as MSU's primary art gallery, featuring local, national, and international artists, and a permanent collection of over 10,000 works.

Admissions

Undergraduate

Michigan State University offers a rolling admissions system, with an early action (non-binding) deadline of November 1. Students who apply early action will receive an admissions decision by January 15. Students who apply for regular admission by February 1 will receive an admissions decision by March 31, and those who apply by April 1 will receive an admissions decision on a rolling basis. The deadline for admitted students to accept their admission is May 1.

In its 2026 rankings, U.S. News & World Report ranked MSU among the top 30 public universities in the United States and placed 33 undergraduate and graduate programs and concentrations among the nation's top 25. For students enrolling in fall 2025, Michigan State received 64,492 applications and admitted 8,732 applicants (11.3%). Of those admitted, 9,335 enrolled, yielding an enrollment rate of 17.8%. The university's first-year retention rate is 90%, and its six-year graduation rate is 80%.

The university has continued to offer test-optional admissions since the COVID-19 pandemic. Of the enrolled freshmen in 2025 who submitted SAT scores, the middle 50 percent composite score was 1110–1320. Of incoming freshmen who submitted ACT scores, the middle 50 percent composite score was between 26 and 31. International students may still be required to submit English language proficiency test scores.

Students can apply through MSU, Coalition or the Common App. Although there are no minimum requirements to apply to Michigan State, applicants are encouraged to take a college preparatory curriculum in high school. Students are also advised to apply early for maximum scholarship consideration.

All admitted students are automatically considered for scholarships. In most cases, the application for admission, including the required essay, is enough for award consideration (some scholarships may require supplemental documents). In 2026, MSU also awarded full merit scholarships to 51 high-achieving incoming students for the upcoming year.

Graduate

For fall 2024, the Michigan State University College of Law received 1,359 applications and accepted 433 (31.86%). Of those accepted, 139 enrolled, a yield rate of 32.1%. The College of Law had a middle-50% LSAT range of 157-162 for the 2024 first year class.

Academics

Rankings

In 2026, TIME/Statista ranked MSU No. 85 globally (and No. 14 among U.S. public universities). In its 2026 rankings, Times Higher Education World University Rankings ranked MSU 105th in the world. Michigan State ranks 151st in the world for 2025, according to the Academic Ranking of World Universities. Washington Monthly ranked MSU 43rd nationally for 2024. The publication also ranked Michigan State No. 16 as a Best Bang for Your Buck College in the Midwest for 2025. The 2026 QS World University Rankings placed it at 182nd internationally. In its 2025-2026 edition, U.S. News & World Report ranked it as tied for the 29th best public university in the United States, tied for 64th nationally, and tied for 37th among best universities for veterans.

In its 2026 edition, U.S. News & World Report ranked the following MSU graduate programs number one in the country: elementary teacher education and secondary teacher education (#1 for 31 straight years), curriculum and instruction and the online graduate program in educational administration and supervision. No. 2 ranked programs include educational administration, higher education administration, and rehabilitation counseling.

The Eli Broad College of Business was ranked No. 45 nationally and No. 20 among public programs for 2025-26 by Bloomberg Businessweek. The college had a placement rate of 99% for its graduating class (undergraduate) in 2025. In addition, the college's undergraduate supply chain program is ranked No. 1 nationally and the accounting program is ranked 22nd. The MBA program is ranked #19 among public institutions by U.S. News and World Report.

The College of Communication Arts and Sciences was established in 1955 and was the first of its kind in the United States. In 2025, its communication program was ranked #5 by the Shanghai Academic Ranking of World Universities. The communication and media studies program ranks in the top 25 by QS World University Rankings for 2026. The game design program is ranked in the top 15 nationally by Princeton Review.

Collections and museums

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.

Colleges

MSU has over 200 academic programs offered by 17 degree-granting colleges.

Residential colleges

MSU's first residential college, Justin Morrill College started in 1965 with an interdisciplinary curriculum. MSU closed Morrill College in 1979, but today the university has three residential colleges, including the recent opening of the Residential College in Arts & Humanities (RCAH) located in Snyder and Phillips halls.

James Madison College

Established in 1967, James Madison College is a smaller component residential college featuring multidisciplinary programs in the social sciences, founded on a model of liberal education. James Madison College is housed in Case Hall. Classes in the college are small, with an average of 25 students, and most instructors are tenure track faculty. James Madison College has about 1150 students total, with each freshman class containing about 320 students. Each of Madison's four majors—Social Relations and Policy, International Relations, Political Theory and Constitutional Democracy, and Comparative Cultures and Politics—requires two years of foreign language and one semester of "field experience" in an internship or study abroad program. Although Madison students make up about 4% of MSU graduates, they represent around 35% of the MSU's Phi Beta Kappa members.

Lyman Briggs College

Also established in 1967, Lyman Briggs College teaches math and science within social, historical and philosophical contexts. Many Lyman Briggs students intend to pursue careers in medicine, but the school supports over 30 coordinate majors, from human biology to computer sciences. Lyman Briggs is one of the few colleges that lets undergraduates teach as "Learning Assistants."

Residential College in the Arts and Humanities

MSU's newest residential college is the Residential College in the Arts and Humanities (RCAH). Founded October 21, 2005, RCAH provides around 600 undergraduates with an individualized curriculum in the liberal, visual and performing arts. Though all the students will graduate with the same degree, MSU encourages students in the college to get a second degree or specialization. The university houses the new college in a newly renovated Snyder-Phillips Hall, the location of MSU's first residential college, Justin Morrill College.

College of Law

Founded in Detroit in 1891 as the Detroit College of Law, the law school moved to East Lansing in 1995, becoming Michigan State University College of Law. Students attending MSU College of Law come from 42 states and 13 countries. The law school publishes the Michigan State Law Review, the Michigan State Journal of International Law, the Journal of Medicine Law, and the Journal of Business & Securities Law. The College of Law is the home of the Geoffrey Fieger Trial Practice Institute, the first trial practice institute in the United States. In October 2018, MSU's board of trustees voted to fully integrate the College of Law into the university, thereby converting it from a private to a public law school. By August 2020, the College of Law had become fully integrated into the university.

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