1. Explore Financial Aid and Scholarships
Scholarships, grants and loans are what make college a reality for many MSU Mustangs. Start your exploration early so you don’t miss any deadlines. Begin by visiting Paying for College (msutexas.edu/admissions/paying-for-college) on the Admissions webpage and if you need additional information you can visit MSU's Financial Aid website (msutexas.edu/finaid) for a complete overview of all financial aid information.
MSU Texas provides many scholarships that are merit-based as well as need-based so make sure to explore all areas to find as many scholarship opportunities as possible to help you pay for your education. Please visit the MSU Admissions scholarship website and your academic department website to see everything we have to offer. The merit scholarship deadline for the fall semester is March 1 for freshmen and July 1 for transfers. The deadline for the spring term is November 1. Other scholarships across campus may have different deadlines so double-check them to make sure you don’t miss any opportunities.
2. Choose Your New Home
3. Check Your TSI Status!
THIS STEP MUST BE COMPLETE PRIOR TO REGISTERING FOR COURSES AND PRIOR TO ATTENDING ORIENTATION!
In order to be exempt from placement testing and developmental education classes, you must have an SAT, ACT, TAKS, or STAAR score that is high enough to exempt you. To check if you have a high enough score or to see if you meet one of the few other select exemptions, visit the MSU Texas Success Initiative website for more details.
If you need to take the TSI, you can reserve a test date with the MSU Testing Office, at 940-397-4676, or by visiting their website. Some community colleges local to you may also offer TSI test options that can be mailed to MSU. If you're not sure if you need to take the TSI or if you have other questions, contact your Admissions Counselor.
4. Submit Other Test Scores like AP, IB or CLEP
5. Get Vaccinated
State law requires Texas college students under the age of 22 to receive a vaccination or booster against bacterial meningitis. The vaccine must be administered within the past five years and at least 10 days before the first day of classes.
MSU uses the services of Med+Proctor to collect, review, and securely store all student documents pertaining to the meningitis vaccine.
- Go to www.medproctor.com to create your account.
- Having trouble? You can email help@medproctor.com or you can visit support.medproctor.com.
6. Talk to Your Academic Advisor and Enroll in Classes Early
Get a head start and be advised early! By working with your academic advisor, you can create your schedule and enroll in your classes early to avoid the last minute rush. You can also ask questions about your courses, major, and career goals.
To find out who your advisor is and schedule an appointment, go to the Academic Advising page. Once on the page, click on the blue button, “Click HERE to schedule an ADVISING appointment,” find your major, and the Scheduling Link to schedule an appointment; if no Scheduling Link is available, email your advisor.
Academic Advising at MSU is scheduled and coordinated through the Navigate Student app. You can download it for free in the App Store or Google Play by searching for “Navigate Student.” To login, use your same username and password that you use for your my.msutexas.edu account. Let Navigate keep you on track for success in class and on campus! Navigate
7. Complete New Student Orientation
8. Send your Final Transcripts
9. Begin Using Your Official MSU Email Address & Our MSU Portal
An official MSU Texas student email account has been created for you to securely receive important messages from the university. Become familiar with your MSU Email Address by first logging into the MSU Portal.
10. Get Your Parking Decal
We've also provided a PDF of these Next Steps in both English and Spanish.