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Office of Admissions
  • Academics
  • Life at MSU
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< Academics

  • Academics overview
  • Majors, degrees and programs
  • Career interest areas
  • Residential colleges
  • Living-learning communities
  • Honors programs
  • Research
  • Education abroad
  • Entrepreneurship
  • Academic support
  • Graduate programs
A professor faces a circular auditorium full of students while giving a lecture at Michigan State University

More than 200 undergraduate and graduate programs

Find yours

< Life at MSU

  • Life at MSU overview
  • Living and dining
  • Inclusion
  • Campus safety
  • Health and wellness
  • Getting around campus
  • East Lansing
Students in the MSU Quidditch club playing outside in the snow.

Explore over 1,000 student clubs and organizations

Get involved

< Cost and aid

  • Cost and aid overview
  • Tuition and fees
  • Financial aid
  • Return on investment
  • Student employment
  • First-year scholarships
  • Transfer scholarships
  • International scholarships
The Hannah Administration building on a sunny day surrounded by trees with red and green leaves.

Review tuition and fees

See detailed costs

< Visit

  • Visit overview
  • Visit options
  • Virtual tour
  • Academic department visits
  • Maps and directions
  • Travel and accommodations
An MSU campus tour group gathered around the Beaumont tower listens to a student tour guide

Explore visit options

Explore visit options

< Apply

  • First-year applicants
  • Transfer applicants
  • International applicants
  • International transfer applicants
  • Graduate applicants
  • Agricultural Technology Certificate applicants
  • Non-degree applicants
  • College planning guide
  • Information for counselors
A student in a green sweater leans over a desk as she takes notes on a piece of paper

See where you stand in the admissions process, and keep it moving forward.

Check application status

< Admitted

  • Admitted overview
  • First-year next steps
  • Transfer next steps
  • International next steps
A student sits on a bench under a tree at Michigan State University, his longboard leaned on his backpack, as he smiles and looks at his phone

Pay your acceptance fee to secure your spot at MSU

Accept your admission

< Contact

The fall 2027 first-year application is now open.
Apply by Nov. 1 for early action and maximum scholarship consideration. View all dates and deadlines.

Home > Apply > First-year applicants >

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First-year applicants

  • How to apply
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Once you’re ready to apply, this is where it all begins. Prospective first-year students should submit an online application as soon as possible in their senior year of high school and by Nov. 1 for maximum scholarship consideration.

Three ways to apply

Select the option that is right for you, but only submit one application for admission. MSU has no preference for which type of application you submit. Applicants who apply through the MSU application will receive an applicant ID that allows them to save their progress and submit when they are ready.

Note about Common App: MSU will start loading Common App applications in mid-August. You will receive an email with login instructions within 2-10 business days after your application is loaded.

MSU application

Apply through MSU.

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Common App

Apply through the Common App.

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Coalition

Apply Coalition with Scoir

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Application checklist

Here are the main things you need to have prepared to complete your application:

Plan for application fee, or fee waiver

The $75 application fee (or application fee waiver, if you are eligible) is required to officially submit your application for admission.

Have official transcripts sent from your school

Have your official transcript(s) sent directly from each school or institution attended to MSU. This includes all your high school transcripts as well as transcripts from any dual enrollment or early/middle college programs. These can be sent through online services or by U.S. mail.

Online services:
  • Parchment
  • Common App
  • Scoir
  • Slate
  • Naviance
  • National Student Clearing House
U.S. mail:
Office of Admissions
Hannah Administration Building
426 Auditorium Road, Room 250
East Lansing, MI 48824-2604
Still have questions? Check out the transcript submission FAQ for additional guidance.
Select your major preference

As a first-year student you do not have to officially declare your major yet, however you will be asked to select your major preference on the application. If you are undecided, select the "Exploratory preference" option.

Changing your major preference
After submitting the application, fall first-year applicants have until May 1 to change their major preference in their account. Any student who applies, or is admitted, after May 1 cannot change their major preference until New Student Orientation (NSO).

Indicate any college-level course work completed

If you anticipate the completion of any college-level course work prior to attending MSU, it is recommended that you indicate this on your application or contact the Office of Admissions to let us know.

Prepare for the essay

As part of the undergraduate application for admission, each applicant is required to submit one essay (minimum 250 words, maximum 650 words) from the list of prompts. The essay may be considered as a positive factor to enhance admissibility, as well as for scholarship consideration.

Here are the essay prompts for the 2026 application for admission:

  1. Some students have an interest or talent that is so meaningful they believe their application would be incomplete without it. If this sounds like you, then please share your story.
  2. The lessons we take from obstacles we encounter can be fundamental to later success. Recount a time when you faced a challenge, setback, or failure. How did it affect you, and what did you learn from the experience?
  3. Reflect on a time when you questioned or challenged a belief or idea. What prompted your thinking? What was the outcome?
  4. Reflect on something that someone has done for you that has made you happy or thankful in a surprising way. How has this gratitude affected or motivated you?
  5. Discuss an accomplishment, event, or realization that sparked a period of personal growth and a new understanding of yourself or others.
  6. Describe a topic, idea, or concept you find so engaging that it makes you lose all track of time. Why does it captivate you? What or who do you turn to when you want to learn more?
  7. Share an essay on any topic of your choice. It can be one you've already written, one that responds to a different prompt, or one of your own design.
Letters of recommendation not required

MSU does not require letters of recommendation as part of the application for admission.