---
title: Michigan State University — cost, debt & earnings (College Scorecard)
location: East Lansing, MI
control: Public
source: U.S. Dept. of Education College Scorecard (2026-06-10 release)
sourceUrl: https://collegescorecard.ed.gov/
---

# Michigan State University

East Lansing, MI · Public · Bachelor-granting

> Federal College Scorecard institution **medians** — not a prediction of any one student's outcome, and not a figure for any single program. Earnings/debt cover federally-aided students.

## The bottom line

| Figure | Value | Status |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Typical earnings, 10 yrs after entry | $67,253 | recorded |
| Earnings range (25th–75th pct) | $46,010 – $96,911 | recorded |
| Typical federal debt | $19,500 | recorded |
| Debt of students who withdrew | $10,000 | recorded |
| Completion rate | 81% | recorded |
| Average annual net cost | $32,198 | recorded |
| % earning above a $28k HS-grad wage | 82% | recorded |
| Debt ÷ a year's earnings | 0.29× | derived |
| Earnings premium vs $28k HS benchmark | $39,253 | derived |

**81% of students finish** — the loans are owed whether or not you graduate, so read every figure below next to this number.

Typical **federal** loan debt is $19,500 (≈ 29% of a year's typical earnings here). Note: this counts federal loans only — not private loans, Parent PLUS, or family savings — so true borrowing is usually higher; and because dropouts borrow less, low-completion schools can show a deceptively low debt figure.

## Earnings by major (the number that decides "worth it")

> **Different measure — read on its own terms.** These are median earnings **1 year after completing the program** (early career, graduates only) — NOT the 10-years-after-entry school-wide figure above. Do not compare a program figure to the school figure; compare majors to each other. The Dept. of Education omits programs with too few graduates.

By program, early-career pay ranges from $20,423 to $126,500 across 122 program(s).

| Major | Credential | Pay (1 yr out) | Median debt |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Business/Commerce, General. | Master's Degree | $126,500 | $78,686 |
| Business Administration, Management and Operations. | Master's Degree | $101,863 | $51,250 |
| Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing. | Master's Degree | $92,361 | $48,355 |
| Human Resources Management and Services. | Master's Degree | $90,313 | $41,000 |
| Management Sciences and Quantitative Methods. | Master's Degree | $84,609 | $30,375 |
| Educational Administration and Supervision. | Doctoral Degree | $83,457 | not reported |
| Food Science and Technology. | Master's Degree | $81,178 | $28,404 |
| Computer and Information Sciences, General. | Bachelor's Degree | $76,292 | $22,500 |
| Computer Engineering. | Bachelor's Degree | $75,462 | $23,000 |
| Psychology, General. | Doctoral Degree | $75,239 | not reported |
| Pharmacology and Toxicology. | Master's Degree | $71,675 | $40,900 |
| Electrical, Electronics, and Communications Engineering. | Bachelor's Degree | $71,673 | $22,500 |
| Mechanical Engineering. | Bachelor's Degree | $71,321 | $23,250 |
| Chemical Engineering. | Bachelor's Degree | $70,092 | $25,314 |
| Materials Engineering. | Bachelor's Degree | $68,609 | $24,385 |
| Engineering-Related Fields. | Bachelor's Degree | $66,715 | $23,375 |
| Engineering, General. | Bachelor's Degree | $66,191 | $22,250 |
| Marketing. | Master's Degree | $66,011 | $30,719 |
| Civil Engineering. | Bachelor's Degree | $66,002 | $26,500 |
| Construction Engineering Technology/Technician. | Bachelor's Degree | $65,740 | $25,250 |
| Curriculum and Instruction. | Doctoral Degree | $65,522 | not reported |
| Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing. | Bachelor's Degree | $62,282 | $25,000 |
| Finance and Financial Management Services. | Bachelor's Degree | $61,907 | $22,500 |
| Accounting and Related Services. | Master's Degree | $61,707 | $29,004 |
| Business Administration, Management and Operations. | Bachelor's Degree | $61,667 | $21,500 |
| Anthropology. | Doctoral Degree | $61,083 | not reported |
| Management Sciences and Quantitative Methods. | Bachelor's Degree | $60,749 | $22,872 |
| Homeland Security, Law Enforcement, Firefighting and Related Protective Services, Other. | Master's Degree | $60,256 | $30,750 |
| Chemistry. | Doctoral Degree | $60,054 | not reported |
| Agricultural Engineering. | Bachelor's Degree | $59,306 | $28,000 |
| Accounting and Related Services. | Bachelor's Degree | $58,100 | $22,500 |
| Marketing. | Bachelor's Degree | $58,064 | $22,250 |
| Engineering, Other. | Bachelor's Degree | $57,800 | $21,848 |
| Medicine. | First Professional Degree | $56,501 | $251,502 |
| Educational Administration and Supervision. | Graduate/Professional Certificate | $55,246 | not reported |
| Ecology, Evolution, Systematics, and Population Biology. | Doctoral Degree | $54,533 | not reported |
| Communication Disorders Sciences and Services. | Master's Degree | $54,160 | $51,250 |
| Music. | Doctoral Degree | $54,092 | not reported |
| Educational Administration and Supervision. | Master's Degree | $54,043 | $26,702 |
| Law. | First Professional Degree | $54,010 | $103,630 |
| Criminal Justice and Corrections. | Master's Degree | $53,283 | $27,518 |
| Clinical, Counseling and Applied Psychology. | Doctoral Degree | $53,275 | not reported |
| Public Health. | Master's Degree | $53,032 | $50,523 |
| Statistics. | Bachelor's Degree | $52,504 | $23,625 |
| Educational/Instructional Media Design. | Master's Degree | $52,027 | $24,608 |
| Teacher Education and Professional Development, Specific Subject Areas. | Master's Degree | $50,184 | not reported |
| Food Science and Technology. | Bachelor's Degree | $49,975 | $25,000 |
| Public Health. | Graduate/Professional Certificate | $49,681 | not reported |
| Curriculum and Instruction. | Master's Degree | $49,472 | $27,450 |
| Public Policy Analysis. | Master's Degree | $49,236 | not reported |
| Human Resources Management and Services. | Bachelor's Degree | $49,074 | $23,250 |
| Mathematics. | Bachelor's Degree | $48,982 | $19,250 |
| Education, General. | Master's Degree | $48,644 | $30,750 |
| Economics. | Bachelor's Degree | $48,199 | $22,231 |
| Agricultural Business and Management. | Bachelor's Degree | $48,126 | $21,500 |
| Educational/Instructional Media Design. | Graduate/Professional Certificate | $46,876 | $32,079 |
| Special Education and Teaching. | Master's Degree | $46,003 | $30,668 |
| Mental and Social Health Services and Allied Professions. | Master's Degree | $45,273 | $51,024 |
| Hospitality Administration/Management. | Bachelor's Degree | $45,050 | $21,815 |
| Computer/Information Technology Administration and Management. | Bachelor's Degree | $44,992 | $22,375 |
| Student Counseling and Personnel Services. | Master's Degree | $44,927 | not reported |
| Human Development, Family Studies, and Related Services. | Master's Degree | $44,810 | not reported |
| International Relations and National Security Studies. | Bachelor's Degree | $42,937 | $23,750 |
| Chemistry. | Bachelor's Degree | $42,255 | $26,750 |
| Soil Sciences. | Bachelor's Degree | $41,741 | $19,500 |
| Environmental/Natural Resources Management and Policy. | Bachelor's Degree | $41,632 | $20,500 |
| Education, General. | Bachelor's Degree | $40,045 | $26,000 |
| Teacher Education and Professional Development, Specific Subject Areas. | Bachelor's Degree | $39,988 | $25,375 |
| Geological and Earth Sciences/Geosciences. | Bachelor's Degree | $39,719 | $28,869 |
| Social Work. | Master's Degree | $39,671 | $53,886 |
| Electrical and Power Transmission Installers. | Undergraduate Certificate or Diploma | $38,974 | not reported |
| Public Relations, Advertising, and Applied Communication. | Bachelor's Degree | $38,973 | $22,605 |
| Music. | Master's Degree | $38,741 | $30,158 |
| Microbiological Sciences and Immunology. | Bachelor's Degree | $38,059 | $26,625 |
| Criminal Justice and Corrections. | Bachelor's Degree | $37,461 | $25,000 |
| Design and Applied Arts. | Bachelor's Degree | $37,306 | $26,997 |
| Communication and Media Studies. | Bachelor's Degree | $37,107 | $25,250 |
| Biochemistry, Biophysics and Molecular Biology. | Bachelor's Degree | $36,979 | $22,125 |
| Rhetoric and Composition/Writing Studies. | Bachelor's Degree | $36,915 | $24,360 |
| Sports, Kinesiology, and Physical Education/Fitness. | Master's Degree | $36,415 | not reported |
| Clinical/Medical Laboratory Science/Research and Allied Professions. | Bachelor's Degree | $36,358 | $26,000 |
| English Language and Literature, General. | Bachelor's Degree | $35,931 | $24,966 |
| Plant Sciences. | Bachelor's Degree | $35,527 | $22,550 |
| Music. | Bachelor's Degree | $35,201 | $26,750 |
| Physics. | Bachelor's Degree | $34,929 | $27,000 |
| Agricultural Business and Management. | Undergraduate Certificate or Diploma | $34,270 | not reported |
| Animal Sciences. | Bachelor's Degree | $34,232 | $25,023 |
| Public Policy Analysis. | Bachelor's Degree | $34,123 | $25,822 |
| Forestry. | Bachelor's Degree | $34,078 | $29,362 |
| Social Sciences, General. | Bachelor's Degree | $33,674 | $28,090 |
| Genetics. | Bachelor's Degree | $33,587 | $25,000 |
| Romance Languages, Literatures, and Linguistics. | Bachelor's Degree | $32,826 | $27,000 |
| Journalism. | Master's Degree | $32,780 | not reported |
| Journalism. | Bachelor's Degree | $32,480 | $23,547 |
| Middle/Near Eastern and Semitic Languages, Literatures, and Linguistics. | Bachelor's Degree | $32,437 | not reported |
| Human Development, Family Studies, and Related Services. | Bachelor's Degree | $32,168 | $28,195 |
| Political Science and Government. | Bachelor's Degree | $32,000 | $21,500 |
| Sociology. | Bachelor's Degree | $31,092 | $25,845 |
| East Asian Languages, Literatures, and Linguistics. | Bachelor's Degree | $30,642 | $21,290 |
| International/Globalization Studies. | Bachelor's Degree | $30,431 | $26,000 |
| Social Work. | Bachelor's Degree | $29,946 | $24,432 |
| Wildlife and Wildlands Science and Management. | Bachelor's Degree | $28,901 | $28,332 |
| History. | Bachelor's Degree | $28,671 | $25,025 |
| Sports, Kinesiology, and Physical Education/Fitness. | Bachelor's Degree | $28,154 | $24,580 |
| Geography and Cartography. | Bachelor's Degree | $27,724 | not reported |
| Psychology, General. | Bachelor's Degree | $27,682 | $23,630 |
| Natural Resources Conservation and Research. | Bachelor's Degree | $27,553 | $23,080 |
| Fine and Studio Arts. | Bachelor's Degree | $27,513 | $27,875 |
| Parks, Recreation, and Leisure Facilities Management. | Bachelor's Degree | $26,719 | $23,250 |
| Ecology, Evolution, Systematics, and Population Biology. | Bachelor's Degree | $26,376 | $25,000 |
| Linguistic, Comparative, and Related Language Studies and Services. | Bachelor's Degree | $25,760 | $24,915 |
| Dietetics and Clinical Nutrition Services. | Bachelor's Degree | $24,768 | $22,375 |
| Zoology/Animal Biology. | Bachelor's Degree | $24,435 | $25,000 |
| Drama/Theatre Arts and Stagecraft. | Bachelor's Degree | $24,128 | $22,185 |
| Biology, General. | Bachelor's Degree | $23,885 | $25,175 |
| Multi/Interdisciplinary Studies, Other. | Bachelor's Degree | $22,995 | $26,130 |
| Agricultural Production Operations. | Undergraduate Certificate or Diploma | $21,879 | $7,500 |
| Physiology, Pathology and Related Sciences. | Bachelor's Degree | $21,826 | $22,759 |
| Neurobiology and Neurosciences. | Bachelor's Degree | $21,663 | $24,232 |
| Nutrition Sciences. | Bachelor's Degree | $21,557 | $23,170 |
| Anthropology. | Bachelor's Degree | $21,255 | $27,750 |
| Non-Professional Legal Studies. | Bachelor's Degree | $20,423 | $24,753 |

## What this is — and is NOT

Institution-wide medians from the U.S. Dept. of Education College Scorecard. **Not** a prediction of what you would earn or owe, **not** a figure for any single program (a CS and a fine-arts graduate of the same school diverge enormously), **not** proof the school caused the outcome (selection, not causation), and **not** a "best college" ranking. Explore Michigan State University by field of study at the official Scorecard: https://collegescorecard.ed.gov/school/?171100

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Structured data (JSON-LD), each figure labeled by epistemic status: `/education/michigan-state-university-mi.jsonld` · all schools: `/education`