Over the past decade, the cost of attending Mississippi State University has steadily risen, but recent changes to tuition could cause an even more noticeable jump, especially for students who are looking to double major or add on a minor.

MSU has transitioned from a capped model, where full-time students were charged a flat rate for course loads up to 19 credit hours, to a per-hour pricing structure known as “overload tuition.”

Now, students taking more than 16 hours will be charged an additional $418 per credit hour.

Peer institutions, such as the University of Mississippi and the University of Southern Mississippi, also use an overload tuition model. However, these institutions allow students to take up to 19 free hours before they start charging overload fees, 3 hours more than MSU.

MSU will also introduce college-specific fees starting in Fall 2025. These are flat, per-credit-hour fees charged based on a student’s primary major, regardless of which classes they are enrolled in. Students with double majors will only be charged according to their primary academic college.

Students in the College of Arts & Sciences, the university’s largest academic college, will see the lowest increase, with a $25-per-credit hour fee capped at $300 per semester. Meanwhile, students majoring in business or engineering will pay up to $500 more per semester, the highest among MSU’s undergraduate colleges.

These new college fees do not affect freshmen students and are instead assessed to sophomores, juniors and seniors.

On top of the new college fees, MSU is also implementing program fees that apply to particular majors. According to MSU Account Services, these fees are designed to replace the course-specific fees that were implemented in previous years.

Architecture majors will see the highest undergraduate program fee, paying $62.50 per credit hour, up to a cap of $750 per semester. Other programs within the College of Architecture, Art and Design will face additional charges.

In the College of Forest Resources, students will begin paying program fees during their sophomore year. These charges will add up to $175 for full-time students.

Graduate students enrolled in the MBA program will pay a full-time rate of $1,575, the highest total fee across all of MSU’s academic programs.

In the most sweeping change to campus parking in recent years, MSU has overhauled its parking permit structure ahead of the 2025-2026 academic year. It replaces traditional permit categories with a tiered system that introduces steeper prices for more desirable spots

From 2021 to 2024, parking permit prices remained relatively stable across commuter, residential and faculty categories, increasing slightly every other year.

Below is a graphic the Reflector created displaying all the new parking zones on campus. Click on the individual zones to discover their tier and cost.

As MSU continues to expand on-campus housing, the cost of living on campus has risen alongside tuition and fees. For the 2025-2026 academic year, MSU offers a variety of residence halls, but prices differ significantly depending on whether the hall is traditional or new construction.

Prices have increased over the past five years, but the academic year 2025-2026 saw the most significant rise, averaging 5.45% across all price categories during this period.