More than 8,500 students are predicted to start their first year at Michigan State University on Aug. 28, comfortably reaching MSU’s admissions goal behind record applications.
“I’m looking forward to greeting this big group as we begin our Spartan journey together,” said President Samuel L. Stanley Jr., M.D., who became MSU’s 21st president Aug. 1. “We’ll all be experiencing new things — figuring out how to navigate campus, finding our favorite dining hall, making new friends and joining a scholarly community with deep land-grant roots working to make a difference in the world.”
The university this year started accepting the Common Application, which allows students to apply for multiple colleges through one online portal. With more than 44,000 total applications, MSU saw numbers from domestic out-of-state applicants nearly double, and international applications grew by one-third.
In-state applications also rose, and MSU will continue to enroll more Michigan residents than any other institution. Michigan residents account for approximately 75% of the freshman class, expected to be the largest among all higher education institutions in Michigan.
“Recruiting this class was a campuswide effort, both from internal and external partners,” said John Ambrose, interim executive director for admissions and recruitment. “We’ve worked hard to address the cost of education and other shifting generational expectations. By putting students’ needs first, MSU remains a destination of choice for higher education.”
Total university-funded student financial aid will rise by 7.1% for 2019-20, on top of a 4.5% increase last year.
The university’s enrollment projection is based on the number of admitted students who paid deposits. Final enrollment numbers will not be available until after the university’s deadline for tuition refunds Sept. 23.