Yes, she can. The programs are competitive but qualified females are very much considered as they are under represented in physics. Many college programs have summer research opportunities for undergraduates. She would need letters of recommendation so I suggest she ask her physics department. Applications for next summer would probably be do around January.
Nobody is disputing that MSU is a top program, but a lot of research groups have connections to centers such as CERN, Oak Ridge, and so on and many of those groups collaborate. It is a competitive field. However, people have succeeded from many places:
William & Mary -*A Matter of Timing: Student Aces Physics GRE
WM is a top university with its own facilities, but also with connections to the Jefferson Lab.
So again, to OP, apply to MSU. UM is excellent too and you have been advised by someone on this thread that UM is out of your reach, fair enough, but beyond MSU, look at the physics departments of other schools you are considering to see what they offer as far as research goes, and yes, also summer opportunities... and study as much as possible for the physics GRE. Many schools place a lot of emphasis on that as it is a standardized measure of what you have learned.
I think the instruction varies in all universities- good and bad teachers. The ones that succeed, succeed no matter what. It's great to have a good teacher, but the top physics grad students have succeeded where they are.
