College Azimuth

Research brief & institution hub

Michigan State University

MILarge public institution · Overall rank #69 nationally

Data snapshot Updated

Azimuth ranks Michigan State #69 nationally among 1,467 four-year institutions.

Who it’s a good fit for

Michigan State University is a public university in East Lansing, Michigan, whose degree mix is led by Business, Biological Sciences, and Communication & Journalism, with mobility, its strongest , among the highest we track. Graduates out-earn what predicts for students like them, and the model attributes part of the gap to the factors it measures, which adds, while the unexplained remainder subtracts.

Return is well above average, while affordability is around the average, the weakest of the four pillars. Pell students complete at a rate below the overall rate, and the net price for the lowest income band sits well below the published cost.

Access is above average, and the admission rate is above the median for comparable schools. Most graduates are estimated to go into work rather than on to further study.

A student drawn to the largest programs should know that the best-paid ones are in engineering and computing, not communication or biology.

Michigan State University at a glance

Admissions and outcomes

Admission rate[1]
84.8%
Six-year completion[2]
80.7%
Four-year earnings[3]
$74,093

Cost and family borrowing

Average annual net price · $48–75K family income[6]
$16,521
Median student debt[4]
$23,250
Median Parent PLUS debt[7]
$37,401

Michigan State University rankings: how Azimuth assesses value[5]

East Lansing, Michigan, is home to Michigan State University, a public university serving 40,922 undergraduates. Among nonprofit four-year institutions, the university sits near the top of the Azimuth field (95th percentile).

Applicants are admitted at a rate of 84.8%, which is above the peer median of 78.1% for comparable institutions (same type and size). Retention for the full-time first-year cohort is 90.0%, higher than the peer median of 83.1%.

Six-year graduation for the first-time full-time cohort stands at 80.7%, above the peer median of 65.0%. An estimated 13.5% of entrants arrive as transfers or part-time students, so that completion figure describes only a minority of the people who study here.

The four pillars at Michigan State University sit far apart. Mobility is the strongest, at the 98th percentile, and return is also strong at the 87th percentile.

Affordability is the weakest, at the 46th percentile, with access in between at the 71st percentile.

Azimuth ranks Michigan State University #69 among 1,467 nonprofit four-year institutions. The mobility pillar is the strongest, at the 98th percentile, while affordability trails at the 46th percentile.

The return pillar sits at the 87th percentile and access at the 71st percentile.

Michigan State University enrolls 20.1% of undergraduates with Pell Grants, the financial-access measure that serves as the only admitted-student profile figure here. Because no test-score data appear in the federal record for the admitted class, this paragraph rests on that share alone.

Azimuth ranks the university #426 for access among nonprofit four-year institutions. The pillar rests on the Pell share and on the six-year completion rate for those students.

That rate is 75.1%, below the overall rate by 5.6 percentage points. That distance shows whether those students graduate at rates close to the rest of the entering class or fall further behind.

Azimuth ranks the university #37 for mobility among nonprofit four-year institutions. Graduates earn about $9,065 more than the model expects for similar students. Mobility is the strongest of the four pillars here.

How value-added outcomes are assessed · How to interpret program rankings

Michigan State University rankings in context
GeographyRank
National#69

Azimuth overall value rankings within each geographic comparison group.

National pillar percentiles

Economic mobility
National percentile: 98
Access & reach
National percentile: 71
Affordability
National percentile: 46
Return on investment
National percentile: 87

Top-ranked majors

  1. Soil Sciences#3
  2. Wildlife and Wildlands Science and Management#3
  3. Environmental/Natural Resources Management and Policy#4

This school’s three highest-ranked programs nationally. Each rank compares bachelor’s programs in the same field; field sizes differ.

Explore major rankings

01 / Michigan State University briefing

Michigan State University cost & financial aid[6][7]

The published cost of attendance at Michigan State University is $32,198. In its 2025-26 Common Data Set, the university reported in-state tuition of $16,916, required fees of $340, and on-campus food and housing of $12,928 for the 2026-27 academic year.

Out-of-state students face a published tuition of $44,300 and the same required fees. The average net price for aid recipients is $19,680, which is $4,046 above the $15,634 median for comparable institutions (same type and size).

Financial aid reduces the published cost by $12,518 on average. Azimuth ranks the university #767 for affordability among nonprofit four-year institutions.

Michigan State University publishes a cost of attendance of $32,198. For families earning under $30,000 the average net price is $7,068, rising to $16,521 for the $48,001–$75,000 band and $28,546 for families earning over $110,000.

The spread between the lowest and highest bands is $21,478. Azimuth ranks the university #767 for affordability among nonprofit four-year institutions.

Aid covers about 39% of the published cost for the average aid recipient, an offset of roughly $12,518. The across all aid recipients is $19,680, which is above the median of $15,634 for comparable institutions (same type and size) by $4,046.

The median federal student debt at completion is $23,250, with about 89.4% of federal aid recipients borrowing. That median is above the peer median of $20,076 by $3,174.

Median Parent PLUS borrowing stands at $37,401. If repaid over ten years, the estimated monthly payment for a graduate with the median federal debt is $264.

Your family income

Choose a household income range to see estimated net price.

Reported average annual net price · $48–75K$16,521

After grants and scholarships. Your aid offer may differ.

Averages within each income band; individual aid packages vary.

Borrowing and repayment at Michigan State University

Federal-loan borrowers who complete a degree at Michigan State University finish with a median debt of $23,250. That level stands above the $20,076 median for comparable institutions (same type and size) by $3,174.

Federal borrowing extends to 89.4% of federal aid recipients. Parent borrowers represent a separate borrowing population; their median Parent PLUS loan is $37,401.

In its 2025-26 Common Data Set, the university reported that 45% of the 7,667 graduates in the cohort borrowed from any source. The average cumulative principal was $31,468 per borrower.

Of those 7,667 graduates, 43% held federal loans averaging $19,585, and 13% held private loans averaging $46,522, including graduates with both types.

Four years after completing a degree at Michigan State University, graduates earn a median of $74,093, which ranks in the 82nd percentile among nonprofit four-year institutions. Graduates earn about $9,065 more than the model expects for similar students, an outcome in the 81st percentile nationally.

Scenarios derived from the program mix point to a typical earnings level of $74,093, with a downside scenario of $53,627 and an upside scenario of $99,328. The median federal student debt at completion is $23,250, which is above the $20,076 median for comparable institutions (same type and size) by $3,174. If repaid over ten years, the estimated monthly payment is $264.

Median Parent PLUS borrowing, a separate parent-borrower population, is $37,401. The estimated monthly student payment if repaid over ten years is $264.

How Financial GPS measures payment burden · The four risk-and-reward zones

Financial GPS

What does repayment look like?

Institution median student debt
$23,250
Institution Parent PLUS debt
$37,401

Federal loans only; private or institutional loans aren’t included.

Estimated student payment · monthly
$264/mo
Estimated Parent PLUS payment · monthly
$475/mo

Payments use school-wide median balances, not a specific major’s.

Payment assumptions

Payments are 10-year standard payments on the median balance, before loan fees, used as a yardstick. Rates for newly issued loans may differ, and loans made after July 1, 2026 can repay over a longer term; existing loans keep their original fixed rates.

Explore your own numbers in Financial GPS
Read the full cost & aid brief

02 / Michigan State University briefing

Michigan State University career outcomes & earnings[3][8][9]

Four years after completing a degree, federally aided graduates of Michigan State University who are working and not enrolled earn a median of $74,093, at the 82nd percentile. That is $8,483 above the $65,610 median for comparable institutions (same type and size).

Graduates earn about $9,065 more than the model expects for similar students, placing that gap at the 81st percentile among nonprofit four-year institutions. The part the model attributes to the factors it measures (field of study, enrollment and the local labor market) adds $13,131.

The part it attributes to a remainder it does not explain subtracts $4,066. Within the measured factors, the STEM component adds $3,383.

Azimuth places the university in the 87th percentile for return among nonprofit four-year institutions.

Four years after completing a degree at Michigan State University, the median earnings of the 10,367 federally aided completers in the cohort stand at $74,093. That is above the $65,610 median at comparable institutions (same type and size), and ranks in the 82nd percentile among nonprofit four-year institutions.

Graduates earn about $9,065 more than the model expects for similar students, a result that sits in the 81st percentile nationally. The university's program mix yields a typical earnings scenario of $74,093, while the downside scenario falls to $53,627 and the upside scenario reaches $99,328.

An estimated 31.2% continue to graduate study, a figure derived from the program mix.

Four years after completion, Michigan State University graduates earn a median of $74,093, which places the university in the 82nd percentile nationally. That figure runs above the median of $65,610 for comparable institutions (same type and size) by $8,483.

Overall, graduates earn about $9,065 more than the model expects for similar students, a result in the 81st percentile. The part the model attributes to the factors it measures (field of study, enrollment and the local labor market) adds $13,131.

The part it attributes to a remainder it does not explain subtracts $4,066. Within the measured factors, the STEM component adds $3,383.

Azimuth ranks the university #186 for return on investment among nonprofit four-year institutions. Earnings scenarios grounded in the program mix show a downside of $53,627 and an upside of $99,328.

The largest bachelor's program, Public Relations, Advertising, and Applied Communication, awarded 552 degrees and shows median earnings of $69,300 four years after completion, ranking #17 nationally in its field. The university's highest-earning program overall is Computer and Information Sciences, where completers earn $116,905 and the program ranks #26 nationally.

Business Administration and Management earns $91,187, which is 1.34x the national median for the field, and holds a national rank of #33.

The range between the downside and upside scenarios spans from $53,627 to $99,328, reflecting the variation in earnings across the university's program clusters. Computer and Information Sciences graduates see the highest median at $116,905, while Computer Engineering completers earn a median of $104,627.

Among the largest programs, Business Administration and Management awards 425 degrees and shows median earnings of $91,187, a figure that coincides with the university's strong showing in business-related fields.

Graduates of Michigan State University earn about $9,065 more than the model expects for similar students, which provides a strong earnings foundation against the debt picture. The average net price—what aid recipients pay after grants and scholarships—is $19,680, which is $4,046 above the $15,634 median for comparable institutions (same type and size).

The net price varies sharply by income. Aid recipients from families earning under $30,000 pay an average of $7,068, while those earning over $110,000 pay $28,546.

The spread between the lowest and highest bands is $21,478, so a family's cost depends heavily on where they fall on that spectrum. Borrowers who complete a degree leave with a median of $23,250 in federal student loans, which is $3,174 above the $20,076 median for comparable institutions.

That debt corresponds to an estimated payment of $264 a month if repaid over ten years. Parents who borrow hold a separate median of $37,401 in Parent PLUS loans.

What explains value-added earnings?
Program & institutional factors The part attributed to observed institutional characteristics.
+$13,131
Unexplained remainder What remains after the model’s observed factors.
-$4,066
Total modeled value added The modeled difference from expected earnings.
+$9,065

These are statistical model components, not proven causal effects; the remainder is not a direct measure of teaching quality.

Read the full outcomes brief

03 / Michigan State University briefing

Michigan State University acceptance rate & admissions[1][10][11]

Michigan State University admitted 84.8% of applicants, above the median of 78.1% for comparable institutions (same type and size). In its 2025-26 Common Data Set, the university reported 62,965 applicants, 52,411 admitted, and 9,355 enrolled.

SAT: reported composite scores
Admission rate
84.8%
25th percentile
1100
Median
1210
75th percentile
1310

CDS 2025-26 · enrolled first-year score submitters. This range is not an admission cutoff.

Read the full admissions brief

04 / Michigan State University briefing

What are the largest majors at Michigan State University?[12]

Michigan State University fields with published four-year earnings number 82, and Azimuth ranks 73 of them nationally. The highest-earning program, Computer and Information Sciences, shows a median of $116,905 four years after completion, alongside 290 degrees awarded and an Azimuth national rank of #26.

Several large programs sit in a more moderate earnings band. Public Relations, Advertising, and Applied Communication, the biggest by degrees awarded at 552, reports median earnings of $69,300 and an Azimuth national rank of #17.

Biology awarded 521 degrees and reaches $64,018, ranking #78 nationally. Psychology, with 476 degrees awarded, shows median earnings of $56,040 and an Azimuth national rank of #77.

Azimuth ranks 73 bachelor's programs at Michigan State University, with earnings data published for 82 fields. The university's strongest national placements include Wildlife and Wildlands Science and Management at #3, Soil Sciences at #3, and Engineering-Related Fields at #4.

The largest program by degrees awarded is Public Relations, Advertising, and Applied Communication, with 552 degrees awarded and a national rank of #17. Business Administration and Management follows with 425 degrees awarded, a national rank of #33, and median earnings of $91,187.

The highest-earning program is Computer and Information Sciences, where the median reaches $116,905 four years after completion, alongside 290 degrees awarded.

Michigan State University awards bachelor's degrees across 73 programs with an Azimuth national rank and 82 with published four-year earnings data. The largest program family is Business, accounting for 15.7% of degrees awarded, followed by Biological Sciences at 13.8% and Communication & Journalism at 11.8%.

The largest single programs are Public Relations, Advertising, and Applied Communication with 552 degrees awarded, Biology at 521, and Psychology at 476. The highest-ranked program is Wildlife and Wildlands Science and Management, which Azimuth ranks #3 nationally within its field and #1 in Michigan.

It awards 64 degrees a year. Soil Sciences ranks #3 nationally and #1 in the state, with 22 degrees awarded and median earnings of $67,666 four years after completion.

The highest-earning program is Computer and Information Sciences, where graduates earn a median of $116,905 four years out. Azimuth ranks it #26 nationally within its field and #2 in Michigan, from 290 degrees awarded a year.

Business Administration and Management is both a large program at 425 degrees and a strong return performer, with a benchmark ratio of 1.34x against the national median for its field. The pattern is one of breadth with pockets of real distinction.

Highly ranked programs span wildlife science, soil sciences, and engineering-related fields, while the highest earnings come from computing and engineering. 30.5% of degrees awarded are in STEM fields, and the largest programs in communication and biology sit alongside smaller, highly ranked ones in more specialized areas.

Four-year earnings · six largest reported fields
Public Relations, Advertising, and Applied Communication 552 degrees awarded
$69,300
Biology, General 521 degrees awarded
$64,018
Psychology, General 476 degrees awarded
$56,040
Communication and Media Studies 441 degrees awarded
$60,807
Business Administration, Management and Operations 425 degrees awarded
$91,187
Finance and Financial Management Services 361 degrees awarded
$102,017

Fields selected by reported completions. Counts describe credentials awarded, not unique students or the earnings sample. Bars show median four-year earnings.

Read the full majors brief

05 / Michigan State University briefing

How does Michigan State University serve students from different backgrounds?

The university enrolls 40,922 undergraduates, and 20.1% of them receive Pell Grants. Its six-year graduation rate of 80.7% sits well above the peer median of 65.0%, and the Pell completion rate of 75.1% also exceeds that peer median, though it falls below the overall graduation rate by 5.6 percentage points.

Azimuth places the access pillar of Michigan State University in the 71st percentile among nonprofit four-year institutions. The public university admits 84.8% of applicants, a rate that exceeds the peer median of 78.1%.

Pell Grant recipients make up 20.1% of the 40,922 undergraduates, and an estimated 13.5% of the undergraduate body enters as transfers or part-time students.

06 / Michigan State University briefing

What colleges are similar to Michigan State University?[15]

Azimuth groups alternatives by admissions, location, cost and earnings, then orders candidates within each group. Peer earnings use the matched four-year cohort. How matching works.

A shortlist for different decisions

Choose a row to compare the figures with Michigan State University.

Admissions peerHope College79.2% admitted
Comparison with Michigan State University
MeasureMichigan State UniversityHope College
Peer earnings · 4 years$74,093$60,573-$13,520 vs Michigan State University
Average annual net price$19,680$27,182+$7,502 vs Michigan State University · higher cost
Admission rate84.8%79.2%
Explore Hope College →
Higher-admission alternativeDavenport University97.8% admitted
Comparison with Michigan State University
MeasureMichigan State UniversityDavenport University
Peer earnings · 4 years$74,093$69,009-$5,084 vs Michigan State University
Average annual net price$19,680$17,707-$1,973 vs Michigan State University · lower cost
Admission rate84.8%97.8%
Nearby alternativeWayne State UniversityNearby option · MI
Comparison with Michigan State University
MeasureMichigan State UniversityWayne State University
Peer earnings · 4 years$74,093$68,551-$5,542 vs Michigan State University
Average annual net price$19,680$12,766-$6,914 vs Michigan State University · lower cost
Admission rate84.8%81.2%
Explore Wayne State University →
Higher-earnings alternativeMassachusetts Maritime Academy$103,680 earnings
Comparison with Michigan State University
MeasureMichigan State UniversityMassachusetts Maritime Academy
Peer earnings · 4 years$74,093$103,680+$29,587 vs Michigan State University
Average annual net price$19,680$21,582+$1,902 vs Michigan State University · higher cost
Admission rate84.8%94.7%
Explore Massachusetts Maritime Academy →
Lower-cost alternativeFerris State University$8,624 average net price
Comparison with Michigan State University
MeasureMichigan State UniversityFerris State University
Peer earnings · 4 years$74,093$64,721-$9,372 vs Michigan State University
Average annual net price$19,680$8,624-$11,056 vs Michigan State University · lower cost
Admission rate84.8%91.4%
Explore Ferris State University →
Similar profileIndiana University-BloomingtonMatched across several measures
Comparison with Michigan State University
MeasureMichigan State UniversityIndiana University-Bloomington
Peer earnings · 4 years$74,093$74,511+$418 vs Michigan State University
Average annual net price$19,680$16,264-$3,416 vs Michigan State University · lower cost
Admission rate84.8%78.2%
Explore Indiana University-Bloomington →

Each school is the first-ranked match in its category, not a recommendation across every measure. The same college may lead more than one category. Figures use the matching snapshot; earnings reflect the matched four-year cohort. — means unavailable.

Read the full similar schools brief

Data scope & methodology

Structured payloads generated Governed hub narrative Governed spoke corpus

Four-year earnings describe cohorts of completers. Figures for other horizons describe different cohorts and are not joined into a career-growth projection.

Azimuth's overall rank and pillar percentiles come from the school profile. Absolute pillar ranks, city, enrollment and official-site links are shown only when structured data supplies them.

Detailed earnings, cost, admissions and program values come from the endpoint responsible for each measure. Missing values are not replaced with zero. Value-added estimates are model associations, not causal effects.

Figures are refreshed with each data release, at most a quarter apart. The underlying source dates can be earlier than the release.

Explanatory text is AI-assisted drafting checked against those figures; it is not an additional data source.

Analysis and methodology by Daniel Rogers, founder of College Azimuth.

Read the ranking methodology, data definitions and limitations · About College Azimuth

Read the analysis behind value-added earnings and the change to four-year graduate earnings. These articles are published on collegeazimuth.com.

Data notes & source fields

Scorecard field codes identify the underlying measure; Azimuth-derived values are labeled separately. Snapshot dates are not measurement years. Source populations and reporting periods differ across measures. Field definitions are in the U.S. Department of Education · College Scorecard documentation; notes with a different source link it below.

  1. Admission rate. Reported applicants admitted; not a transfer-specific or individual admission probability.

    Source fields: ADM_RATE

  2. Six-year completion. First-time, full-time students completing at the institution within 150% of normal time, typically six years for a bachelor’s degree.

    Source fields: C150_4

  3. Four-year institutional earnings. Median earnings of graduates in the reported cohort who are working and not enrolled, four years after completion.

    Source fields: MD_EARN_WNE_4YR

  4. Median federal student debt. Federal student-loan debt among completers in the reported borrowing cohort. Excludes Parent PLUS and is not total debt across all students.

    Source fields: GRAD_DEBT_MDN

  5. National, regional and state ranks; pillar percentiles; major ranks. Derived scores within the stated eligible comparison set, not raw Scorecard fields. Major ranks compare institutions within a field; their denominators differ.

    Source fields: Azimuth rankings

    College Azimuth · Ranking methodology

  6. Annual net price by family income. Average annual cost after grants and scholarships for the eligible first-time, full-time aid-recipient cohort. Public-school figures reflect in-state tuition. Includes living costs; these are averages, not medians or individual offers.

    Source fields: NPT4_PUB/PRIV; NPT41_PUB/PRIV through NPT45_PUB/PRIV

  7. Parent PLUS debt, payments and GPS illustration. Stored payments use Financial GPS loan and repayment assumptions. The adjustable spectrum applies the published framework to annual student payments divided by earnings minus an expense allowance; its initial allowance uses the frozen 2024 framework baseline. It is an illustration rather than a school rating. Parent PLUS uses the completer median where available, otherwise the all-borrower median; these describe different borrowing populations.

    Source fields: PLUS_DEBT_ALL_COMP_MD; fallback PLUS_DEBT_ALL_MD; Azimuth Financial GPS calculations

    College Azimuth · Financial GPS methodology

  8. Downside and upside earnings; yellow band. The band spans the modeled lower and higher scenarios. It is not the P25–P75 interval for individual graduates. The median marker is the separately reported institutional median.

    Source fields: Azimuth modeled program-mix scenarios

    College Azimuth · Earnings scenario methodology

  9. Value added and its components. Observed-factor attribution plus the unexplained remainder equals total modeled value added. These are associations, not proven causal effects; the remainder is not a direct measure of teaching quality.

    Source fields: Azimuth statistical model

    College Azimuth · Value-added methodology

  10. SAT score range and reported midpoint. Reported scores of enrolled score-submitters, not admission cutoffs. The midpoint field is not necessarily the middle of the displayed range.

    Source fields: SATVR25 + SATMT25; SATVR75 + SATMT75; SAT_AVG

  11. First-year retention. Retention of the reported full-time cohort at four-year institutions.

    Source fields: RET_FT4

  12. Program earnings, completion counts and major-mix dots. Included bachelor’s programs have at least five reported completions. Counts are aggregated credentials, not unique people or an earnings sample. Major-mix dots group those counts by field of study; excluded programs are not zero activity.

    Source fields: EARN_MDN_4YR; IPEDSCOUNT1; CIPCODE

    College Scorecard · Field-of-study technical documentation

  13. Pell recipients. Share of undergraduates receiving a Pell Grant in the reported academic year.

    Source fields: PCTPELL

  14. Entering students outside the first-time, full-time group. This is not an observed transfer-in rate. It includes part-time entrants and other entering-student attendance patterns.

    Source fields: 1 − PFTFTUG1_EF

  15. Peer earnings and signed differences. Differences are peer minus this school, from the same matching snapshot. A positive earnings difference does not mean the peer is better on every measure.

    Source fields: Azimuth peer model using MD_EARN_WNE_4YR

    College Azimuth · Comparison methodology

How to interpret program rankings