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Office of Admissions
  • Academics
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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. Apply now.

Home > Apply > First-year applicants >

First-year dates and deadlines

First-year dates and deadlines

First-year applicants

  • How to apply
  • Dates and deadlines
  • Admission criteria
  • ACT/SAT optional
  • Advanced credits
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Early action (Nov. 1)

Applying early action guarantees students an initial admission decision by Jan. 15 and automatically ensures maximum consideration for all scholarship opportunities. To apply early action, students must submit their application and all required materials by Nov. 1. Additionally, students must select on their application that they are applying as an Early Action Student.

Early action is non-binding, which means students applying this way are not required to attend MSU if they are admitted.

Early action simply means that you have submitted your application and all required materials by Nov. 1 and you selected the Early Action application option when you applied. If you take these steps, you will receive a decision about your admission by Jan. 15 with automatic maximum scholarship consideration. Students who apply for regular or rolling admission will still be automatically considered for any remaining awards/scholarships.

Regular decision – April 1 (Priority: Feb. 1)

All applicants selecting Regular Decision or those whose applications are received after Nov. 1 will be considered Regular Decision Applicants. These applications will be considered on a rolling basis. Applications completed with all required materials and submitted by Feb. 1 will be guaranteed an initial admission decision by March 31. All applications received between Feb. 1 and April 1 will be considered on a rolling basis.


Decision timeline

Early action (non-binding)

Regular admission

For a student to be considered for early action or regular/priority admission, we must receive your complete application (admission application and all required materials) by 11:59 p.m. ET on the application submission deadline to be considered for early action or regular admission.

All electronic and hard copy materials must be submitted and received by the application submission deadline. Make sure to request that your ACT or SAT scores are sent to MSU well in advance (the ACT code is 2032; the SAT code is 1465) and confirm that we received those scores by the application submission deadline. However, please note that MSU is test optional, which means that first-year applicants have the option to apply without submitting an ACT or SAT score.

Michigan State University continues to accept undergraduate applications until April 1. However, the number of qualified applicants has exceeded available space in recent years, so students should apply by Nov. 1 to ensure they receive the highest consideration for admission. Most students enter MSU in the fall semester. Admission to other semesters may be limited or not available at all.


Acceptance deadline – May 1

As an admitted student, you should accept your offer of admission and pay your acceptance fee (previously known as the Advanced Enrollment Deposit) as soon as you have decided to enroll at MSU but no later than May 1. If you are a first-year student starting in the fall semester, you must pay the acceptance fee no later than the May 1 deadline or your offer of admission may be canceled.

Paying your acceptance fee holds your place in the incoming class and automatically registers you for the required New Student Orientation (NSO). If you have any questions about NSO, please contact orientation staff at +1 517-355-8490 or nso@msu.edu.


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Admission criteria