Additional questions as you help your Spartan prepare to join the campus community? Review the FAQs below and reach out if you have further questions.
Please visit Spartan Family Connections! This is our family engagement office, and they would be happy to provide you with more information. We also have a Family Facebook page and a group with several current (and former) MSU families. New Student Orientation will also have several community-building events for incoming families and supporters.
There are several events families and supporters can engage in throughout the year. For example, Family Weekend is an annual event where families can come together for MSU sports (like hockey and football), engage with resources, and get a special family gift from Spartan Family Connections. Incoming families and supporters are also invited to participate in Family & Supporter Orientation and fall welcome events hosted by New Student Orientation.
Please reach out to the family engagement office at family.msu.edu for any questions or concerns you might have during your students’ time at MSU. If you have questions about orientation, please contact us at
We recommend your student connect with the Spartan One-Stop at onestop@msu.edu. Students should email from their MSU email account. If you are a parent, please include your student’s MSU ID or NetID. If you wish to discuss student-specific information over the phone, you (the student) must first set up your security questions.
Monday-Thursday, 9 a.m.-4:30 p.m.
Friday, 9:30 a.m.-4:30 p.m.
(517) 432-8000
Monday-Thursday, 9 a.m.-4:30 p.m.
Friday, 9:30 a.m.-4:30 p.m.
Hannah Administration Building
426 Auditorium Road, Room 140
East Lansing, MI 48824
The Department of Police and Public Safety have implemented various safety tools and security measures on campus, including ID Access Control and green security posts and callboxes throughout the campus and inside of buildings. For more information on DPPS and their services, please visit the Department of Police and Public Safety’s website.
Each floor in MSU’s residence halls is staffed with a Resident Assistant who serves as the first point of contact if your student is experiencing an issue while living on campus.
Students interested in living off campus should speak with the Office of Community and Student Relations for more information regarding local laws, tenant rights, and more in the communities surrounding Michigan State University.
The Associated Students of Michigan State University offers legal consultation and free advice to all eligible MSU students through appointment, including questions or potential issues with lease agreements. For more information on this process, including how to make an appointment, please visit ASMSU’s Legal Services website.
There are several options for meal plans on campus that may vary depending on whether or not a student lives on or off campus, with multiple tiers for both on-campus students and off-campus students. For more information regarding meal plans, please visit Eat at State’s Dining Plans webpage.
Eat at State is responsible for the operation and staffing of MSU’s dining halls. For questions regarding dining, including dietary restrictions, hours of operation, and more at the Eat at State website.
There are over 1,000 Registered Student Organizations (RSO) for your student to get involved with while at Michigan State. For more information about RSOs at MSU, please visit the Registered Student Organizations website from the Office of Spartan Experiences. RSOs are organized on the Involve@State engagement portal that allows students to browse RSOs at MSU and RSOs to post information including officer information, registration information and more. Visit the Involve@State website for more information.
The Office of Civil Rights and Title IX Education and Compliance has a website of all policies related to discrimination and harassment of students on campus. For information on these policies, please visit the Office of Civil Rights Policies page.
University of Health and Wellbeing (UHW) is committed to the holistic health of students. UHW encompasses Campus Health Services, Mental Health and Trauma Support Services. MSU offers several health services that are available to MSU students year-round at the Olin Health Center and the Neighborhood Clinics. This includes Allergy and Immunization Clinics, Physical Therapy, Nutrition Counseling, Trans Health, Gynecology, and more! For more information on the services that are offered by Student Health Services, visit the Services at Olin Health Center website.
No. Under the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA), your student’s educational records cannot be released to you or anyone else without your student’s approval.
The law is expansive, but you can think of these three categories: financial records (bills, tuition, fees, room and board, etc.), academic records (courses, grades, class standing, etc.), and student life (conduct violations, disciplinary actions, etc.).
No. This information will have to be released to you, including the bill itself, even if you are planning to pay.
No. FERPA covers all students in postsecondary education, regardless of age. If you have a student who enters college at any point before their 18th birthday, the FERPA law grants them the right to give or return access to their records.
Once your student completes the NSO D2L Course, they are placed on their college’s advising roster or will be added shortly after. From there, the college will reach out directly to schedule an advising appointment. Each college follows its own process and timeline, so we appreciate your patience as they work through their advising lists. The deadlines for the NSO D2L course are noted in the checkpoint process along with the advising and enrollment period. Students cannot register before then.
If your student has any questions or needs help with the process, they can contact us at
nso@msu.edu. We are happy to assist.
An automatic confirmation email is sent when a student completes the NSO D2L Course. If your student did not receive it, please have them check their spam or junk folder. If the email is still missing, your student can contact us at nso@msu.edu, and we will be happy to verify their completion and assist as needed.
The advising process can vary depending on the college that your student is part of. For more information on each college at Michigan State University and their advising process, please visit the Advising by College website, which explains the basic process a student participates in for advising.