International transfer applicants

The $75 application fee is required to officially submit your application for admission.

• From every postsecondary institution you attended:
  • Outside the United States: Send official (attested) hard copies of transcripts, mark sheets, certificates, and diplomas. Each institution’s records must arrive in an official, sealed envelope from that institution.
  • Inside the United States: Have official transcripts sent electronically through an approved service or by U.S. mail.
• If you have fewer than 24 credits of postsecondary coursework: Also send official high school records in official, sealed envelopes, one per high school.
• Translations: If any original document is not in English, include an official English translation in an official, sealed envelope from the school or an authorized translator.

Only transcripts from U.S. institutions can be sent via online services. All non-U.S. transcripts must be sent through mail.

• Records must be sent directly to MSU by each school, university or examination board.
• Use one sealed envelope per institution when sending by mail.
• Documents submitted to MSU will not be returned.
• For country-specific details, review MSU’s International transcript requirements.

Students with 42 or more completed credits must select a major. The majors of exploratory preference, pre-nursing and pre-veterinary cannot be chosen. Many majors at MSU have additional admission requirements. Applicants to these restricted majors should review the additional requirements carefully before applying.

If selecting a restricted major, applicants will be required to include two alternate major choices in the case that the student is admissible to MSU as a whole, but is inadmissible to the restricted major. 

• A current list of college or university courses in progress.
• Course descriptions and syllabi for any university coursework completed outside the United States.
• If more than one semester has elapsed since secondary school graduation: a brief explanation of your activities during that time.

If you are not a U.S. citizen or U.S. permanent resident (green card holder) and English is not your first language, you must provide proof of English language proficiency. Have the testing agency (TOEFL, IELTS, SAT, MSUELT, MELAB, etc.) provide proof of English proficiency directly to MSU. Review our full overview on English language proficiency for more details — including additional tests being accepted and expanded opportunities for provisional admission.

In order to obtain the documents needed to file for a student visa (I-20 or DS-2019), admitted students must show adequate proof of financial support. Upon acceptance, admitted students will be required to upload a signed affidavit of support and bank statement with the name of the account holder in English through your admissions account. Please do not send financial documents in paper form at the time of application.

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.

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.

Do not send letters of recommendation, photographs, portfolios or additional personal essays. Doing so will delay processing of your application.

MSU must receive your complete application (admission application and all required materials) by 11:59 p.m. ET on the application deadline date. 

1. the application for admission
2. any official college or post-secondary transcripts
3. any official credit by exam scores deemed transferrable

MSU uses rolling admissions, meaning we will continue to accept transfer applications as long as space is still available, up until the application deadline. Please note that the application may close prior to the deadline if the number of applications exceeds the anticipated number of spaces available for any given semester. 

Admission decisions for undergraduate transfer applicants are typically made eight to 12 weeks after the application and all required materials are received.

An initial admissions decision may be a "withhold" decision. In this case you will be asked to provide additional information to the Office of Admissions. Please send any additional information requested as soon as possible — any delay in receiving this information may affect the timing of your admissions decision. 

To secure your place in the incoming class, we strongly recommend that you accept your offer of admission and pay the acceptance fee within four weeks of your admission and no later than June 1.

• If you need an F-1 student visa, your I-20 will not be issued until you’ve accepted your offer, paid the acceptance fee, submitted all required supporting documents, and activated your MSU NetID. Because the visa process can be lengthy, we strongly recommend completing these steps as soon as possible after admission.
• Acceptance fees submitted after the four-week window will still be accepted up to the June 1 deadline if space remains available.
• If you are admitted after June 1, you must pay your acceptance fee within two weeks of your admission decision to avoid cancellation.
• Paying your acceptance fee reserves your spot in the class and automatically registers you for New Student Orientation (NSO). Questions about NSO can be directed to +1 517-355-8490 or nso@msu.edu.

Note: The acceptance fee is nonrefundable for international transfer students.