To protect Michigan State University’s trademarks and ensure consistency with MSU’s brand standards, all registered student organizations and clubs must receive approval from University Trademarks and Licensing before using university logos, marks, or symbols on merchandise or promotional items.
All products must be produced by an officially licensed MSU vendor. You can view a full list of approved licensees on the Campus Licensee List page.
Examples of merchandising activity include:
Registered student organizations and clubs are welcome to identify with Michigan State University, provided they do so in ways that clearly reflect their status as student-led groups and respect MSU’s trademarks and brand standards.
Student organizations may associate with MSU as long as:
The group is clearly recognized as a student-based organization, not a university department, program, or initiative.
The organization’s name and visual identity follow the guidelines and do not infringe on Michigan State University’s registered trademarks, athletic brand, or other intellectual property.
To help distinguish student groups from official university units, registered organizations should include a word such as “Club,” “Society,” “Association,” or “Chapter” in their name.
Examples include:
Academic Competition Club
Advertising Association
Black Student Alliance
To strengthen your connection to MSU, we encourage including “at Michigan State University,” “at Michigan State,” or “at MSU” as part of your name.
For example:
Accounting Club at Michigan State University
Student organizations may also use “Spartan” or “Spartans” in their names, provided it does not imply official endorsement by the university.
For instance:
✅ Spartan Republican Club is acceptable
❌ Spartans for Nixon is not permissible
Select a Campus licensed vendor.
Choose the design you plan to use and create an electronic copy of the artwork.
Complete and submit the Campus Authorization Form with your artwork for University Trademark and Licensing's review and approval. Don't worry about getting all the TMs and ®s in the correct spot — UTL will take care of that with your vendor.
Once approved, present the completed Campus Authorization Form to your vendor with your order.
Vendors will then submit your artwork to UTL for review and approval before production.
Follow up with UTL on the status of your Campus Authorization Form or artwork approval; follow up with your supplier for the status of your order.
When purchasing with a purchase order or P-card, a copy of the completed Campus Authorization Form with approval from UTL must be attached to your payment request.
RSO orders using Michigan State University's trademarks are royalty-bearing. Royalties are paid by the vendor and will be reflected in the price to the RSO placing the order.
Royalties earned from the use of Michigan State University’s trademarks directly benefit the Spartan community. These funds help support student scholarships and programs, after covering the costs of operating UTL.
Administrative expenses include maintaining trademark registrations, addressing product infringement, supporting ethical sourcing through the Fair Labor Association and Worker Rights Consortium, and managing the operations of UTL.
Any RSO or club collaborating with a third-party sponsor or partner to create co-branded merchandise or promotional items must obtain approval to use the university’s brand before beginning the sponsorship activity. A Campus Authorization Form is required to confirm that an officially licensed vendor is used and that the standard royalty rate is applied.
When deciding whether an item is considered printed or non-printed, ask yourself:
Can this item be purchased in the campus bookstore?
For example, consumers would not purchase business cards at the bookstore (these are printed materials), but they would purchase notebooks (these are non-printed materials).
The following items are considered printed materials and do not need to be produced by a licensed vendor:
Business cards
Letterhead
Brochures and pamphlets
Flyers
Promotional and schedule posters
Schedule cards
Web, social media, and video/photography graphics
Building signage
The following items are often mistaken for printed materials but must be produced by an officially licensed vendor:
Pocket folders
Notepads
Notebooks
Day planners
Portfolios
Binders
Decals
Tablecloths
Flags