Summer 2025 Orientation FAQs

NSO Orientation FAQs

Who is the Summer 2025 New Student Orientation experience for? 

Our Summer New Student Orientation (NSO) experience is designed to welcome all new students beginning in the Fall 2025 semester. First-Year, Transfer, and International students will participate in an orientation experience and will have the opportunity to engage with various campus resources that focus on helping them transition to MSU.

Do I need to sign up for the Summer 2025 New Student Orientation (NSO) experience?

No – once you have submitted your Advanced Enrollment Deposit (AED) to MSU, you will automatically be registered to participate in the Orientation experience and programming.

What should I do if I have a question about orientation experience?

If you have questions about orientation experience, please check out our General NSO FAQ page or the five checkpoints for more information. If you did not find the answer you were looking for or if you have further questions, please contact us.

Where can I find specific information about the New Student Orientation experience?

Specific NSO dates, times, events, and experiences will be communicated with deposited students and their families and supporters via bi-monthly e-newsletters starting in March/April and bi-weekly communications beginning in May. These e-newsletters will continue throughout the Summer and will contain important information about the five checkpoints, next steps, and deadlines. Visit the First-Year, Transfer, or International tabs at the top of our page to find general information about the NSO experience. Students are highly encouraged to check their MSU email often over the summer. Check out our NSO Communications page to catch up on past e-newsletters.

What will my Summer New Student Orientation experience be like?

The Summer New Student Orientation experience consists of five checkpoints that will occur beginning in May and conclude when the semester begins. Checkpoints 1-4 of NSO will occur virtually and will be completed throughout May, June, and July. Checkpoint 5 consists of an in-person Fall Welcome program, which will occur between move-in day(s) and before the semester begins.

All new students will engage with a virtual D2L experience course titled “Summer 2025 New Student Orientation”, which can be found by logging in with your MSU credentials at https://d2l.msu.edu. The course will be available and open for all new students in May with a completion deadline of early June.

The NSO D2L will include various interactive modules to help students identify important resources and departments at MSU. Once the “Summer 2025 New Student Orientation” experience course has been completed, students will be referred to connect with an academic advisor by appointment between June and July for advising and enrollment. In the NSO D2L, you will also review information about your College/major that will prepare you for your academic advising appointment. Your academic advising appointment will take place by appointment between June and July, 2025. Your advisor will send you more information about your academic advising appointment via your MSU email prior to June as long as you have completed your NSO D2L experience.

Are there any opportunities for me to connect with other new students during my New Student Orientation experience? 

As part of your in-person NSO Checkpoint 5 experience, you will have many opportunities to engage in small and large group activities, which focus on connecting you with other new Spartans and will help you to begin building your social network at MSU. Additional virtual engagement opportunities are being curated for Summer 2024 and will be shared via the bi-weekly newsletters.

How can I best prepare for my New Student Orientation experience?  

Students can begin preparing for their NSO experience by completing their Checkpoint 1 items. Check out our First-Year, Transfer, and International student checklists for more information regarding ‘pre-Orientation’ next steps. There are a handful of items we recommend students complete prior to their NSO D2L experience to best prepare for the Orientation experience. Make sure you are completing the required items on the checklist and reviewing the suggested items for additional opportunities.

How can my families and supporters get more information about the NSO experience?

Primary family members that you listed on your MSU application will also receive bi-weekly e-newsletters from the NSO office. We encourage you to share important information regarding New Student Orientation with anyone you prefer. Families and supporters can also engage with the Spartan Family Connections department to identify important resources as they join the MSU community.