Financial Aid/Scholarships

The most important resource for financial aid is filling out the FAFSA, the Free Application for Federal Student Aid. The student applying must have parent income and tax information to complete the application. If the student has no access to parental information under unique circumstances, he or she can apply as an independent. The application opens on January 1 and for full consideration, should be completed by March 1. However, it is still worthwhile to apply if you miss the March 1st deadline because there is a chance there are remaining funds available.

When completing the application, the student will include the university that they would like the results sent to, and the university will use that information to offer financial aid or grants if applicable. On the student’s account information through the university, it will show any further aid awarded, including loans or grants.

At MSU, a student should log in to https://stuinfo.msu.edu/ to view his or her account information. When the the university receives the FAFSA results, any aid they can offer will be displayed under the “Financial Aid” tab on StuInfo in the category “Check your aid”. Any grants awarded will be automatically subtracted from the Amount Due on the student’s Account Balance. The student needs to either accept or deny any loans in the “Check your aid” section before they are displayed on the Account Summary. These federal loans will have separate online agreements to repay the loans after graduation. The “Check your aid” section uses check boxes to clearly show what has been accepted or denied and what still needs to be addressed. If the awards from the FAFSA are accepted, they will be removed from the Amount Due, and the remaining balance is the student’s responsibility. The remaining balance can be paid upfront, through a payment plan, or promised to be paid later through student loans from an organization such as Sallie Mae, or Wells Fargo.

Before taking out any loans, be sure to apply for any scholarships that you qualify for. The Honors College strives to not only reward students for academic excellence, but provide funding for study abroad, research, and community service. Scholarships for current and incoming Honors College students can be found here. Scholarships defined by various criteria can also be found through the campus-wide scholarship database.

Here are a few links to help you navigate the financial aid process at MSU:

Office of Financial Aid: https://finaid.msu.edu/

StuInfo: https://stuinfo.msu.edu/

FAFSA: https://fafsa.ed.gov/

Office of the Controller: http://www.ctlr.msu.edu/

Cost and Aid (Scholarships): https://admissions.msu.edu/cost-aid/

Honors College Scholarships: https://honorscollege.msu.edu/programs/scholarships-for-current-students

Scholarships

Honors College offers a variety of scholarships for members. In addition to scholarships for demonstrated academic excellence, Honors College aims to support students who aspire to be difference makers in the MSU community and beyond. Honors College proudly provides funding for students who choose to impact the world through research, study abroad, and community service. Visit this webpage more information on HC scholarships.

MSU has a searchable scholarship database for currently enrolled students.