MSU enrollment another all-time high, state’s only public university to grow 9 of last 10 years

Contact: Harriet Laird

STARKVILLE, Miss.—Mississippi State once again is celebrating an all-time high in enrollment with 23,150 students, surpassing 2021’s record of 23,086. Mississippi’s land-grant research university is the only public higher education institution in the Magnolia State to grow in overall numbers for nine of the last 10 years, increasing 11%.

MSU is seeing an increase of almost 500 more students over the 2023 total of 22,657. First-time students make up 6,356 of the overall student body that hails from all 82 Mississippi counties, all 50 states plus Puerto Rico and the Virgin Islands, and 94 countries.

The university’s growth over the last decade speaks to Mississippi State’s commitment in helping students realize life-changing opportunities through a combination of quality academics, campus experience, support services and hands-on, innovative learning, explained MSU President Mark E. Keenum.

“We’re focused on higher education at MSU being unequivocally accessible and are dedicated to ensuring every Bulldog student is on their path to a degree,” Keenum said, “including those who start at a community college or who have been out of college for a while.”

MSU continues as the No. 1 choice for Mississippi’s high school students, just four shy of 2,000 freshmen who call the Magnolia State home. Numbers are similar for first-time transfers who total 1,916. A total of 62.5% of all students hail from inside the state.

Also among freshmen, the university continues to recruit high achievers with this class’s average ACT score at 25.1 and GPA at 3.75 (4.0 scale).

Cutting-Edge Degree Programs

Administrators point to Mississippi State’s ability to quickly analyze employer needs and workforce demands as one reason for a decade of university growth, putting today’s cutting-edge degree programs at the fingertips of students hungry for professional success after graduation.

“As a comprehensive public research university, we’re providing students not only the classroom learning they need, but also hands-on skills and research experiences to be career ready when they graduate,” said MSU’s David Shaw, provost and executive vice president.

MSU’s new Bachelor of Applied Science in Cybersecurity, Bachelor of Science in Artificial Intelligence and Master of Applied Data Science—all added this fall—offer students high-tech education in occupations growing much faster for the next 12 years than the average for all jobs, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. Also, during the past two years, the university has added 11 program concentrations to its Bachelor of Data Science degree designed for creating artificial intelligence systems while improving performance in organizations, government agencies and more.

MSU’s Bachelor of Applied Science degree has increased to seven program areas allowing community college graduates to transfer up to 45 hours of technical credit from their Applied Associate degree to four-year study areas such as advanced manufacturing technology and healthcare administration. The BAS degree in healthcare administration was added this fall.

More training opportunities have opened for students as the university saw two new research institutes come on board in the past year. The nation’s first Athlete Engineering Institute develops wearable technology to improve performance not only in sports, but also in manufacturing, rehabilitation, the military and more. Also a national first, the Agricultural Autonomy Institute works to maximize on-farm precision and efficiency through advanced technologies such as robots and drones.

At MSU-Meridian, the university is changing the healthcare landscape in East Mississippi and across the state, enrolling its inaugural cohort of Master of Science in Nursing students in the state’s first accelerated direct-entry program to RN licensure. In the past few years, this campus has added a Master of Physician Assistant Studies Program and a Doctor of Psychology in Combined Health Service Psychology.

Infrastructure Growth

Supporting university growth are several construction and renovation projects. Construction is underway on a $45 million advanced supercomputing data center in the Thad Cochran Research, Technology and Economic Development Park to increase capacity for the fourth fastest supercomputing academic site in the U.S. A $65 million facility—the Jim and Thomas Duff Center—will house the Department of Kinesiology, the university’s largest, and the Autism and Developmental Disabilities Clinic.

The almost $100 million, 412-bed Azalea Hall student-living community also is underway near the center of campus and opens next fall. The 102-year-old Perry Cafeteria, built in 1921 and designated a Mississippi Landmark, will reopen in fall 2025 after $26 million in updates.

Also, MSU is working to increase access to veterinary care with $18 million in expansion and renovation projects of clinical facilities at the College of Veterinary Medicine to address the shortage of veterinary services in Mississippi, the region and the nation. New construction includes a Center for Rural Veterinary Practice which will significantly advance education programs and clinical services, keeping the Magnolia State at the forefront of excellence in animal care.

Additionally, the university recently has worked with Sasaki, a leading interdisciplinary architecture, planning, landscape and design firm, to update the campus master plan to address future growth and development. New green spaces, roadways and student pedestrian walkways are only some of the projects already begun to improve travel through and around campus.

Specific Population Increases

—Minorities are 28% of all students, a 9% increase from 5,874 last year to this fall’s 6,429, with record highs among the Asian and Hispanic populations
—International students increased 4%, from 856 to 934
—Veteran headcount rose 8%, from 1,050 to 1,136
—Distance education learners are up 131, from 3,749 to 3,880

Enrollment By College

With this fall’s enrollment, the Bagley College of Engineering becomes the largest college with its record enrollment of 5,021. This year also marks the largest enrollments in the past 10 years for the colleges of Architecture, Art and Design; Forest Resources; and Veterinary Medicine.

—Agriculture and Life Sciences, 2,544
—Architecture, Art and Design, 998, up 8.1%
—Arts and Sciences, 4,844
—Business, 3,585
—Education, 3,540
—Engineering, 5,021, up 5%
—Forest Resources, 653, up 7.6%
—Veterinary Medicine, 581, up 4.5%
—Professional and Continuing Studies, 272
—Other, 1,112

First-time Freshman Class Highlights

—46 National Merit Scholars
—74 Valedictorians and 45 Salutatorians
—63 Student Body Presidents
—71 STAR Students
—104 Eagle Scouts
—8 Girl Scout Gold Award Recipients

Mississippi State University is taking care of what matters. Learn more at www.msstate.edu.

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