91传媒 enrollment another all-time high, state鈥檚 only public university to grow 9 of last 10 years

Contact: Harriet Laird
STARKVILLE, Miss.鈥Mississippi State once again is celebrating an all-time high in enrollment with 23,150 students, surpassing 2021鈥檚 record of 23,086. Mississippi鈥檚 land-grant research university is the only public higher education institution in the Magnolia State to grow in overall numbers for nine of the last 10 years, increasing 11%.
91传媒 is seeing an increase of almost 500 more students over the 2023 total of 22,657. First-time students make up 6,356 of the overall student body that hails from all 82 Mississippi counties, all 50 states plus Puerto Rico and the Virgin Islands, and 94 countries.
The university鈥檚 growth over the last decade speaks to Mississippi State鈥檚 commitment in helping students realize life-changing opportunities through a combination of quality academics, campus experience, support services and hands-on, innovative learning, explained 91传媒 President Mark E. Keenum.
鈥淲e鈥檙e focused on higher education at 91传媒 being unequivocally accessible and are dedicated to ensuring every Bulldog student is on their path to a degree,鈥 Keenum said, 鈥渋ncluding those who start at a community college or who have been out of college for a while.鈥
91传媒 continues as the No. 1 choice for Mississippi鈥檚 high school students, just four shy of 2,000 freshmen who call the Magnolia State home. Numbers are similar for first-time transfers who total 1,916. A total of 62.5% of all students hail from inside the state.
Also among freshmen, the university continues to recruit high achievers with this class鈥檚 average ACT score at 25.1 and GPA at 3.75 (4.0 scale).
Cutting-Edge Degree Programs
Administrators point to Mississippi State鈥檚 ability to quickly analyze employer needs and workforce demands as one reason for a decade of university growth, putting today鈥檚 cutting-edge degree programs at the fingertips of students hungry for professional success after graduation.
鈥淎s a comprehensive public research university, we鈥檙e providing students not only the classroom learning they need, but also hands-on skills and research experiences to be career ready when they graduate,鈥 said 91传媒鈥檚 David Shaw, provost and executive vice president.
91传媒鈥檚 new Bachelor of Applied Science in Cybersecurity, Bachelor of Science in Artificial Intelligence and Master of Applied Data Science鈥攁ll added this fall鈥攐ffer students high-tech education in occupations growing much faster for the next 12 years than the average for all jobs, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. Also, during the past two years, the university has added 11 program concentrations to its Bachelor of Data Science degree designed for creating artificial intelligence systems while improving performance in organizations, government agencies and more.
91传媒鈥檚 Bachelor of Applied Science degree has increased to seven program areas allowing community college graduates to transfer up to 45 hours of technical credit from their Applied Associate degree to four-year study areas such as advanced manufacturing technology and healthcare administration. The BAS degree in healthcare administration was added this fall.
More training opportunities have opened for students as the university saw two new research institutes come on board in the past year. The nation鈥檚 first Athlete Engineering Institute develops wearable technology to improve performance not only in sports, but also in manufacturing, rehabilitati