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Michigan State University

Ranked
East Lansing, United States
122nd in World University Rankings 2025
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About

Basic information and contact details for Michigan State University

institution

Michigan State University (MSU) was created in 1855 and was the first of America’s “land-grant” universities  -- institutions handed land to create an environment “where the leading object shall be, without excluding other scientific and classical studies and including military tactics, to teach such branches of learning as are related to agriculture and the mechanic arts...in order to promote the liberal and practical education of the industrial classes in the several pursuits and professions of life.”

Today, MSU is one of the largest institutions in the US in terms of enrolment, with over 50,000 students, and is sprawled across a 5,200-acre campus in East Lansing. Its alumni reach is over 540,000 strong, spread all over the world.

MSU is a multi-disciplinary research institution and this is reflected in its diverse range of accolades. Alfred D. Hershey, who took his undergraduate and doctoral degrees at MSU, won the Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine in 1969, while one of the world’s greatest ever basketball players Earvin “Magic” Johnson was a keen student at the university before being drafted by the NBA. MSU’s College of Communication Arts and Sciences has a particularly rich history, cultivating eight Pulitzer Prize winners. Richard Ford, another Pulitzer Prize winner for his novel Independence Day, also studied at MSU.

MSU students are dubbed ‘Spartans’ when they enter the institution and the university’s large sports programme, which has 25 varsity squads.

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Key Student Statistics

A breakdown of student statistics at Michigan State University

gender ratio
Student gender ratio
53 F : 47 M (1)
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International student percentage
10% (1)
student per staff
Students per staff
16.1 (1)
student
Student total
44672 (1)

Based on data collected for the (1) World University Rankings 2025

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Subjects Taught at Michigan State University

See below for a range of subjects taught at Michigan State University

Life Sciences96th

  • Agriculture and Forestry
  • Sport Science
  • Veterinary Science
  • Biological Sciences

Law151–175th

  • Law

Education13th

  • Education

Arts and Humanities=100th

  • Languages, Literature and Linguistics
  • History, Philosophy and Theology
  • Art, Performing Art and Design
  • Architecture

Business and Economics50th

  • Economics and Econometrics
  • Business and Management
  • Accounting and Finance

Clinical and Health176–200th

  • Medicine and Dentistry
  • Other Health

Computer Science88th

  • Computer Science

Engineering176–200th

  • General Engineering
  • Civil Engineering
  • Chemical Engineering
  • Electrical and Electronic Engineering
  • Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering

Social Sciences86th

  • Sociology
  • Politics and International Studies
  • Geography
  • Communication and Media Studies

Psychology81st

  • Psychology

Physical Sciences=99th

  • Chemistry
  • Geology, Environmental, Earth and Marine Sciences
  • Physics and Astronomy
  • Mathematics and Statistics