Mississippi State University

Mississippi State University logo
#850 / #247
Global Influence / U.S. Influence
#821
Most Desirable School
Public university near Starkville, Mississippi, USA

Mississippi State University at a Glance

U.S. influence rank
#247
Acceptance rate (fall 2024)
78%
Tuition and fees (2025–26)
$10,604
Graduation rate
69%
Undergraduates (fall 2024)
18,397

Reviewed by , Vice President and Academic Editor. Influence ranks come from our InfluenceRanking™ methodology; other figures come from federal data, with the year shown under each section. Report an error

Mississippi State University Featured Rankings

About Mississippi State University

According to Wikipedia, Mississippi State University for Agriculture and Applied Science, commonly known as Mississippi State University , is a public land-grant research university adjacent to Starkville, Mississippi. It is classified among "R1: Doctoral Universities – Very High Research Activity" and has a total research and development budget of $239.4 million, the largest in Mississippi.

Mississippi State University's Online Degrees

MS in Computer Science
  • Required Credits: 31
  • Format: Fully online
MS in Computer Science & Engineering
  • Required Credits: 31
  • Completion Time: 2 years
  • Format: Fully online
MS in Computational Engineering
  • Required Credits: 30-33
  • Format: Fully online
PhD in Computational Engineering
  • Required Credits: 50-72
  • Format: Fully online
PhD in Engineering Education
  • Required Credits: 68
  • Format: Fully online
MS in Aerospace Engineering
  • Required Credits: 30
  • Format: Fully online
MS in Electrical & Computer Engineering
  • Required Credits: 30
  • Format: Fully online
MS in Forestry
  • Required Credits: 30
  • Format: Fully online
MS in Industrial & Systems Engineering
  • Required Credits: 30
  • Format: Fully online
MENG in Master'S Of Engineering
Degree Concentrations
  • General
  • Military Engineering
  • Required Credits: 30
  • Format: Fully online
MS in Mechanical Engineering
  • Required Credits: 31
  • Format: Fully online
PhD in Aerospace Engineering
  • Required Credits: 50
  • Format: Fully online
PhD in Chemical Engineering
  • Required Credits: 56
  • Format: Fully online
PhD in Mechanical Engineering
  • Required Credits: 63
  • Format: Fully online
PhD in Industrial & Systems Engineering
  • Required Credits: 68
  • Format: Fully online
MS in Civil Engineering
Degree Concentrations
  • Construction Engineering And Management
  • Construction Materials Engineering
  • Environmental Engineering
  • Geotechnical Engineering
  • Structural Engineering
  • Transportation Engineering
  • Water Resources Engineering
  • Required Credits: 30-33
  • Format: Fully online
PhD in Electrical & Computer Engineering
  • Required Credits: 48-66
  • Format: Fully online
PhD in Civil Engineering
Degree Concentrations
  • Construction Engineering And Management
  • Construction Materials Engineering
  • Environmental Engineering
  • Geotechnical Engineering
  • Structural Engineering
  • Transportation Engineering
  • Water Resources Engineering
  • Required Credits: 62-71
  • Format: Fully online

Mississippi State University Admissions, Retention, and Graduation Information

Annual ApplicationsAcceptanceRetention RateGraduation RateMedian SAT ScoreMedian ACT Score
20,87778%83%69%122525

Source: U.S. Department of Education (College Scorecard and NCES); acceptance rate for fall 2024; test scores for fall 2024; applications and enrollment for fall 2023; retention for students who started in fall 2023; graduation rate within six years for students who started in 2019.

How Much Does Mississippi State University Cost To Attend?

Tuition and fees (in-state)
$10,604
Average Net Price by Family Income (2024–25)
IncomeAverage Net Cost
0 - 30K$17,042
30K - 48K$15,564
48K - 75K$18,211
75K - 110K$20,859
110K+$24,032

Source: U.S. Department of Education (College Scorecard and NCES); tuition and fees for 2025–26; net price for 2024–25, for first-time, full-time students receiving financial aid.

How Much Do Mississippi State University Graduates Make?

Ten years after starting college, former Mississippi State University students who received federal financial aid earn a median of $54,296 a year, and 93% of those not still in school are working.

Source: U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard; students who started college in 2011–12 or 2012–13, measured in 2022 and 2023, in 2024 dollars.

Mississippi State University's Demographics

Students enrolled at any time during the 2023–24 school year, including part-time and online students.

Student BodyUnder-GradsGraduates
25,23419,8915,343

Source: National Center for Education Statistics; 12-month enrollment for 2023–24.

Where is Mississippi State University?

Mississippi State University is located at Lee Boulevard, Mississippi State, MS 39762.

How Safe is Mississippi State University?

Mississippi State University reported 0.5 violent and property offenses on campus per 1,000 students in 2024, fewer than most large partly residential campuses. Its figures can also be looked up in the U.S. Department of Education’s Campus Safety and Security database.

Relative to its enrollment, Mississippi State University has a violent crime rate of 0.03% and a property crime rate of 0.02%. Sources: campus: U.S. Department of Education Campus Safety and Security data, on-campus offenses in 2024 (violent: murder, rape, robbery and aggravated assault; property: burglary, motor vehicle theft and arson, which excludes ordinary theft).

What Is Mississippi State University Known For?

Mississippi State University is known for its academic work in the following disciplines:

Mississippi State University's Top Areas of Influence With Degrees Offered

Each rank compares how much Mississippi State University's faculty and alumni have shaped a field with other schools, using Wikipedia, Wikidata and scholarly citation databases such as Crossref and Semantic Scholar. World and U.S. ranks reflect modern influence; the historical rank counts influence across all time. How we rank influence

Earth Sciences
#282
World Rank
#302
Historical Rank
#76
USA Rank

Mississippi State University ranks #76 in the U.S. and #282 worldwide for influence in Earth Sciences.

earth-science Degrees
Engineering
#602
World Rank
#622
Historical Rank
#133
USA Rank

Mississippi State University ranks #133 in the U.S. and #602 worldwide for influence in Engineering.

engineering Degrees
Chemistry
#682
World Rank
#714
Historical Rank
#152
USA Rank

Mississippi State University ranks #152 in the U.S. and #682 worldwide for influence in Chemistry.

chemistry Degrees
History
#484
World Rank
#473
Historical Rank
#171
USA Rank

Mississippi State University ranks #171 in the U.S. and #484 worldwide for influence in History.

history Degrees
Computer Science
#738
World Rank
#742
Historical Rank
#194
USA Rank

Mississippi State University ranks #194 in the U.S. and #738 worldwide for influence in Computer Science.

computer-science Degrees
Biology
#719
World Rank
#753
Historical Rank
#199
USA Rank

Mississippi State University ranks #199 in the U.S. and #719 worldwide for influence in Biology.

biology Degrees
Business
#650
World Rank
#650
Historical Rank
#204
USA Rank

Mississippi State University ranks #204 in the U.S. and #650 worldwide for influence in Business.

business Degrees
Physics
#847
World Rank
#888
Historical Rank
#204
USA Rank

Mississippi State University ranks #204 in the U.S. and #847 worldwide for influence in Physics.

physics Degrees
Anthropology
#678
World Rank
#700
Historical Rank
#216
USA Rank

Mississippi State University ranks #216 in the U.S. and #678 worldwide for influence in Anthropology.

anthropology Degrees
Economics
#1042
World Rank
#1050
Historical Rank
#217
USA Rank

Mississippi State University ranks #217 in the U.S. and #1042 worldwide for influence in Economics.

economics Degrees
Mathematics
#905
World Rank
#981
Historical Rank
#222
USA Rank

Mississippi State University ranks #222 in the U.S. and #905 worldwide for influence in Mathematics.

math Degrees
Communications
#905
World Rank
#936
Historical Rank
#254
USA Rank

Mississippi State University ranks #254 in the U.S. and #905 worldwide for influence in Communications.

communications Degrees
Education
#1075
World Rank
#1077
Historical Rank
#268
USA Rank

Mississippi State University ranks #268 in the U.S. and #1075 worldwide for influence in Education.

education Degrees
Political Science
#1188
World Rank
#1203
Historical Rank
#303
USA Rank

Mississippi State University ranks #303 in the U.S. and #1188 worldwide for influence in Political Science.

political-science Degrees
Literature
#908
World Rank
#964
Historical Rank
#303
USA Rank

Mississippi State University ranks #303 in the U.S. and #908 worldwide for influence in Literature.

literature Degrees
Medical
#1101
World Rank
#1108
Historical Rank
#309
USA Rank

Mississippi State University ranks #309 in the U.S. and #1101 worldwide for influence in Medical.

medicine Degrees
Psychology
#1192
World Rank
#1210
Historical Rank
#467
USA Rank

Mississippi State University ranks #467 in the U.S. and #1192 worldwide for influence in Psychology.

psychology Degrees
Sociology
#1727
World Rank
#1734
Historical Rank
#502
USA Rank

Mississippi State University ranks #502 in the U.S. and #1727 worldwide for influence in Sociology.

sociology Degrees
Philosophy
#1710
World Rank
#1768
Historical Rank
#511
USA Rank

Mississippi State University ranks #511 in the U.S. and #1710 worldwide for influence in Philosophy.

philosophy Degrees
Social Work
#1483
World Rank
#1484
Historical Rank
#603
USA Rank

Mississippi State University ranks #603 in the U.S. and #1483 worldwide for influence in Social Work.

social-work Degrees

Who Are Mississippi State University's Most Influential Alumni?

Mississippi State University's most influential alumni include professors and professionals in the fields of Earth Sciences, History, and Criminal Justice. Here are some of Mississippi State University's most famous alumni:

John Grisham
John Grisham
An American writer .
Earl J. Hamilton
An American historian.
James E. Cofer
An American academic.
Gregory Keyes
Gregory Keyes
A Writer of science fiction and fantasy.
John C. Stennis
An American politician .
Rafael Palmeiro
A Former Major League Baseball player.
Sundaraja Sitharama Iyengar
Sundaraja Sitharama Iyengar
An Indian computer scientist.
Buck Showalter
An American baseball player, coach, manager.
Byron Miranda
A Journalist.
Dak Prescott
Dak Prescott
An American football player .
Richard Carson
An American economist.
Erick Dampier
Erick Dampier
An American professional basketball player.

Who Are Mississippi State University's Most Influential Faculty?

Mississippi State University's most influential faculty include professors in the fields of Earth Sciences, History, and Criminal Justice. Here are some of Mississippi State University's most famous faculty:

Geoff Collins
Geoff Collins
An American football coach.
Jayson Lusk
Jayson Lusk
An American economist.
Tianxi Cai
A Chinese biostatistician.
Matthew Hughey
An American sociologist.
Scott Crossley
An American linguist.
Brad Vice
An American writer.
Robert Piercey
A Canadian philosopher.
Micah Ballard
An American writer.
Charles S. Henry
A Researcher.
Lori Mann Bruce
An American academic.
Ozell Wells
An American basketball coach.