Yifan XU Won International Volunteer Leadership Award with Public Tax Service

This is Yifan Xu’s third tax season as a part of MSU’s Volunteer Income Tax Assistance Program or VITA. Xu is a master’s student in the accounting program at MSU and this is her first year on the E-board of VITA. She was recognized for her outstanding volunteer work and received the first International Volunteer …

MSU Resources for International Students Filing Tax in the U.S

Are you an international student in the U.S who are not sure if you need to do anything with your tax? Below are three sources to help you with tax questions. First, determine if you are a Resident or NonResident for tax purpose.  To help determine your residency status, please review this worksheet (PDF). For both Resident …

Spartan Preview Helps New International Students Navigate Pre-Arrival & Orientation

Since 2015, OISS has been offering an online pre-arrival tutorial platform called Spartan Preview. Not only it helps new international students to prepare before arriving at MSU, it is accessible throughout their years at MSU if they have questions after the orientation.     At this moment, only international undergraduates are required to complete all …

Sick? No Insurance Card? Here’s what to do!

This year MSU is transitioning to Blue Care Newtork (BCN) for student insurance for the first time. Because of the transition, the delivery of insurance cards to MSU international students has been delayed. Several students have contacted our office because they are not sure what to do if they are sick or hurt and don’t …

Are you under 18 years old? Make sure your parents sign the Minor Consent Form (medical release form)

If you’re under the age of 18, you might have heard that you’ll be required to get your parent’s permission before receiving medical care in the United States.  This is called minor consent. Minor consent can be challenging sometimes, especially in the case of emergencies, where you need medical help immediately. Before, minor consent forms …

Provisional Admits: Understand Your IAOP Schedule Builder

This blog is for Fall 2016 new incoming international students to understand their personal IAOP Schedule. Students should print and bring to all required sessions or show on your phone or tablet. Note: This blog is for the provisionally admitted students. If you are regular admitted students, click this blog: Regular Admits: Understand Your IAOP …

Have you updated your off campus address in StuInfo correctly?

Every year OISS has seen international students miss mail with important documents due to incorrect or lack of off campus addresses in their Stuinfo. To avoid that, here is a step by step tutorial to walk you through the process of updating your off campus address in Stuinfo in the right format. Note: If you …

Are you not receiving OISS emails?

If you aren't receiving emails from OISS, then they could be going to your Clutter folder! Quite a number of undergraduate students have told us that they are unable to receive emails sent from OISS recently. A lot of times it is because of the “Clutter” feature, in the relatively new Outlook 365 email system …

Spring break updates and reminders!

1. Alternative Spartan Break Alternative Spartan Breaks is an opportunity that gives students a chance to expand their horizons with their peers, according to Tina Houghton, the student services coordinator for the Center for Service-Learning and Civic Engagement. It is an invaluable experience to meet new people, learn new things, and gain a new perspective …

Attention : Students who did not receive their redesigned I-20

OISS began the process of creating the redesigned I-20s in October 2015. If you do not receive your redesigned I-20 by 19 February 2016, you must request it at the make-up dates below. A sample of what a redesigned I-20 looks like can be viewed by clicking here. If you already received your redesigned I-20, there is no further action …