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
| Application deadline: |
Admissions decision by: |
Pay acceptance fee by: |
|
| Early action (non-binding) | Nov. 1 | Jan. 15 | May 1 |
| Regular admission |
Feb. 1 (Priority) | March 31 (Priority) | May 1 |
| Apr. 1 | After Feb. 1 - Rolling | May 1 |
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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