The student population at Mississippi State University is 23,150 (18,567 undergraduate and 4,583 graduate students) . The number of students has increased by 2,277 (10.91%) over the past decade.
- Class Level: The percentage of undergraduate students at Mississippi State is 80.20% which is increased by 1,146 over last 10 years. The graduate student population increased by 1,131 and it has been increasing.
- Gender Breakdown: In 2025, there were 93 male students for every 100 female students, down from 104 in 2015.
- 3,877 students enrolled in online degree program exclusively and the number of online students has increased by 98.92% since 2015.
Student Population Changes
The average student population over the last 11 years is 22,311 where 23,150 students are attending the school for the academic year 2024-2025.
Total enrollment fluctuated between 2016 and 2025, with 8 year-over-year increases and 1 decrease. It peaked at 23,150 students in 2025 and was lowest at 20,873 in 2016. Overall, enrollment rose from 20,873 to 23,150 students, a net gain of 2,277 (10.9%).
The following table and chart illustrate the changes in student population by gender at Mississippi State University since 2015.
Undergraduate Enrollment Changes
The average number of Undergraduate students over the last 11 years is 18,359 where 18,567 students are attending the Undergraduate school for the academic year 2024-2025. The following table and chart illustrate the changes in Undergraduate enrollment by attending status and gender at Mississippi State University since 2015.
Graduate Enrollment Changes
The average number of Graduate students over the last 11 years is 3,951 where 4,583 students are attending the Graduate school for the academic year 2024-2025. The following table and chart illustrate the changes in Graduate enrollment by attending status and gender at Mississippi State University since 2015.
Enrollment by Race/Ethnicity Changes
The percentage of white students is 70.26%. The percentage was 70.64% 10 years ago and Mississippi State still has a high percentage of white students. 1.72% of enrolled students is Asian and 15.59% is black students. Hispanic students comprise 4.43% of the student body.
Over the past 10 years, the racial composition has shifted. The percentage of white students decreased from 70.64% to 70.26%. Asian enrollment grew from 1.27% to 1.72%. Black student enrollment decreased from 19.27% to 15.59%. Hispanic student representation expanded from 2.46% to 4.43%.
The overall racial diversity, measured by the Census Bureau Diversity Index, is 0.4791 which indicates that somewhat diverse. This increased from 0.4629 a decade ago, suggesting that racial diversity has improved.
The following table and chart illustrate the student population trends by race/ethnicity at Mississippi State University over the past 11 years (2015-2025).
Distance Learning (Online Courses) Enrollment Changes
3,877 students are enrolled in online degree programs exclusively for the academic year 2024-2025, which is 17% of total students. The number of online students has increased 98.92% since 2015. The following table and chart illustrate the changes in the online student population by enrolled type at Mississippi State University from 2015 to 2025.