Prepare for Orientation

The New Student Orientation (NSO) experience will be completed virtually with an optional in-person onboarding opportunity being offered prior to the beginning of the semester. Students will complete a series of five checklist ‘phases’ as they make their way through the Orientation experience. Successful completion of NSO requires students to complete all five checklist ‘phases’, so be sure to view the first-year student NSO checklist to learn more about what is required throughout the NSO process.

Because orientation sets the stage for student success, all students must participate in a NSO experience, unless you meet specific exemption criteria. All important information, next steps, and deadlines for NSO will be shared through a series of bi-weekly e-newsletters, so be sure to check your email frequently. Note: If you do not complete NSO, MSU reserves the right to cancel or defer your admission.

Pay your AED to register for Your New Student Orientation (NSO) Experience

Upon completing your AED payment, you will be sent a confirmation message to your preferred email account. You will also be able to see this message in your Admissions portal. Please read through that confirmation message for any next step information. We also have a list of frequently asked questions regarding registration.

Check Your Status

Placement Tests

All Spring students are responsible for completing the following mandatory requirements by January 2, 2023:

Complete your course assessments and surveys. Completing your Placement Assessments prior to meeting with your academic advisor during your NSO experience will help you and your advisor determine the appropriate courses for you to take. You can complete your Placement Assessments at home and online. Complete the mandatory math placement assessment and writing directed self-placement.

How do I know what placement assessments to take ?

Math Placement Assessment is required for all incoming students this year. The only exception is for those that have an SAT Math score of 660 or an ACT Math score of 28 currently on file at MSU. Students can check their Admissions account to see if the score is there. If a student does not do the placement, they cannot be pre-enrolled in the appropriate math for their major and may need to take additional math courses for graduation. Without a placement score, students can only get into the lowest level of math as the placement score is a pre-requisite for higher ones. Check out the Math Determination Form, which is a useful online tool that lays out the information and provides more specifics to their major.

Writing directed self-placement is a self-guided placement designed for those students who wish to determine their placement in one of two primary first-year writing pathways. We encourage you to take this assessment prior to your academic advising meeting – don’t wait!

Language placement assessments are also available if you are interested in placing out of your language requirement (if required for your major) or continuing a foreign language.

If you have questions about any of the placement assessments, please contact the math, writing, or language departments directly.

Are there any other pre-New Student Orientation forms to fill out?

To support your success, you must complete the Access & Technology Survey. Questions about the survey? Please contact the Resource Center for Persons with Disabilities (RCPD) office directly at 517-884-7273.

All students must complete the online vaccination verification form to provide their current vaccination status to MSU. Incoming first-year and transfer students are not eligible for online exemptions at this time. Questions about the vaccination form? Please check out the online COVID-19 resource page or contact the MSU COVID Compliance office directly at 888-353-1294 or covidcompliance@msu.edu. International students – please continue to monitor your MSU email for further information from the Office of International Students and Scholars (OISS).

Math Placement Assessment Foreign Language Placement Test

Review Our Helpful Resources

With the help of our campus partners, we have compiled helpful resources that you can review to prepare for your New Student Orientation experience and your first semester. Not sure how to get started with Desire2Learn (D2L), the first part of your NSO experience? No problem! Check out our tutorials by clicking the link below. Want to make sure you are set up with your two-factor authentication and your Zoom and Microsoft Teams accounts? We can help with that too!

Review Our Helpful Resources 2022-23 New Student Orientation Resource Guide

Spartan ID Card

All Spartans use a student ID card known as their Spartan ID Card. You can upload your Spartan ID Photo prior to the beginning of the semester. You can pick-up your Spartan ID Card when you arrive on campus. Please bring with you a government issued ID (passport, license, etc.) in order to pick-up your card.

Spring 2023 students will receive more information when photo submission is available. When it does become available in mid-December, the photo upload and submission deadlines can be found using the links below.

Photo Submission Deadlines Upload My Photo

COVID Vaccination

MSU requires all new undergraduate students to review their immunization status and complete the online Immunization Self-Report Form. Failure to complete the Self-Report Form will affect your ability to enroll and register in future classes.

Complete My Self-Report Form

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