Financial Aid

Many people think “financial aid” only means scholarships. However, the term actually includes work study programs, student and parent loans, as well as scholarships and grants. The MSU Office of Financial Aid (OFA) oversees the awarding of various forms of financial aid funded by the University, the State of Michigan, and the federal government. We also disburse monies that are donated by many private and civic organizations. Our goal is to help you meet your financial obligations while in college.

To apply for federal and state aid, as well as aid administered through MSU, you need to fill out the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA). You must reapply each year.

You may apply online at fafsa.gov. Once your FAFSA has been reviewed and financial aid has been awarded, you can access it online at student.msu.edu by clicking on the Financial Aid tile.
If you have questions navigating your financial aid portal, you are encouraged to look at the help documents online at sis.msu.edu/sishelp.html.

You must have your MSU NetID and password and agree to eConsent in order to use the student portal.

The following information is available online in your financial aid portal:

• your application status.
• the awards you have for the academic period.
• whether or not you must accept loans and complete online promissory notes.
• problems that require you to take action.

If you use MSU’s online portal, you may never need to phone or visit the Office of Financial Aid. If you do need to make contact, however, call (517) 353-5940, email finaid@msu.edu, or visit us at 556 E. Circle Drive, Room 252. Please be sure to check our website at finaid.msu.edu for our hours of operation before you call or visit.