Michigan State University welcomes 8,000 new students this fall

EAST LANSING, Mich. - Administrators at Michigan State University are expecting 8,000 first-year students to arrive on campus next week. 

The class of 2021 is considered one of the largest in the school's history. Overall, MSU received 36,000 applications from prospective students, but only 8,000 were admitted. They will move onto campus Monday, with classes scheduled to begin Wednesday. 

Nearly 16,000 students will be living on the East Lansing campus this academic year in residence halls and on-campus apartments. As in past years, a number of volunteers will be pitching in to help with move in, including other students, faculty, staff, alumni and community volunteers, according to a news released from the university. 

More than 72 percent of new students are from Michigan, which the university said reflects its long-standing land grant tradition. MSU enrolls the most Michigan students of any university in the state.

According to the school, it will be enrolling the largest African-American freshman class of any institution in the Big Ten, while also experiencing a record number of Hispanic freshmen.

The university offered this list of notable changes to the campus over the summer: 

• MSU’s new student apartment community, 1855 Place, is officially open. This academic year, 782 students will live at 1855 Place while 298 students will live at University Village. 1855 Place offers apartments, townhouses and family housing communities, as well as Starbucks, a Spartan Ticket Office, Sparty’s Market and Spartan Spirit Shop. The new apartments offer students a bit more independence while staying connected to the perks of living on campus. Read the press kit for more information on amenities offered.
• MSU continues its commitment to fostering a culture of safety and respect. On the Our Commitment page, MSU outlines specific steps the university is taking to combat sexual assault, improve patient care and safety and protect youth on campus. The site includes updates on the progress MSU is making in reaching its goals; links to university resources; stories on important work being done on campus; and information on recent investigations.
• This summer, MSU launched its “Go Green, Go 15” campaign, which urges students to take an average of 15 credits per semester or complete 30 credits in their first year of study by taking summer classes. The share of students who carry a full credit load has steadily declined over the last decade. For the 2016 freshman cohort, 82.6 percent of students took less than 30 credit their first two semesters. The Go Green, Go 15 campaign is directed at reversing this trend. It’s part of MSU’s focus on student success, which includes the neighborhood project.
• This month, the MSU Counseling Center and the MSU Psychiatry Clinic moved from their old locations and came together to form the MSU Counseling and Psychiatric Services, or CAPS. CAPS will be located on the third floor of the Olin Health Center. Most of the Health Promotion services have moved to the Student Services Building.
• Three major college projects will kick off or continue this academic year. In June, the MSU Board of Trustees approved to plan a major new addition and significant facility renovations to the College of Music. Thanks to more than $7 million in initial gift commitments from several donors, preliminary plans detail a $35 million project that includes a 35,000-square-foot expansion and 8,500 square feet of renovated space.

More changes this fall:

The Eli Broad College of Business will break ground on its $60 million Business Pavilion, which will house undergraduate and graduate programs. The Pavilion represents the next phase of higher education, and is designed around spaces dedicated to collaboration, teamwork, sustainability and state-of-the-art technology.

Also this fall, the Michigan State University Grand Rapids Research Center will open. The $88.1 million, six-story, 162,800-square-foot facility will include research program spaces and five core labs that will benefit MSU College of Human Medicine scientists, researchers and students, as well as partnering institutions. A formal dedication of the research center is scheduled for Sept. 20.

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