Applications increase, MSU welcomes largest class after using Common Application

Michigan State's incoming freshman class is predicted to consist of more than 8,500 students, the largest incoming class at the university, according to a university press release. Applications to MSU also increased this year to 44,000 applications — compared to 33,129 applications for the fall of 2018 — after switching to the Common Application.

The Common Application allows students who are applying to colleges to create one online application in an online portal that can be applied to different universities. 

According to the press release, out of state applications doubled while international applications increased by about one-third. In-state applications also increased.

The predictions of enrollment are determined by how many students paid for their deposits. Final enrollment numbers will be available after the deadline for tuition refunds ends on Sept. 23.

Last year, the "largest and most diverse freshman class" consisted of 8,395 students.

“I’m looking forward to greeting this big group as we begin our Spartan journey together,” President Samuel L. Stanley Jr. said in the press release. “We’ll all be experiencing new things — figuring out how to navigate campus, finding our favorite dining hall, making new friends and joining a scholarly community with deep land-grant roots working to make a difference in the world.”

University-funded student aid will also rise by 7.1%, the press release said.