Colleges / Mississippi State University
College · Public · Mississippi State, MS · Town
MSU

Mississippi State University

Mississippi State, MS

AddressLee Boulevard, Mississippi State, MS 39762
Websitewww.msstate.edu
Price calculatorRun your numbers →
Admit rate78%
6-yr median pay$43k
Net price / yr$18k
Undergrad size18,397
§ I · The real read

What it's actually like.

The bet

Net price of $18k/yr for a shot at a $43k first-5-year salary. Math out whether that works for you — it does for some people, not for others.

Getting in

Admit rate of 78% means this is workable if your grades and essays are solid. Admitted students average SAT 1219 · ACT 26.

If you get in

18,397 undergrads. Medium. Clubs matter for finding your people.

Where you live

Town setting — self-contained, social life mostly on campus.

§ II · Cost & aid

Sticker vs. real.

Sticker cost of attendance is $29k/yr. After need-based aid, the average student pays $18k/yr. Merit aid varies. Run your EFC calculator before you rule anything out.

Sticker · 4 yrs$117k
Before any aid.
Net · 4 yrs$70k
What the average student pays.
Typical aid$47k
Difference over 4 years — higher for lower-income households.
Payback1.6x
4-yr net price ÷ first-5-year salary. Lower is better.

Where the money goes · annual sticker.

Tuition · in-state
$10.2k
Tuition · out-of-state
$27.6k
Room & board
$12.9k
Books & supplies
$1,200

How students pay for it.

Pell grants29%
Share of undergrads on federal Pell grants.
Federal loans39%
Share taking out federal student loans.
Median debt · grads$22k
What the median student owes at graduation. Non-completers: $9k.
3-yr default0%
Low — grads tend to pay on time.
§ III · Outcomes

Do people finish? Do they land?

1-yr retention83%
Solid.
Graduation · 6 yr67%
Majority finish.
6-yr median pay$43k
Cross-major. Your major's number can be very different.
10-yr median pay$52k
Ten years out — where grads tend to land career-wise.
Transfer out0%
Share of full-time students who transfer to another school.
§ IV · Campus & identity

Setting, size, and who this school is.

Setting
Town
Control
Public
Undergrad size
18,397
Location
Mississippi State, MS
Region
Southeast (AL, AR, FL, GA, KY, LA, MS, NC, SC, TN, VA, WV)
Carnegie class
Doctoral Universities: Very High Research Activity (R1)
Size & setting
Four-year · large · primarily residential
Undergrad program
Four-year · full-time, selective, higher transfer-in
Accreditor
Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges
§ · Who studies here

The student body at a glance.

  • White73%
  • Black16%
  • Hispanic5%
  • Two or more races3%
  • Asian2%
  • International1%
  • Unknown1%
First-gen students25%
Share whose parents didn't complete college.
Part-time8%
Mostly a full-time student body.
Veterans0%
Share using veteran education benefits.
Median family income$39k
Of enrolled students' households — useful for aid context.
§ V · Majors offered here · 86

What you can study.

Colleges / Mississippi State University
College · Public · Mississippi State, MS · Town
MSU

Mississippi State University

Mississippi State, MS

AddressLee Boulevard, Mississippi State, MS 39762
Websitewww.msstate.edu
Price calculatorRun your numbers →
Admit rate78%
6-yr median pay$43k
Net price / yr$18k
Undergrad size18,397
§ I · The real read

What it's actually like.

The bet

Net price of $18k/yr for a shot at a $43k first-5-year salary. Math out whether that works for you — it does for some people, not for others.

Getting in

Admit rate of 78% means this is workable if your grades and essays are solid. Admitted students average SAT 1219 · ACT 26.

If you get in

18,397 undergrads. Medium. Clubs matter for finding your people.

Where you live

Town setting — self-contained, social life mostly on campus.

§ II · Cost & aid

Sticker vs. real.

Sticker cost of attendance is $29k/yr. After need-based aid, the average student pays $18k/yr. Merit aid varies. Run your EFC calculator before you rule anything out.

Sticker · 4 yrs$117k
Before any aid.
Net · 4 yrs$70k
What the average student pays.
Typical aid$47k
Difference over 4 years — higher for lower-income households.
Payback1.6x
4-yr net price ÷ first-5-year salary. Lower is better.

Where the money goes · annual sticker.

Tuition · in-state
$10.2k
Tuition · out-of-state
$27.6k
Room & board
$12.9k
Books & supplies
$1,200

How students pay for it.

Pell grants29%
Share of undergrads on federal Pell grants.
Federal loans39%
Share taking out federal student loans.
Median debt · grads$22k
What the median student owes at graduation. Non-completers: $9k.
3-yr default0%
Low — grads tend to pay on time.
§ III · Outcomes

Do people finish? Do they land?

1-yr retention83%
Solid.
Graduation · 6 yr67%
Majority finish.
6-yr median pay$43k
Cross-major. Your major's number can be very different.
10-yr median pay$52k
Ten years out — where grads tend to land career-wise.
Transfer out0%
Share of full-time students who transfer to another school.
§ IV · Campus & identity

Setting, size, and who this school is.

Setting
Town
Control
Public
Undergrad size
18,397
Location
Mississippi State, MS
Region
Southeast (AL, AR, FL, GA, KY, LA, MS, NC, SC, TN, VA, WV)
Carnegie class
Doctoral Universities: Very High Research Activity (R1)
Size & setting
Four-year · large · primarily residential
Undergrad program
Four-year · full-time, selective, higher transfer-in
Accreditor
Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges
§ · Who studies here

The student body at a glance.

  • White73%
  • Black16%
  • Hispanic5%
  • Two or more races3%
  • Asian2%
  • International1%
  • Unknown1%
First-gen students25%
Share whose parents didn't complete college.
Part-time8%
Mostly a full-time student body.
Veterans0%
Share using veteran education benefits.
Median family income$39k
Of enrolled students' households — useful for aid context.
§ V · Majors offered here · 86

What you can study.