Once your team qualifies for the national tournament and you accept the invitation, coaches will be contacted via email and provided with instructions on the next steps. Coaches will be given a link to reserve and pay for on-campus accommodations (if your team would like to stay in on-campus residence halls) and for additional meals. 

On-Campus Accommodations

On-campus meal and accommodation reservations is now closed. 

Your team will be pre-assigned to one of two residence halls, Case or Wilson. It is necessary to assign one person to every available bed to accommodate all teams. We anticipate that we can accommodate all teams in the residence halls. A minimum of two adults per team are required to stay in the residence halls (generally, we expect the adult to student ratio to be 1:8). Meals that are part of the on-campus accommodation packages will be at Case Hall.

Please note: In the interest of accommodating all teams in the residence halls, we can house 35 individuals.  If you require additional rooms, please contact us early May.  We will be happy to accomodate requests for additional rooms if they are available.

Most residence hall rooms have double occupancy; however, some are single- and triple-occupancy rooms. Beds are single, twin XL and are lowered to trundle height. Residence halls are not air-conditioned. We recommend you bring a small fan.

You will be asked to select one of three packages, depending on the number of nights that your team will stay:

Package 1 (Thursday and Friday night stays): $170 per person

  • Package includes dinner on Thursday; breakfast, lunch, and dinner on Friday; breakfast on Saturday
  • Purchase tickets for Saturday pre-award dinner separately ($35 per person)
  • Lunch on your own on Saturday

Package 2 (Thursday, Friday, and Saturday night stays): $205 per person

  • Package includes dinner on Thursday; breakfast, lunch, and dinner on Friday; breakfast on Saturday and Sunday
  • Purchase tickets for Saturday pre-award dinner separately ($35 per person)
  • Lunch on your own on Saturday

Package 3 (Friday and Saturday night stays): $140 per person

  • Package includes lunch and dinner on Friday; breakfast Saturday and Sunday
  • Purchase tickets for Saturday pre-award dinner separately ($35 per person)
  • Lunch on your own on Saturday

Breakfasts will be served 7:00 - 9:00 a.m. (early open on Saturday at 6:30 a.m.)
Lunch will be served 11:00 a.m. - 1:00 p.m.
Dinner will be served 5:00 - 7:00 p.m. (early open on Friday at 4:30 p.m. for "Cook-in")

If paying by check, please make check out to Michigan State University and put SON24 in memo line. Checks can be mailed to University Outreach and Engagement, Attn: Julie Crowgey, 219 S. Harrison, Kellogg Center Room 93, East Lansing, MI 48824. Please submit payment by May 10, 2024.

Residence hall amenities and guidelines

Each person is provided with a pillow, pillowcase, sheets, blanket, and two towels. Daily towel exchanges will be available at the service centers. You will need to bring your own toiletries. There is free access to the laundry facilities in the residence halls; you will need to provide your own detergent.

Residence halls will be open 7:00 a.m. to 10:00 p.m. daily. You must use the front entrance to enter a building between 10:00 p.m. to 7:00 a.m. Team members must scan their conference card to enter and will only be allowed entrance to the hall where they are housed. Quiet hours are from 10:00 p.m. to 7:00 a.m. daily. Out of respect for other competing teams, please keep noise at a minimum during quiet hours.

One computer lab will be available in each residential neighborhood for guests to check email. Printing will not be available in these computer labs.

A 24-hour service center will be in each residence hall. Service center staff can exchange towels between 7:00 a.m. and 10:00 p.m. and provide information regarding housing, dining, and the MSU campus. Vending machines with soda, juice, and snacks are available in each hall and in various locations across campus. Please note that for security reasons there is no change available at any of our service center desks.

Please note: Replacement for lost room key is $75 and $20 for lost meal card.

Accessibility: A limited number of handicap-accessible residence hall rooms are available. Please indicate any needed accommodations in the form that you will be given once you accept the invitation to the tournament. Due to the limited number of accessible rooms, we cannot guarantee that team members with special needs will be housed with their team or state. 

Off-Campus Accommodations

The Science Olympiad team has secured special rates at several area hotels.

See the Visitors-Accommodations page for details.

Meals on Campus

For teams staying in the residence halls: You will be assigned to a specific dining center, Case Hall, for your meals. All persons who have purchased one of the packages will be issued a meal card allowing them into the dining facility.

For teams NOT staying in the residence halls: Meal tickets can be purchased separate from the packages. After you have accepted your invitation to the national tournament and once a representative from Science Olympiad contacts you, you will be provided with a link to purchase meal tickets for Friday dinner ($15 per person), Saturday dinner ($35 per person), or lunches ($15 per person) in an MSU dining facility.

Special dietary needs: Many special dietary needs (for example, a person with diabetes or those who prefer a vegetarian diet), can be easily accommodated by choosing appropriately from the wide variety of choices that will be available at each meal. If you have a team member with a medically required dietary need (such as a food allergy), please indicate this on the form. Also, visit the eat-at-state website for more information.

Meal Times

Whether you purchased one of the residence hall packagaes that includes meals in the cafeteria or you purchased meal tickets, the following are Case Hall Cafeteria meal times: 

Breakfast: 7:00 - 9:00 a.m. (early open on Saturday at 6:30 a.m.)
Lunch: 11:00 a.m.- 1:00 p.m. 
Dinner: 5:00 - 7:00 p.m. Thursday; 4:30 - 6:00 p.m. Friday

Saturday dinner is at the Breslin Center Concourse, 5:00 - 7:00 p.m.

Other On-Campus Food Options

  • Brody Square Cafeteria: Menus change daily. Open for Saturday lunch. Accepting credit or debit cards only (no cash)
    • 241 W. Brody Road
  • The Vista at Shaw Cafeteria: Menus change daily. Open for Saturday lunch. Accepting credit or debit cards only (no cash)
    • 591 N. Shaw Lane
  • Case Hall Cafeteria: Menus change daily. Open Thursday for breakfast, lunch, and dinner; Friday for breakfast, lunch, and dinner; and Saturday for breakfast. Accepting credit or debit cards only (no cash)
    • 842 Chestnut Road
  • Sparty's: Mini-market stores offer a variety of grab-and-go options and convenience items. Locations open May 24 and 25: 

STEM Teaching and Learning Facility: 642 Red Cedar Rd

Delia Koo International Academic Center: 427 N Shaw Ln

Case Hall: 842 Chestnut Road

Wonders Hall: 891 Birch Road 

Off-Campus Take-Out or Delivery Options

Nearby Off-Campus Restaurants

The following are some restaurants within walking distance or short drive from campus:

Cancellation/Refund Policy

You may cancel your team’s housing and meal registration and get a full refund without penalty if you let us know about your change in plans no later than 5:00 pm (EST) on Friday, May 10, 2024. If you cancel any time after May 10, we may not be able to offer you a refund because of room and meal guarantees. Please put your request in writing to Julie Crowgey at UOE.SON2024@msu.edu. Science Olympiad regrets that refunds will not be given for no-shows.