MSU publishes graduation rates for our undergraduate students as a public service and in compliance with reporting requirements. Below you will find graduation rates for the overall undergraduate student population and for different subgroups. In each section, we have included information about how the rate was calculated, which students are included, and which reporting requirements this publication satisfies.
| Entering Cohort | Graduation Year | Graduation Rate |
|---|---|---|
| 2017 | 2023 | 82% |
| 2016 | 2022 | 82% |
| 2015 | 2021 | 82% |
| 2014 | 2020 | 81% |
| 2013 | 2019 | 81% |
| 2012 | 2018 | 80% |
| 2011 | 2017 | 79% |
| 2010 | 2016 | 78% |
| 2009 | 2015 | 77% |
What the rate means: Among undergraduate students who started at MSU in a given year, the percent who completed their program within a time period equal to one and a half times (150%) the normal period of time. For students in Bachelor’s programs, this 150% period is equal to six years. For students in MSU’s Agricultural Technology Certificate program, the 150% period is equal to three years.
Who is included: Undergraduate students seeking a Bachelor’s degree or Agricultural Technology certificate who began their studies at MSU in a summer or fall semester, took a full course load in their first term at MSU, and were attending college for the first time (e.g., did not transfer to MSU from another college or university).
Requirements fulfilled: Publication of these statistics fulfills requirements established by the federal Student Right to Know Act and by the State of Michigan.
Graduation Rates by Sex and Race/Ethnicity
Download of all of the historical data and the data definitions:
Graduation Rate Data (CSV)
Data definitions for CSV file (TXT)
What the rate means: Among undergraduate students who started at MSU in a given year, the percent who completed their program within a time period equal to one and a half times (150%) the normal period of time. For students in Bachelor’s programs, this 150% period is equal to six years. For students in MSU’s Agricultural Technology Certificate program, the 150% period is equal to three years.
In this section, students are grouped by self-identified sex and race/ethnicity reported to MSU. Graduation rates specific to these groups are shown.
Who is included: Undergraduate students seeking a Bachelor’s degree or Agricultural Technology certificate who began their studies at MSU in a summer or fall semester, took a full course load in their first term at MSU, and were attending college for the first time (e.g., did not transfer to MSU from another college or university).
Requirements fulfilled: Publication of these statistics fulfills requirements established by the federal Student Right to Know Act.
Race/Ethnicity: Racial or ethnic group with which the student self identifies as defined by federal reporting standards. Race and ethnicity information is not requested for international students. From 2010 onward the reporting format is based upon student response to a two part question. The first asks if the student identifies as Hispanic. The second for the race, or races, with which the student identifies. If the student identifies as Hispanic, they are reported only as Hispanic without a racial category. Prior to 2010 the question was a one part format with race and ethnicity asked in one question. Students who identified as Hispanic, or as two or more races, had to pick a primary identification or select other.
The table below shows the six year graduation rate history of bachelor degree-seeking students by type of financial aid received in the first year of attendance.
| Aid Type | 2019 | 2020 | 2021 | 2022 | 2023 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Pell Grant | 71% | 70% | 72% | 72% | 73% |
| Subsidized Stafford Loan (and no Pell Grant) | 83% | 82% | 86% | 81% | 85% |
| No Pell Grants or Subsidized Stafford Loans | 84% | 85% | 85% | 85% | 84% |
| All students regardless of Aid | 81% | 81% | 82% | 82% | 82% |
What the rate means: Among undergraduate students seeking a Bachelor’s degree who started at MSU in a given year, the percent who completed their program within a time period equal to one and a half times (150%) the normal period of time (six years).
In this section, students are grouped by whether they received specific types of federal financial aid. Graduation rates specific to these groups are shown.
Who is included: Undergraduate students seeking a Bachelor’s degree who began their studies at MSU in a summer or fall semester, took a full course load in their first term at MSU, and were attending college for the first time (e.g., did not transfer to MSU from another college or university).
Requirements fulfilled: Publication of these statistics fulfills requirements established by the federal Student Right to Know Act.
Reporting of student-athlete graduation rates is required by the Student Right to Know legislation, and by the NCAA.
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What the rate means: Among undergraduate student athletes receiving athletics aid who started their undergraduate studies in a given year, the percent who completed their program at MSU within a time period equal to one and a half times (150%) the normal period of time. For students in Bachelor’s programs, is equal to six years. This graduation rate is calculated directly by the NCAA based on data provided by MSU. Unlike other graduation rates reported on this website, the NCAA rate does not penalize institutions for student-athletes who leave MSU without graduating as long as they are in good academic standing.
In this section, students are grouped by sport and by self-identified sex reported to MSU.
Who is included: Undergraduate student athletes receiving athletics-related financial aid who were seeking a Bachelor’s degree or Agricultural Technology certificate, began their studies at MSU in a summer or fall semester, and took a full course load in their first term at MSU. Both student athletes who began their undergraduate studies and MSU and those who transferred to MSU after starting elsewhere are included.
Requirements fulfilled: Publication of these statistics fulfills requirements established by the federal Student Right to Know Act and by the National Collegiate Athletics Association (NCAA).
The Student Right to Know Act (SRTK) of 1990 requires the disclosure of the graduation rate calculated in the Graduation Rate Survey (GRS) section of the Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System (IPEDS). The GRS collects data on completion or graduation rates of full-time, first-time certificate or degree-seeking undergraduate students. Full-time is defined as a student who enrolled for 12 or more credits during his/her initial semester. First-time is defined as a student attending any institution for the first time at the undergraduate level, including students enrolled in a fall semester who attended a postsecondary institution for the first time as undergraduates during the immediately preceding summer semester. Certificate or degree seeking is defined as students enrolled in courses for credit that are recognized by the institution as seeking a degree or formal award. A member of the entering cohort of students who received their degree or certificate within 150% of normal program time is defined as a graduate according to the GRS.
MSU also contributes data to the State of Michigan’s Higher Education Institutional Data Inventory (HEIDI) and makes data available via its website in accordance with transparency guidelines for public institutions in Michigan.
In addition, MSU is required to report graduation information for student-athletes to the NCAA on the Graduation Success Rate (GSR) survey.