MSU achieves another enrollment record, state’s only public university growing 10 of past 11 years

Contact: Harriet Laird

STARKVILLE, Miss.—Mississippi State is seeing another record-breaking enrollment this fall and a 12.6% surge in first-time students, positioning the university as the state’s only public higher education institution to grow 10 of the past 11 years.

As the No. 1 college choice for high school graduates in Mississippi, MSU is recording a total of 23,563 students, an increase of more than 400 students over 2024’s final count of 23,150. First-time in college students stand at 4,049, while returning undergraduates and professional students also are up.

Mississippi State’s pattern for record-breaking student numbers can be seen through its comprehensive strategies, focused recruitment, and a repeated affirmation of a college degree’s value and significance. Strategic use of artificial intelligence in marketing and recruitment, improved advisory software, enhanced Career Center engagement, and a robust First-Year Experience program all have had roles in enrolling and retaining students.

“Every day, we’re placing strong efforts in developing new programs and revising existing ones to ensure Mississippi State is a university that creates futures for students,” MSU President Mark E. Keenum said. “We’re working to create the programs students want and need, while at the same time, partnering with more and more employers to meet their workforce needs.”

Preparing Students for Tomorrow’s Workforce

This year alone, the land-grant institution has collaborated on major economic development initiatives —from the coast to Central and North Mississippi—all forecast to have a major impact statewide and create next-generation jobs. MSU is a leading partner on the Mississippi Cyber and Technology Center in Biloxi at Keesler Air Force Base. Once completed, it will be home to the MSU-led Mississippi Cyber Initiative and national hub for cybersecurity training, support and research.

Also looking to generate high-tech employment for MSU graduates when completed are Compass Datacenters’ hyperscale campus in Meridian and Amazon Web Services’ data center complexes in Madison County. These projects—at $10 billion each—represent the largest investment for the state in history.

Through cyber, data science, AI and autonomy programs, MSU has created a pipeline of skilled graduates having an immediate impact on the job market, and the institution continues to add degrees that answer business and industry’s call for well-qualified employees. The most recent addition is the development of a new graduate certificate in data center construction management, initiated by more than $2 million from the Mississippi AI Talent Accelerator. A spring impact study indicates MSU is generating $3.9 billion annually for the state’s economy, sustaining more than 80,000 jobs statewide and supporting one out of every 15 jobs in the state.

University leaders also have updated the name of the High Performance Computing Collaboratory to the Applied Research Collaboratory, emphasizing MSU’s presence as a center of cyber power with academic degree options to accompany its internationally recognized research. The ARC is complemented by a newly completed 35,000-square-foot data center in the Thad Cochran Research, Technology and Economic Development Park that will further increase the university’s computing capacity and aid researchers in driving innovation. Since 1996, 10 distinct MSU supercomputers have ranked among the most powerful in the world.

Making Rural Healthcare a Top Priority

MSU also is sending skilled graduates into the state’s rural communities—many with health disparities—through six healthcare programs developed over the past few years. MSU-Meridian’s Master of Physician Assistant Studies—the state’s first public program of its kind—recently achieved a 100% pass rate with its third graduating cohort of 21 students, a reflection of the quality faculty and rigorous curriculum in the classroom and clinical settings.

In August, 34 inaugural Master of Science in Nursing students earned their degrees in a historic commencement ceremony at the MSU-Meridian Riley Campus. The state’s first direct-entry MSN program is one of just 90 in the U.S. preparing graduates for RN licensure. Additional programs in the Queen City training healthcare employees include both Bachelor of Science and Bachelor of Applied Science degrees in Healthcare Administration, a Master of Science in Counselor Education, with a concentration in clinical mental health counseling, and Doctor of Psychology in Combined Health Service Psychology. 

Investing in Infrastructure

With new degree options and consistent enrollment increases, facility and other infrastructure additions have also launched, many which have developed with private support. This private investment has seen MSU record its highest fundraising year in history at $260 million—the highest total in history for a Mississippi university. MSU’s endowment now stands at over $1 billion.

The largest project announced this fall is the Crossroads District and Hotel Madelon, with the MSU Foundation holding a groundbreaking for the Marriott hotel in late October. The facility will anchor the mixed-use, multi-phase district that will connect the west side of campus to the existing Cotton District.

A ribbon is being cut this week for the new Jim and Thomas Duff Center which houses the Mississippi Institute on Disabilities and the Department of Kinesiology. Other ribbon-cutting celebrations included the opening of Azalea Hall, the campus’s newest and largest residence hall housing 412 students, the renovation of Perry Food Hall, a historic Mississippi Landmark-designated facility, and the Sanderson Center’s just-completed pickleball courts.

Also signifying university growth are the Randy J. Cleveland Engineering Student Center and McCarthy Quadrangle, an additional green space adjacent to the iconic Drill Field. Currently underway are renovations to Dorman Hall, home to the Department of Plant and Soil Sciences; Howell Hall and Hunter Henry Center, both facilities of the College of Architecture, Art and Design; and the Wise Center, which is expanding its large animal capacity in the College of Veterinary Medicine.

In the design or new construction phases are the Billy W. Howard Sr. Indoor Practice Facility for football, a state-of-the-art laminitis disease research center at CVM, and the South Campus Mechanical Plant supporting the existing campus cooling loop and any capacity increases.

Celebrating in the Land-Grant Tradition

Several student groups and individuals are achieving top recognition in the country as part of Mississippi State’s land-grant heritage. Junior biochemistry major Claire Green of North Little Rock, Arkansas, is MSU’s newest Truman Scholar, one of the nation’s most prestigious awards for exceptional students with a passion for public service.

For the second year in a row, the MSU Debate Team won the International Public Debate National Tournament, while the Spirit Squad claimed two titles at the National Cheerleaders Association Championship. Top honors were brought home in the Small Coed Intermediate D1A and Spirit Rally D1A divisions.

The university’s Space Cowboys rocketry team soared to a first-place finish in their category at the 2025 International Rocket Engineering Competition, sending their rocket entry to a height of nearly 29,000 feet. The EcoCAR team finished the third year of the national EV Challenge by placing in the top 10, winning seven first-place awards and the Outstanding Community Impact Award.

Also, employee feedback led to the university being named a 2025 “Great College to Work For.” It was the 10th consecutive year MSU was named to the national list compiled by The Chronicle of Higher Education and ModernThink consulting firm. Forbes named Mississippi State to three of its annual national lists—”America’s Best Large Employers,” “America’s Best Employers by State,” and “America’s Dream Employers.”

Other Highlights

 Specific Population Increases

—Minorities are 29.2% of all students, a 1.4% increase from 6,429 last year to this fall’s 6,883, with a record high in the Hispanic population
—Veteran headcount rose 10.7%, from 1,136 to 1,257
—Distance education learners, on- and off-campus, are up 11.5%, from 4,538 to 5,061
—International students represent 95 countries

Enrollment By College

For the second year, the Bagley College of Engineering is the largest with its record enrollment of 5,099. This year also marks the largest enrollments in history for the colleges of Veterinary Medicine, Agriculture and Life Sciences and Architecture, Art and Design.

—Agriculture and Life Sciences, 2,697
—Architecture, Art and Design, 1,070 (first enrollment over 1,000)
—Arts and Sciences, 4,946
—Business, 3,529
—Education, 3,488
—Engineering, 5,099
—Forest Resources, 637
—Veterinary Medicine, 588
—Professional and Continuing Studies, 316
—Integrative Studies, 96
—Other, 1,097

First-time in College

—48 National Merit Scholars
—65 Valedictorians and 53 Salutatorians
—47 Student Body Presidents
—77 STAR Students
—84 Eagle Scouts
—5 Girl Scout Gold Award Recipients

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