The MSU Office of Admissions said that its yearly enrollment targets have remained relatively stable, but as more students across the country apply to a greater number of colleges each year, the university’s acceptance rate has fluctuated in response to the rising volume of applications. 

In 2015, the acceptance rate for MSU was roughly 66%. However, in the most recent academic year, the acceptance rate was roughly 84%. This comes at a time when many students have raised concerns about limited class availability and overcrowded dorms. 

During the 2024–25 academic year, hundreds of students were placed in “transitional housing” in Hubbard, Wilson and Akers halls, where rooms designed for two residents were forced to house three. Similarly, Akers—typically the only quad-style residence hall on campus—was pushed beyond capacity, with rooms accommodating five students.

According to Ray Gasser, executive director of Residence Education and Housing Services, this issue arose largely due to an unexpectedly large incoming freshman class. 

“If the university has more students apply and enroll, it impacts us because by that point in May, we’ve already signed up upperclassmen and placed the sophomore class into beds,” Gasser said.

Gasser said this arrangement is “not ideal” and that the university has been working to avoid similar situations by staying in close communication with Admissions to better anticipate incoming enrollment.

Similarly, anticipating incoming class sizes affects course scheduling and class sizes, according to Zachary Reichard, assistant registrar with the Office of the Registrar.

“With almost 300 classrooms, we have to work with individual departments and university leadership to figure out current capacity, and how many students will be in certain classes,” Reichard said. 

Students have routinely complained about limited class availability and large class sizes, an issue Reichard said the department is working to address moving forward. 

While his role focuses on “putting puzzle pieces together,” Reichard said that communication between departments remains vital to execute effective course scheduling and ensure students can enroll in the classes they need.

MSU’s high acceptance is largely linked to the university’s land-grant mission, which is to provide accessible higher education to Michigan Residents, according to Dave Weatherspoon, vice provost of Enrollment and Academic Strategic Planning.

According to Weatherspoon, the incoming student cohort has risen by nearly 19% since 2017, which has caused the university to add larger classes and expand the overall growth of the university to support students. 

“We have a target of the number of students we would like to bring in every year, and we try to get as close to that number as possible, but every year is different,” Weatherspoon said. “It’s always a balancing act— it’s not an exact science. When we get more students who enroll than we predicted, planning has to take place fast to accommodate surprises.”