Parent & Family Resources

New Student Orientation is a required program for all entering undergraduates at MSU. Entering students do not need a specific invitation to complete New Student Orientation, however, students must be accepted for admission to MSU prior to completing Orientation.

Yes. Effective Fall 2015, the MSU Board of Regents authorized a mandatory, one-time $75.00 Student Orientation Fee for all new freshmen and transfer undergraduate students. The fee covers the orientation programming, staffing, technology and materials provided to the incoming student at either the on campus or online orientation. This fee is added to the student's MSU account and is not a fee that must be paid in advance.

MSU uses registration holds on student accounts to make sure all required items are completed before an incoming student can register for or begin classes. Common holds for incoming students include: TSI, Meningitis, Advising and/or Orientation. These holds must all be cleared/removed before a student can begin the semester. Details about each hold are below.

Yes. All incoming new undergraduate students are required to complete the New Student Orientation requirement.

The Texas Success Initiative (TSI) is a Texas state requirement and is required for entering students who are not otherwise exempt. The MSU Testing Center is open for TSI testing on campus and also offering the TSI test remotely through Examity. To schedule on campus, please call the MSU Testing Center at 940-397-4676. To take the TSI remotely through Examity, the incoming student should email Sheila.barrett@msutexas.edu and include full name, Mustangs ID number, and let her know what sections of the TSI (Reading, Writing and/or Math) are required. 

An Academic Advisor is a member of the faculty or staff who guides your student in the selection of courses and progress toward degree completion via a degree plan. MSU’s Academic Advising model relies on Academic Advisors assigned to each college who report to college deans to coordinate student progress toward degree. Undecided students are advised through the Tutoring & Academic Support Programs (TASP) Office. Student-athletes work with an Academic Advisor (or faculty advisor) to create a course schedule; once they have done so, they must also meet with the Student-Athletes Academic Coordinator.

For a list of Advising contacts visit the website for Academic Advising

Yes. 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. Step-by-step instructions for submitting documentation are available on our website.

Organizationally, the New Student Orientation Team is within the Admissions Office. For fastest service, please send us an email to orientation@msutexas.edu. Please be sure to include the full name and Mustangs ID number of the student when emailing so we can best assist you. You can also reach us by phone at (940) 397-6284.