Mississippi State University

Public · Moderately Selective · MS

Photo: Traicovn (CC BY 4.0)

School data & stats

TypePublic

LocationMS · South

SettingRural

Undergrads18,397

Student:faculty16:1

Outcomes

4-yr grad rate45.9%

6-yr grad rate66.7%

Drop-out rate17.5%

Study abroad—

Cost

In-state tuition$10k

Out-of-state tuition$28k

Application fee—

Community

Racial diversity27.5%

Gender diversity50.8%

International1.3%

Identity—

Overview

Mississippi State, in Starkville, is the state's land-grant university, combining serious research strength in engineering and agriculture with a tradition-rich, deeply social Southern campus culture built around football and its signature cowbells. It functions as one of the state's two major public research universities, with a more STEM- and agriculture-focused identity than its in-state flagship rival.

Academics

Engineering and agriculture are long-standing pillars, and the university has built a genuinely notable aerospace and unmanned-aircraft research portfolio, including federally funded research centers, that stands out among regional land-grant schools. Veterinary medicine is another strong, distinct program not every state university offers, and business is also a sizable, well-regarded program drawing heavily from in-state students.

Campus & student life

Starkville is a classic Southern college town where football Saturdays, cowbells, and campus traditions dominate the social calendar, and the sound of cowbells at Davis Wade Stadium is one of the more distinctive gameday traditions in college football. The compact town-and-gown setting keeps student life centered closely around campus, with fewer off-campus distractions than at a big-city university.

Getting in

Admissions weighs academic record as the primary factor, in line with most Southern land-grant flagships, and Mississippi State draws most heavily from in-state students alongside a meaningful out-of-state population attracted by its engineering and agriculture programs. It is generally accessible relative to more selective flagships, with merit scholarships used to recruit strong students.

After graduation

Engineering graduates are recruited by aerospace, defense, and manufacturing employers, aided by the university's federally funded research centers in those areas. Agriculture and veterinary graduates move into agribusiness, veterinary practice, and graduate and professional programs across the Southeast. The alumni network is dense across Mississippi and the broader Southeast, with strong loyalty reinforced by football and shared traditions.

Worth knowing

The aerospace and unmanned-aircraft research programs are a genuine point of distinction, giving engineering students research opportunities not typically found at a school of this regional profile. The rivalry with Ole Miss is a defining part of the school's identity, shaping much of the campus's sense of humor and self-image throughout the year, not just during the Egg Bowl game itself.

msstate.edu ↗

Admissions

Acceptance rate77.6%

Enrolled mid-50%SAT 1100–1350 · ACT 21–29

Test policyoptional

Rec letters0

Deadlines (2026–27 cycle)

AdmissionRolling

Applying