Online Students

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Online Students

As an online master’s student at the College of Education, you’re part of a worldwide network of educators, administrators, coaches and community leaders who are dedicated to the pursuit of professional excellence. While you may not be joining us on campus, we are glad you’re here.

Online students are a vital part of the college, and our faculty and staff take the responsibility of assisting your intellectual and professional aspirations seriously. Below you will find a series of resources to support you on your academic journey at MSU.

Thank you for being a part of the College of Education.

Use this page to learn about: 

Academic Resources

Check out MSU Libraries’ catalog of online and distance learning resources. 

Have questions? Send an email (responses within two business days) or use a 24/7 online chat service.

The Graduate School supports graduate students in every program at MSU. Find news and upcoming events (some of which can be accessed virtually) on their website, along with information on graduate student life.

The Writing Center at Michigan State University provides one-on-one and group writing consultations, various writing-specific workshops, as well as writing groups for graduate students and faculty. Schedule a one-on-one online consultation via The Writing Center website.

All MSU students can access resources, including assistive technologies. If you have an identified learning disability, you can also register with the RCPD office and officially document your need for accommodations.

This online course from the Michigan State University English Language Center is designed to help international students transition to studying at a U.S. university.

Desire2Learn (D2L)

After you have activated your MSU NetID, you can begin using student.msu.edu to enroll in classes, view your course schedule, pay your bill, track your financial aid, change your address, and view your account details.

One you’re enrolled, your courses can be found in Desire2Learn (or D2L). This is the University’s online course management system for communications, assignments, and course content:

  • Navigate to D2L, click Login and enter your NetID (your username before @msu.edu) and password.
  • Courses will show up under My Courses on the homepage if they have been made active by the course instructor.
  • To access course content, click on the course tile.

Be sure that you can log in to D2L prior to the start of your course, but please note that your courses may not be available until the start date.

If you have trouble logging in or cannot access your course on or after the start date, MSU IT is available 24/7 to offer support via online chat or phone: at (517) 432-6200 or toll-free (844) 678-6200.

Need some help navigating D2L? While it’s important to note that each course will have a different format and requirements, this D2L training course, Students – Getting Started with D2L, can help you familiarize yourself with the system. It contains documentation and video tutorials covering the most commonly used aspects of the D2L Brightspace Learning Environment as well as success tips and practice activities to complete. 

This free, online course takes between one to three hours to complete. Register for Getting Started with D2L via D2L

The MSU Tools and Technologies Course (via D2L) will guide you through the basics of many of the core technologies available to MSU students and includes information specific to using D2L.

Register for MSU Tools and Technologies via D2L

MSU IT offers an ongoing series of live webinars for students.

Check out previously recorded events through the Mediaspace links below:

Financial Aid

The Federal Student Aid website provides an introduction to financial aid and the types of aid that are available to students in the U.S.  

You can find the basic eligibility requirements for U.S. citizens on the Federal Student Aid website, along with information for eligible noncitizens. 

At the College of Education, online master’s students must take at least five credits a semester to be eligible for federal financial aid (most master’s-level courses are three credits). Graduate certificate-only students are not eligible for federal financial aid. 

Federal Student Aid has a helpful series of YouTube videos to help you understand the FAFSA® process. This playlist walks you through some of the steps you need to take to prepare to apply. 

The first video in that playlist references FAFSA® deadlines, but there are not specific deadlines for Michigan State graduate students. Students can generally apply at any time of the academic year (until June 30 of the following year, i.e. June 30, 2024, for the 23-24 FAFSA).  

The Federal Student Aid Estimator provides an estimate of how much federal student aid you may be eligible to receive. (Note: This is only an estimate and applicants must complete the FAFSA® form to officially apply.) 

The estimator should take about 5 to 10 minutes to complete. To do so, you’ll need: 

  • Financial and personal information, including tax filing status, adjusted gross
  • Spouses’ financial information, if applicable 

*Graduate students do not need to provide parental information and are independent for federal financial aid by default. 

This Federal Student Aid YouTube video provides an overview of the information required to complete the form, while this video walks you through completing the application. When you’re ready to apply, you can find helpful instructions for creating your StudentAid.gov account. 

MSU graduate students can submit a FAFSA® form at any time of the academic year (until June 30th of the following year, i.e. June 30th 2024 for the 23-24 FAFSA). That said, it is always advised to begin the process as early as possible. 

You will receive notification in your student portal when your aid package has been established or changed. Visit your financial aid portal regularly to make sure you do not have any outstanding alerts. Loans are accepted in the Financial Aid Portal. The Financial Aid Portal is accessed by logging into Student Information System and clicking the Financial Aid tile. View this PDF for instructions on accepting loans in your portal. 

Assuming you have completed each item of your “to-do” list in the Financial Aid Portal of the Student Information System (e.g., signed all of your master promissory notes, accepted your loans, etc.), your financial aid will be “disbursed” to you as follows: 

  • Financial aid begins being applied to your MSU student account 10 days before your first day of class.
  • Your tuition, fees and other charges listed on your MSU bill are paid.
  • If excess financial aid remains after your bill is paid, you will receive a refund from the Controller’s Office the week prior to your first day of class.
  • If excess financial aid is available after the start of the semester, refunds and the disbursement of financial aid are applied to your account on a daily basis for the first two weeks of the semester. After that time, refunds and financial aid disbursement occurs once per week. You may contact ofagrad@msu.edu and request an immediate disbursement when there is need to pay an award earlier than a scheduled disbursement as long as it is no earlier than 10 days prior to the start of classes. 

Mental Health Support

Counseling & Psychiatric Services (CAPS) provides a few ways students can get connected to on- and off-campus services that are right for them.

CAPS offers over-the-phone and in-person appointments to help connect students to counseling and psychiatric resources within their local community. To schedule an appointment, please call (517) 355-8270 and ask to be connected with a referral specialist.

CAPS Connect provides a place to talk about concerns like stress, difficulty adjusting to school, academic concerns, family and relationship issues, financial concerns, sadness and more. You can have someone listen to you and offer support, or you may prefer to receive expert suggestions about solutions and resources. Students should sign up in advance at caps.msu.edu/services.

Students can call Counseling & Psychiatric Services (CAPS) at (517) 355-8270 and press “1” at the prompt to speak with a crisis counselor anytime.

Need to relieve anxiety and stress for the short-term? Try these suggestions from Counseling & Psychiatric Services. 

You may also find their virtual self-care kit (PDF) helpful.

Online assessments can help you understand the issues/concerns that you are experiencing. Online mental health screening tools can be found on the Mental Health America website.

CAPS experts have recorded podcasts and videos that you can access any time! Topics include gratitude, coping with COVID-19, coping with adjustments, couples dynamics, mindfulness, self-care and more. Popular recordings include:

Student Refunds

On your bill each semester, you will notice the following fees: 

  • COGS Tax (MSU’s Council of Graduate Students)
  • FM Radio Tax
  • State News Tax
  • Recreation and Wellness Center (no refund is available) 

You can request a refund for a majority of these fees since you are enrolled in a fully online graduate program. Below is information on each refund process.

Note! You are not eligible for COGS funding opportunities if you request a refund on the COGS Tax. 

Full details can be found in the COGS Tax section on the COGS Finances and Tax page. 

  1. Complete the FORM-Tax Refund Request.
  2. Email the completed form to office@cogs.msu.edu. 

Questions? You can call their office at 517-353-9189 or email them using the address above.

Full details can be found on the WBDM Tax Refund page. 

  1. Complete Impact 89FM’s Tax Refund Request Form.
  2. Email the following to office@impact89fm.org:
    1. Your completed tax Refund Request Form.
    2. A photo of the front of your MSU student ID as proof of identity.
    3. A screenshot of your bill that shows proof of payment of the FM Radio Tax. 

Questions? You can call their office at 517-353-4414 or email them using the address above.

Full details can be found on the Student Tax Refund Form page of The State News website. 

Questions? You can email them at taxrefund@StateNews.com or call their office at 517-258-4560.

Graduate Student Life

Visit the Graduate Student Life & Wellness website for tools, resources, and programs to not only help you succeed but even make gains in your health and wellness while you are here at Michigan State.

The Council of Graduate Students (COGS) is dedicated to advancing the well-being and professional interests of graduate and professional students at Michigan State University.

MSU offers a variety of resources to help the community increase awareness and identify ways to support an inclusive campus. This collection of online resources (via the Institutional Diversity and Inclusion website) has been created by various programs and departments across the university.

Find the Council of Graduate Students Diversity and Inclusion resources on their website.

Looking to connect with other students? Want to join a student organization? Want to start a new registered student organization? Graduate and Professional students have many opportunities to engage. Visit Involve@State to explore the university’s student organizations.

The Gender and Sexuality Campus Center is a student-centered campus resource that works to celebrate, affirm, and empower LGBTQIA2S+ members of the Michigan State University community.