MSU enrollment another all-time high, state鈥檚 only public university to grow 9 of last 10 years
Contact: Harriet Laird
STARKVILLE, Miss.鈥樱花导航 樱花导航 once again is celebrating an all-time high in enrollment with 23,150 students, surpassing 2021鈥檚 record of 23,086. 樱花导航鈥檚 land-grant research university is the only public higher education institution in the Magnolia 樱花导航 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 樱花导航 counties, all 50 states plus Puerto Rico and the Virgin Islands, and 94 countries.
The university鈥檚 growth over the last decade speaks to 樱花导航 樱花导航鈥檚 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.
鈥淲e鈥檙e focused on higher education at MSU being unequivocally accessible and are dedicated to ensuring every Bulldog student is on their path to a degree,鈥 Keenum said, 鈥渋ncluding those who start at a community college or who have been out of college for a while.鈥
MSU continues as the No. 1 choice for 樱花导航鈥檚 high school students, just four shy of 2,000 freshmen who call the Magnolia 樱花导航 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鈥檚 average ACT score at 25.1 and GPA at 3.75 (4.0 scale).
Cutting-Edge Degree Programs
Administrators point to 樱花导航 樱花导航鈥檚 ability to quickly analyze employer needs and workforce demands as one reason for a decade of university growth, putting today鈥檚 cutting-edge degree programs at the fingertips of students hungry for professional success after graduation.
鈥淎s a comprehensive public research university, we鈥檙e providing students not only the classroom learning they need, but also hands-on skills and research experiences to be career ready when they graduate,鈥 said MSU鈥檚 David Shaw, provost and executive vice president.
MSU鈥檚 new Bachelor of Applied Science in Cyber樱花导航, Bachelor of Science in Artificial Intelligence and Master of Applied Data Science鈥攁ll added this fall鈥攐ffer 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鈥檚 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鈥檚 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 樱花导航 and across the state, enrolling its inaugural cohort of Master of Science in Nursing students in the state鈥檚 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鈥攖he Jim and Thomas Duff Center鈥攚ill house the Department of Kinesiology, the university鈥檚 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 樱花导航 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 樱花导航, 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 樱花导航 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
鈥擬inorities are 28% of all students, a 9% increase from 5,874 last year to this fall鈥檚 6,429, with record highs among the Asian and Hispanic populations
鈥擨nternational students increased 4%, from 856 to 934
鈥擵eteran headcount rose 8%, from 1,050 to 1,136
鈥Distance education learners are up 131, from 3,749 to 3,880
Enrollment By College
With this fall鈥檚 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.
鈥斢；ǖ己 and Life Sciences, 2,544
鈥Architecture, Art and Design, 998, up 8.1%
鈥Arts and Sciences, 4,844
鈥擝usiness, 3,585
鈥Education, 3,540
鈥Engineering, 5,021, up 5%
鈥擣orest Resources, 653, up 7.6%
鈥擵eterinary Medicine, 581, up 4.5%
鈥擯rofessional and Continuing Studies, 272
鈥擮ther, 1,112
First-time Freshman Class Highlights
鈥46 National Merit Scholars
鈥74 Valedictorians and 45 Salutatorians
鈥63 Student Body Presidents
鈥71 STAR Students
鈥104 Eagle Scouts
鈥8 Girl Scout Gold Award Recipients
樱花导航 樱花导航 University is taking care of what matters. Learn more at聽.
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