Studying in the U.S. is life-changing for students. For them, this will be a time of personal and academic growth and transition into adulthood. For you, this will also be a time of transition from parenting a child to building a relationship as a mentor and adviser. You will always have an important role to play in your student's life and one of the best things you can do is to help them become successful and confident adults.
Michigan State University is proud of its international student population. We welcome and support one of the largest populations of international students in the United States. Over 50,000 students enroll at MSU every year. And of that, fourteen percent of our students are international and come from over 130 countries.
Traditions are very important at MSU. We call ourselves Spartans and our colors are green and white. Our mascot is Sparty and we belong to the Big Ten Athletic Conference and the Big Ten Academic Alliance. One of the first things new students learn during orientation is the call and answer: Go Green! Go White!
Wearing MSU clothing on campus and in our daily lives is normal. Wherever we go in the world, when we see someone wearing an MSU hat or shirt it's common to say "Go Green!" to them. They will always answer "Go White" with a big smile.
Being a Spartan brings together over 500,000 living MSU graduates, called alumni, worldwide. There are MSU alumni clubs all over the world. If there is a club near you, we encourage you to connect with them. Alumni are valuable resources for current students, parents, and new graduates searching for careers and connections.
Find an alumni club near you
Learn more about the MSU Alumni Association
Universities and colleges in the U.S. rely on donations of time, talent, and financial resources from alumni, their families, and community members to support academic programs, scholarships, and services. While MSU is a public university, meaning we receive funding from the State of Michigan through taxes paid by Michigan residents, it is not enough to support the university fully. This is common for public universities and colleges in the U.S.
Giving their time, talent, and financial resources are a few of the ways that Spartans support MSU. The MSU Alumni Association encourages you to consider giving to the university to enhance the MSU experience for students, faculty and staff.
Giving to MSU
Giving to International Studies and Programs at MSU
Michigan State is one of the world's leading research universities. With highly ranked programs and exceptional professors, we educate students who advance the common good with uncommon will.
Apply to Michigan State University
After your student is admitted to MSU, they will receive information from MSU with instructions on how to get immigration documents to enter the U.S. in F-1 or J-1 status. They will also receive information about orientation. OISS also provides an International Parent Orientation Program in August.
Learn more on our orientation webpage.
With over 200 world-class programs, minors, an Honors College, undergraduate research programs, and living learning communities your student can discover their purpose and pursue their passions.
The United States may have different teaching and learning styles compared to what you might expect in your country. Knowing more about these similarities and differences is an important step towards your student's academic success.
Learn more about U.S. teaching and learning styles
Michigan State University has outlined a set of undergraduate learning goals. An integrated arts and science foundation enhances the potential that MSU graduates will be outstanding leaders and life-long learners. Undergraduate Learning Goals include:
Tuition and fees will be added to your student's bill after they enroll in classes. Your student can view and pay their bill through StuInfo.
Tuition and fees
View a sample student bill
Your student's bill will need to be paid by a certain date before each semester begins. Bill due dates depend on the date your student enrolls in classes. Your student can choose to give you Guest Access in StuInfo so that you can see and pay their bill. You can pay your student's bill through a direct wire transfer to MSU.
Guest Access to StuInfo
Bill due dates
International Payments
MSU offers a limited number of grants, scholarships and loans for international students. Loan and grant programs are either short term or to be used as degree completion loans. These funding programs are not designed to support a full academic program of study. Students often seek support from non-MSU organizations that offer scholarship, grant, and loan programs for international students.
Graduate students may be able to get funding from their academic departments. Graduate students can learn more about funding opportunities through their academic departments.
International students are not eligible for U.S. Federal Financial Aid programs, including government subsidized student loans.
Grants and scholarships for international students
Tuition, fees, and paying bills
Call or email Student Accounts
517-355-5050
If you are on-campus, you can get help with making payments:
Hannah Administration Building
426 Auditorium Road
Room 140
East Lansing, MI 48824
The Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA) is a federal law that gives students who enter a post secondary institution the right to have access to their education records, the right to seek to have the records amended, and the right to have some control over the disclosure of personally identifiable information from their education records. With limited exceptions, FERPA prohibits the release of personally identifiable information from a student's education record without the student's prior written consent.
Students studying in the U.S. have the right to expect that information in their educational records will be kept confidential and will be disclosed only with their permission or as allowed by law. Records that cannot be released without the student's permission include:
FERPA identifies a category of information called, "directory information” which institutions may release without student permission. However, students have the right to restrict directory information by completing the Directory Information Restriction Request (PDF). At MSU directory information includes the following:
Learn more about directory information at MSU
Talk with your student about what information you would like to have access to. If your student agrees, they may create a Guest Access Account for you in STUINFO, the university's record system. When your student creates the Guest Access Account, they can choose what information you will be able to see and what you will be able to do in the system. Your student has the right to deny your request for access and to remove your Guest Access Account at any time.
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