MSU ranked number one school in Mississippi

While Mississippi State University made rank number 344 out of 711 nationally on Money Magazine’s list of “The Best Colleges For Your Money”, it ranked as the number one school in Mississippi on its “Best College in Every State” list.

Money Magazine’s study states 80 percent of freshmen at four-year colleges attend school within 500 miles of home, and 53 percent attend a college within 100 miles. The study compiled estimated net price of attendance and early career earnings of graduates of the last 5 years to determine which colleges give students the highest return for attending.

Money Magazine puts MSU’s graduation rate at 60 percent and average student debt at $15,000. Average salary for graduates within five years of graduation is $47,000 and 20 percent of low-income students become upper middle class after graduation.

“With the steady enrollment growth we’ve seen recently, it’s clear our students and their families see tremendous value in an education from Mississippi State,” MSU President Mark Keenum said.

Keenum said MSU combines a nurturing atmosphere with highquality instruction and outstanding programs.

MSU’s College of Veterinary Medicine, College of Architecture, Art and Design and the James Worth Bagley College of Engineering was each listed by Money Magazine as top programs offered to MSU students. The magazine also mentioned MSU’s observatory, Mitchell Memorial Library, 16 Division I sports teams and the school’s 19 fraternities and 10 sororities.

Keenum said tuition at Mississippi State is lower than its peer research universities and among smaller regional institutions.

“The value of that education is enhanced further by the fact that Mississippi State graduates earn, on average, the highest starting salaries of any other college graduates in the state,” Keenum said. “I am also proud to note that more Mississippi high school students choose to attend MSU than any other university in our state.”