michigan state university admission visit

MSU is one of the biggest, greenest campuses in the country, welcoming visitors from around the world.

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Abrams Planetarium

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Beal Botanical Garden

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Beaumont Tower

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Broad Art Museum

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Observe and interact with live insects and arachnids.

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Michigan’s capital city, just minutes from campus.

Dairy Store

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Demmer Center

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Forest Akers Golf Courses

Two public golf courses located on the MSU campus.

Hidden Lake Gardens

Arboretum and gardens located in Tipton, MI.

Horticulture Gardens

More than a dozen acres of campus gardens.

Kellogg Biological Station

One of North America’s premier inland field stations.

Main Library, Gast Business, and Schaefer Law Libraries.

Science and culture museum with 15 galleries.

Tennis Center

Home to a range of classes, leagues and travel teams.

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The Office of Admissions welcomes prospective applicants/students and their guests to visit campus, Monday through Friday, from 9:00am to 4:00pm ET. Individual, in-person visits typically are 60 to 75 minutes in duration for candidates who have yet to be admitted into MSU Law and between two to four hours for candidates who have been offered admission. If you prefer, a virtual visit to MSU Law is still being offered, which includes a pre-recorded video tour of the law building as well as a Zoom or phone meeting with an MSU Law admissions professional.

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Please submit your visit request a minimum of three business days prior to your requested visit date. A member of our Admissions Team will follow up within 48 hours to provide details regarding your visit. Weekends and holidays may cause a slight delay in response time.

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Michigan State Requirements for Admission

Choose your test.

What are Michigan State's admission requirements? While there are a lot of pieces that go into a college application, you should focus on only a few critical things:

• GPA requirements
• Testing requirements, including SAT and ACT requirements
• Application requirements

In this guide we'll cover what you need to get into Michigan State and build a strong application.

School location: East Lansing, MI

This school is also known as: MSU, Michigan State University

Admissions Rate: 88%

If you want to get in, the first thing to look at is the acceptance rate. This tells you how competitive the school is and how serious their requirements are.

The acceptance rate at Michigan State is 88% . For every 100 applicants, 88 are admitted.

This means the school is lightly selective . The school will have their expected requirements for GPA and SAT/ACT scores. If you meet their requirements, you're almost certain to get an offer of admission. But if you don't meet Michigan State's requirements, you'll be one of the unlucky few people who gets rejected.

We can help. PrepScholar Admissions is the world's best admissions consulting service. We combine world-class admissions counselors with our data-driven, proprietary admissions strategies . We've overseen thousands of students get into their top choice schools , from state colleges to the Ivy League.

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Learn more about PrepScholar Admissions to maximize your chance of getting in.

Michigan State GPA Requirements

Many schools specify a minimum GPA requirement, but this is often just the bare minimum to submit an application without immediately getting rejected.

The GPA requirement that really matters is the GPA you need for a real chance of getting in. For this, we look at the school's average GPA for its current students.

Average GPA: 3.8

The average GPA at Michigan State is 3.8 .

(Most schools use a weighted GPA out of 4.0, though some report an unweighted GPA.

With a GPA of 3.8, Michigan State requires you to be near the top of your class , and well above average. Your transcript should show mostly A's. Ideally, you will also have taken several AP or IB classes to show that you can handle academics at a college level.

SAT and ACT Requirements

Each school has different requirements for standardized testing. Only a few schools require the SAT or ACT, but many consider your scores if you choose to submit them.

Michigan State hasn't explicitly named a policy on SAT/ACT requirements, but because it's published average SAT or ACT scores (we'll cover this next), it's likely test flexible. Typically, these schools say, "if you feel your SAT or ACT score represents you well as a student, submit them. Otherwise, don't."

Despite this policy, the truth is that most students still take the SAT or ACT, and most applicants to Michigan State will submit their scores. If you don't submit scores, you'll have one fewer dimension to show that you're worthy of being admitted, compared to other students. We therefore recommend that you consider taking the SAT or ACT, and doing well.

Michigan State SAT Requirements

Many schools say they have no SAT score cutoff, but the truth is that there is a hidden SAT requirement. This is based on the school's average score.

Average SAT: 1215

The average SAT score composite at Michigan State is a 1215 on the 1600 SAT scale.

This score makes Michigan State Competitive for SAT test scores.

Michigan State SAT Score Analysis (New 1600 SAT)

The 25th percentile SAT score is 1110, and the 75th percentile SAT score is 1320. In other words, a 1110 on the SAT places you below average, while a 1320 will move you up to above average .

Here's the breakdown of SAT scores by section:

SAT Score Choice Policy

The Score Choice policy at your school is an important part of your testing strategy.

Michigan State ACT Requirements

Just like for the SAT, Michigan State likely doesn't have a hard ACT cutoff, but if you score too low, your application will get tossed in the trash.

Average ACT: 27

The average ACT score at Michigan State is 27. This score makes Michigan State Moderately Competitive for ACT scores.

The 25th percentile ACT score is 24, and the 75th percentile ACT score is 30.

ACT Score Sending Policy

If you're taking the ACT as opposed to the SAT, you have a huge advantage in how you send scores, and this dramatically affects your testing strategy.

Here it is: when you send ACT scores to colleges, you have absolute control over which tests you send. You could take 10 tests, and only send your highest one. This is unlike the SAT, where many schools require you to send all your tests ever taken.

This means that you have more chances than you think to improve your ACT score. To try to aim for the school's ACT requirement of 24 and above, you should try to take the ACT as many times as you can. When you have the final score that you're happy with, you can then send only that score to all your schools.

ACT Superscore Policy

By and large, most colleges do not superscore the ACT. (Superscore means that the school takes your best section scores from all the test dates you submit, and then combines them into the best possible composite score). Thus, most schools will just take your highest ACT score from a single sitting.

We weren't able to find the school's exact ACT policy, which most likely means that it does not Superscore. Regardless, you can choose your single best ACT score to send in to Michigan State, so you should prep until you reach our recommended target ACT score of 24.

Download our free guide on the top 5 strategies you must be using to improve your score. This guide was written by Harvard graduates and ACT perfect scorers. If you apply the strategies in this guide, you'll study smarter and make huge score improvements.

SAT/ACT Writing Section Requirements

Currently, only the ACT has an optional essay section that all students can take. The SAT used to also have an optional Essay section, but since June 2021, this has been discontinued unless you are taking the test as part of school-day testing in a few states. Because of this, no school requires the SAT Essay or ACT Writing section, but some schools do recommend certain students submit their results if they have them.

Michigan State considers the SAT Essay/ACT Writing section optional and may not include it as part of their admissions consideration. You don't need to worry too much about Writing for this school, but other schools you're applying to may require it.

Final Admissions Verdict

Because this school is lightly selective, you have a great shot at getting in, as long as you don't fall well below average . Aim for a 1110 SAT or a 24 ACT or higher, and you'll almost certainly get an offer of admission. As long as you meet the rest of the application requirements below, you'll be a shoo-in.

But if you score below our recommended target score, you may be one of the very few unlucky people to get rejected.

Admissions Calculator

Here's our custom admissions calculator. Plug in your numbers to see what your chances of getting in are. Pick your test: SAT ACT

• 80-100%: Safety school: Strong chance of getting in
• 50-80%: More likely than not getting in
• 20-50%: Lower but still good chance of getting in
• 5-20%: Reach school: Unlikely to get in, but still have a shot
• 0-5%: Hard reach school: Very difficult to get in

How would your chances improve with a better score?

Take your current SAT score and add 160 points (or take your ACT score and add 4 points) to the calculator above. See how much your chances improve?

At PrepScholar, we've created the leading online SAT/ACT prep program . We guarantee an improvement of 160 SAT points or 4 ACT points on your score, or your money back.

Here's a summary of why we're so much more effective than other prep programs:

• PrepScholar customizes your prep to your strengths and weaknesses . You don't waste time working on areas you already know, so you get more results in less time.
• We guide you through your program step-by-step so that you're never confused about what you should be studying. Focus all your time learning, not worrying about what to learn.
• Our team is made of national SAT/ACT experts . PrepScholar's founders are Harvard graduates and SAT perfect scorers . You'll be studying using the strategies that actually worked for them.
• We've gotten tremendous results with thousands of students across the country. Read about our score results and reviews from our happy customers .

There's a lot more to PrepScholar that makes it the best SAT/ACT prep program. Click to learn more about our program , or sign up for our 5-day free trial to check out PrepScholar for yourself:

Application Requirements

Every school requires an application with the bare essentials - high school transcript and GPA, application form, and other core information. Many schools, as explained above, also require SAT and ACT scores, as well as letters of recommendation, application essays, and interviews. We'll cover the exact requirements of Michigan State here.

Application Requirements Overview

• Common Application Not accepted
• Electronic Application Available
• Essay or Personal Statement Required for all freshmen
• Letters of Recommendation
• Interview Not required
• Application Fee $65
• Fee Waiver Available? Available
• Other Notes

Testing Requirements

• SAT or ACT Considered if submitted
• SAT Essay or ACT Writing Optional
• SAT Subject Tests
• Scores Due in Office June 30

Coursework Requirements

• Subject Required Years
• Foreign Language 2
• Social Studies 3

Deadlines and Early Admissions

• Offered? Deadline Notification
• Yes April 1 October 1
• Yes November 1 January 15

Admissions Office Information

• Address: 426 East Lansing, MI 48824
• Phone: (517) 355-1855 x1855
• Fax: (517) 353-1647
• Email: [email protected]

Our Expert's Notes

We did more detailed research into this school's admissions process and found the following information:

Apply by November 1 to maximize your scholarship chances. Also, in addition to general university admission, MSU has smaller residential colleges that focus in particular areas -- like the James Madison College for political and law, and Lyman Briggs for natural sciences. To apply to these, select them as a major preference on your regular MSU app. To maximize your chances, apply early since the residential colleges fill on a first-come, first-served basis. The Honors College is by invitation only and requires no additional application. Learn more here.

Other Schools For You

If you're interested in Michigan State, you'll probably be interested in these schools as well. We've divided them into 3 categories depending on how hard they are to get into, relative to Michigan State.

Reach Schools: Harder to Get Into

These schools are have higher average SAT scores than Michigan State. If you improve your SAT score, you'll be competitive for these schools.

Same Level: Equally Hard to Get Into

If you're competitive for Michigan State, these schools will offer you a similar chance of admission.

Safety Schools: Easier to Get Into

If you're currently competitive for Michigan State, you should have no problem getting into these schools. If Michigan State is currently out of your reach, you might already be competitive for these schools.

Data on this page is sourced from Peterson's Databases © 2023 (Peterson's LLC. All rights reserved.) as well as additional publicly available sources.

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Recorded on March 15, 2022, this informational zoom video features Leo Kempel, dean of the MSU College of Engineering, and Katy Luchini Colbry, assistant dean for graduate student services for the college, talking about choosing a graduate program.

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