Student Consumer Information

Michigan State University (MSU) discloses the following information to enrolled and prospective students in accordance with federal law. The Office of Financial Aid staff is available on a full-time basis and their contact information may be found at https://finaid.msu.edu/contact.asp.

Academic and Instructional Facilities

  • Schedule of Courses – https://student.msu.edu/search

    MSU’s Schedule of Courses provides the instructional address and Campus Map location where academic instruction takes place for each individual course. The information is available by semester, course number and section code, and location.

  • 25Live – https://roomscheduling.msu.edu/

    25Live provides detailed information regarding MSU lecture halls, class labs, computer labs, technology rooms, and other learning spaces. 25Live includes specifics related to accessibility, special accommodations, Ethernet, wireless access, audio-visual, room size, furnishing, etc. for each instructional location.

Academic Program Improvement – University Committee on Curriculum

The University Committee on Curriculum (UCC) shall exercise the faculty's delegated authority to review and approve or reject all changes in undergraduate and graduate curricula and degree requirements recommended by the University Committee on Undergraduate Education and/or the University Committee on Graduate Studies. The policies and procedures related to academic governance may be accessed at https://reg.msu.edu/UCC/UCC.aspx.

Academic Programs and Accreditations

Information concerning MSU's current educational programs and course descriptions is available at https://reg.msu.edu/AcademicPrograms/. This includes information about instructional, laboratory, and other physical facilities that relate to the academic programs, as well as faculty and other instructional personnel. Academic Programs, the University catalog, (https://reg.msu.edu/AcademicPrograms/) provides information related to institutional/program accreditations and approvals (enter "accreditation" in the search box), as well as transferring courses and credits to MSU (enter "transfer" in the search box). University-approved articulation and consortium agreements are available for reference at (https://reg.msu.edu/UCC/articulation.aspx). The policies and procedures related to academic governance may be accessed at https://reg.msu.edu/UCC/UCC.aspx.

Accreditation - Institutional

Michigan State University is accredited by the Higher Learning Commission (HLC). To review MSU’s Statement of Accreditation Status issued by the HLC, please visit: https://www.hlcommission.org/component/directory/?Itemid=&Action=ShowBasic&instid=1346.

Some individual programs, schools and colleges are recognized by the accrediting agencies in their respective fields. Information about the accreditation of individual programs, schools and colleges is included in program descriptions in the Academic Programs Catalog.

The university is a member of the Association of Public and Land-grant Universities, Association of American Universities, American Council on Education, American Council of Learned Societies, Association of Graduate Schools, Council of Graduate Schools, Big Ten Academic Alliance (formerly Committee on Institutional Cooperation) and International Association of Universities.

Alcohol and Other Drug Policy

The University Policy on Alcohol and Controlled Substances can be accessed at https://www.hr.msu.edu/policies-procedures/university-wide/Alchohol-Controlled-Substances.html. The Annual Security Report (http://police.msu.edu/resources/security-fire-safety-report/) provides information about alcohol and other drug health risks, drug alcohol laws and penalties, and campus alcohol and other drug education and counseling resources. Additional information specifically addressing student conduct related to alcohol and other drugs can be found in Spartan Life (http://splife.studentlife.msu.edu/).

Consortium and Articulation Agreements - https://reg.msu.edu/UCC/articulation.aspx

Copyright Infringement and Peer-to-Peer File Sharing Policies and Sanctions

The following links provide information about MSU policies and sanctions related to copyright infringement and unauthorized peer-to-peer file sharing, including disciplinary action taken against students who engage in illegal downloading or unauthorized distribution of copyrighted materials using MSU information technology systems. The information also includes a notice that informs students that unauthorized distribution of copyrighted material may subject the students to civil and criminal liabilities. A summary of the penalties for violation of federal copyright laws is also provided.

Cost of Attendance

Information concerning the cost of attending MSU is available at https://ctlr.msu.edu/COStudentAccounts/. These costs consist of tuition and fees, books and supplies, room and board, transportation, and any additional costs for a program in which the student is enrolled or expresses an interest.

Faculty Roster

To view the Faculty listing, please visit http://www.reg.msu.edu/read/UCC/12faculty.pdf.

Financial Aid

The Office of Financial Aid website (https://finaid.msu.edu) includes information about the following: need-based and non-need-based federal, state, local, private, and institutional financial assistance programs available to students; eligibility requirements and procedures for applying for aid; criteria for selecting recipients and determining amount of award; methods and frequency of disbursements of aid; financial aid terms and conditions, including terms applicable to employment provided as part of a financial aid package; rights and responsibilities of students receiving Title IV, HEA loans; the availability of financial aid for study abroad programs; how financial aid is handled when students withdraw; and whom to contact for questions regarding financial aid. Federal notices concerning the terms and conditions of federal student loans, entrance and exit counseling information, drug violation penalties, and the code of conduct for financial aid professionals and advisory disclosure are available at https://finaid.msu.edu/federalnotices.asp.

  • IV, HEA Programs – Study Abroad

    A student’s enrollment in a program of study abroad approved for credit by MSU may be considered enrollment at MSU for the purpose of applying for assistance under the title IV, HEA programs. For more information regarding financial assistance that may be available for students enrolled in MSU’s study abroad programs, see https://educationabroad.isp.msu.edu/students/getting-started/financing/financial-aid/.

Governing Board

The Board of Trustees of Michigan State University ("Board") is a constitutional body corporate, created by and existing under Article VIII, Section 5 of the Constitution of the State of Michigan. The State Constitution provides that the Board has "general supervision" of the University. This information may be found at Michigan Legislature Article VIII, Sec. 5.

Graduation and Retention Rates (Student Right-to-Know Act)

Graduation data of degree-seeking, full-time undergraduate students at MSU is available at https://ir.msu.edu/grad-rates. Information concerning retention rates is available at the IPEDS Data Center (https://nces.ed.gov/ipeds/).

Intercollegiate Athletic Program Participation Rates and Financial Support Data (Equity in Athletics Disclosure Act)

In compliance with the Equity in Athletics Disclosure Act, information on men's and women's athletic programs at MSU is available at https://opb.msu.edu/functions/institution/equity-athletics.html. The report includes the number of participants by gender for each team, operating and recruiting expenses, coaches' salaries, revenues, and athletically related student aid. A copy of the report is available online on the U.S. Department of Education Office of Postsecondary Education Equity in Athletics Disclosure website at https://www.ed.gov/finaid/prof/resources/athletics/eada.html. A paper copy of the report may be obtained by contacting the MSU Office of Institutional Research at (517) 355-9271.

Missing Student Notification Procedures

Notification procedures to be followed when a student residing in on-campus housing has been reported missing for more than 24 hours are available at https://reg.msu.edu/read/pdf/MissingStudentPolicy.pdf.

Office of Institutional Equity - http://oie.msu.edu/

PELL Grant Recipients – National Center for Education Statistics (NCES)

https://nces.ed.gov/collegenavigator/?q=Michigan+State+University&s=all&id=171100#finaid

Placement of Graduates

The Destination Survey Report (https://careernetwork.msu.edu/exploring-options/destination-survey.html) provides post-graduation outcomes of MSU baccalaureate degree recipients, including the types of graduate and professional education programs in which graduates enrolled. The report is prepared using information obtained annually from students who received a baccalaureate degree, offering a snapshot of their progress during the transition out of college.

Privacy of Student Records (Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act)

The Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA) is a federal law that gives students the right to review their education records, to request amendment of their records, to consent to disclosures of personally identifiable information, and to file complaints with the U.S. Department of Education. Additional information regarding student rights under FERPA is available at https://reg.msu.edu/read/NotificationandDirectoryInformationNotice.pdf. This information includes MSU procedures for reviewing and requesting amendment of education records, notice of the types of information MSU has designated as directory information, and students' right to opt-out of directory information. The Michigan State University Access to Student Information guidelines, a FERPA PowerPoint presentation, and the directory restriction request form may be accessed at https://reg.msu.edu/ROInfo/Notices/PrivacyGuidelines.aspx. If you have any questions about your rights under FERPA, please contact the Office of the Registrar at (517) 355-3300.

Professional Licensure and Certification

Federal regulations require MSU to publicly disclose, for each educational program designed to meet the educational requirements for a specific professional license or certification required for employment in an occupation (or advertised as meeting those requirements), information about whether program completion would meet those requirements in a state. These public disclosure requirements apply to all programs, regardless of their modality (i.e., on-ground, online, and hybrid programs). MSU discloses the required information related to the educational requirements for professional licensure and certification in the table at https://reg.msu.edu/Read/PDF/Professional Licensure and Certification - Public Disclosures - Final.pdf.

All current and prospective students are encouraged to contact the applicable professional licensure/certification boards in their respective states for additional information regarding professional licensure/certification requirements, including, without limitation, information regarding any non-educational requirements (such as work experience, background clearance, or examination by outside entities, such as bar examinations).

The information in the table should not be construed as guaranteeing that any particular professional licensure/certification authority will approve a student’s application; nor should the information in the table be read to imply that other requirements for professional licensure/certification do not exist or that other requirements for professional licensure/certification have been determined to have been met by MSU’s program/course, or that any necessary approvals for clinical or other experiential learning placements are secured by virtue of a student’s enrollment at MSU.

State professional licensure/certification requirements are subject to change at any time.

Refund Policy

  • Refund of Course Fees and Tuition - https://reg.msu.edu/AcademicPrograms/Text.aspx?Section=112#s444
  • Financial Aid Refund Policy - https://reg.msu.edu/AcademicPrograms/Text.aspx?Section=112#s444
    • Return of Funds Policy for Title IV Aid Recipients Who Withdraw - https://reg.msu.edu/AcademicPrograms/Text.aspx?Section=112#s444
    • Refund Rules for Other Fees, Taxes, Assessments - https://reg.msu.edu/AcademicPrograms/Text.aspx?Section=112#s444
    • The Engineering Program Fee, Science and Technology Fee, Health Science Program Fee and Broad College of Business Program Fees or the differential is refunded in the same percentage as course fees when withdrawing from the University or dropping from above 4 credits to 4 credits or less.
    • Student government taxes, FM Radio tax, and The State News assessments are refundable upon presentation of the appropriate receipt at the respective organization's office.
    • Late Registration Fees - will not be refunded.
    • Residence Hall Housing Fees are refunded on a pro-rata basis, based on certain variables. In some instances, the cost of room and board may be prorated as of the day following departure, if proper check-out procedures have been followed. Details and procedures are found in the On-Campus Housing Handbook: Terms and Conditions.
    • University Apartment Rent Refunds - Tenants will be held to their lease end date, so no proration will occur if they move out early. Refunds for tenants who have been officially released from their lease will be prorated as of the day following the official check out time.

In general, all fees collected by Michigan State University and their respective refund policies shall be subject to judicial review as provided in Student Rights and Responsibilities at Michigan State University.

Security, Fire Safety and Campus Crime Statistics Annual Report

MSU, in compliance with the Jeanne Clery Disclosure of Campus Security Policy and Campus Crime Statistics Act (a federal law known as the “Clery Act”), publishes an Annual Security and Fire Safety Report which provides MSU students and employees (both current and prospective) with information about the campus, police and public safety resources, reporting crimes, fire and medical emergencies, crime and fire prevention, victim support services, the law and University policies, campus facilities, residence hall security, crime statistics, fire statistics, the crime and fire log, the University's Relationship Violence and Sexual Misconduct Policy, the MSU Drug and Alcohol Policy and more. You can access the report here: http://police.msu.edu/resources/security-fire-safety-report/. A hard copy of this document may be obtained by contacting Maja Myszkowski, Clery Act Compliance Coordinator, at (517) 353-2620 or email at myszkow2@msu.edu.

Services for Students with Disabilities

The Resource Center for Persons with Disabilities (RCPD) provides disability-related information and referrals; documents disability and conducts needs assessments; facilitates reasonable accommodations; and provides disability-related technical assistance, auxiliary aids/services, and advocacy and training. Visit the RCPD homepage (https://www.rcpd.msu.edu) for additional information on services and resources available to students with disabilities.

Spartan Life - http://splife.studentlife.msu.edu/

Student Body Diversity

Information about student body diversity, including the number of enrolled full-time students by gender and race/ethnicity, is provided in the Common Data Set (https://ir.msu.edu/cds). The number of undergraduate students who receive a Federal Pell Grant is available at https://nces.ed.gov/collegenavigator/.

Student Complaint Information

The University encourages students and prospective students initially to address complaints relating to MSU institutional policies and consumer protection issues with personnel in the office, department or college that caused the alleged grievance. Senior University administrators will be involved, as needed, to resolve the complaints.

The following contact information is provided for filing complaints that remain unresolved after engaging in the above-referenced process. Complaints concerning broad institutional academic practices, such as those that raise issues regarding the University's ability to meet accreditation standards, may be forwarded to the Higher Learning Commission, 230 South LaSalle Street, Suite 7-500 Chicago, Illinois 60604 or http://www.hlcommission.org/. Complaints concerning consumer protection violations may be directed to the Office of the Attorney General of the State of Michigan, Consumer Protection Division, P.O. Box 30213, Lansing, MI 48909-7713 or https://secure.ag.state.mi.us/complaints/consumer.aspx.

The Michigan Department of Licensing and Regulatory Affairs' Corporations, Security & Commercial Licensing Bureau is the agency designated to review complaints against institutions of higher education providing distance education. Complaints concerning MSU’s distance education activities regulated by Michigan's Higher Education Authorization and Distance Education Reciprocal Exchange Act (2015 PA 45) may be directed to the Department of Licensing and Regulatory Affairs, Corporations, Securities & Commercial Licensing Bureau, P.O. Box 30018, Lansing, MI 48909 through the process described at http://www.michigan.gov/documents/lara/Post-Secondary_Student_Complaints_498839_7.pdf.

Transfer Credits

Transfer Courses and Credits - General Procedures and Regulations
Transfer Credit Beyond Sophomore Standing - Admission
Transfer Credits - Master's Programs
Transfer Credits - Graduate Study
Transfer Credits - Doctoral Programs

The University does not award credit for prior learning experiences or experiences from the military.

Transportation

  • Campus Bus System
    The Capital Area Transportation Authority (CATA) bus system is free for all students during fall and spring semesters along all on-campus routes. These routes serve all university apartments, residence halls, commuter lots and main campus facilities. Most on-campus routes run until 2:30 a.m. after which the Night Owl service provides late night transportation at a discounted student rate. In addition to the free on-campus routes, there are also routes that extend to the surrounding off-campus areas of East Lansing, Lansing, Okemos and Haslett. For off-campus routes, students can pay per ride or purchase passes.

  • Student Parking and Driving Regulations (Vehicle, Motorcycle, Moped and/or Bicycle)
    Students who drive a vehicle on campus are subject to the Student Parking & Driving Regulations. The complete Student Parking & Driving Regulations, including a map of campus parking areas, is available online at https://police.msu.edu. The regulations should be read carefully as they are strictly enforced. Violation fines are as much as $100. Late and delinquent fees, towing costs and storage fees are additional.

    Requirements and fees for registration, hours that students may drive on campus, and the fine schedule are subject to change.

    For assistance or clarification, visit the MSU Parking Office at 1120 Red Cedar Road or call (517) 355-8440. See https://police.msu.edu.

Vaccination Policies

MSU policies regarding vaccinations are available at http://uphys.msu.edu/student.

Voter Registration

Information on voting in local, state, and federal elections, including a copy of the Michigan voter registration application form, may be accessed at http://www.msuvote.msu.edu/.

Withdrawal from the University

https://reg.msu.edu/AcademicPrograms/Text.aspx?Section=112#s498.

  • Withdrawal: Prior to the Middle of the Term of Instruction
  • Withdrawal: After the Middle of the Term of Instruction