Financial Aid FAQs

All College students that meet the following criteria should apply for financial aid:
Students that have completed high school and can provide an official high school transcript or GED
Students that are US citizens or eligible non-citizens
Students that are pursuing an aid-eligible degree, diploma, or certificate program
Some students are not eligible for financial aid. Here are some examples of ineligibility:
Students that have not completed high school or earned a GED (or cannot provide documented proof of completion)
Students that are not US citizens or eligible non-citizens
Students that are currently in federal or Perkins student loan default

Financial aid eligibility is determined by factors such as household size, income, and assets. Students and parents of dependent students will need the following documents and information to accurately complete the FAFSA:
Social Security Number or Alien Registration Number (for eligible non-citizens)
Parental marital status and household size (for dependent students)
Asset information including cash, checking and savings balances, investments, etc.
Federal Tax Returns, W-2s, and documentation of other earned income
Documentation of any untaxed income (such as child support, untaxed IRA or pension distributions, or disability income other than Social Security Income, for example)

The FAFSA becomes unavailable for new applications on July 1st after the end of the academic year. (Ex: 2023-2024 FAFSA will be unavailable on July 1st, 2024) However, to receive aid within your term of attendance, the FAFSA should be completed as soon as possible after October 1st of the year prior. To be eligible for the Minnesota State Grant, your FAFSA must be completed before the 30th day of your term of attendance.
The Financial Aid Office prioritizes FAFSA applications completed (including all verification requirements) before August 1st each year.

You must reapply for the FAFSA annually. The online FAFSA application is available each year on October 1st (Ex: 2023-2024 FAFSA is available Oct. 1, 2022)

The U.S. Department of Education has determined that parents of dependent students bear the primary responsibility of funding a dependent student’s education to the extent that they are able, and that the student shares in that responsibility as well. This ability to pay is measured through the FAFSA application process.

The FAFSA will ask dependency questions to help determine whether students are considered dependent or independent for FAFSA purposes. Answeing “No” to all dependency questions typically indicates the student is dependent and must enter parental data on the FAFSA. Answering “Yes” to any of these questions may indicate that the student is independent and parental fields will be skipped on the FAFSA.
FAFSA dependency questions include:
Will you be 24 years old before Jan. 1st of the year that you are applying for aid (Ex: if applying for the 2022-2023 school year, will you be 24 before Jan. 1st, 2022?)
Are you married, or separated but not divorced?
Will you be working toward a master’s or doctorate degree?
Do you have children who receive at least half of their support from you?
Do you have dependents, other than children or a spouse, who live with you and receive at least half their support from you?
Are you currently serving on active duty in the U.S. armed forces for purposes other than training?
Are you a veteran of the U.S armed forces?
At any time since you turned 13, were both of your parents deceased, were you in foster care, or were you a ward or dependent of the court?
Are you an emancipated minor or are you in legal guardianship as determined by a court?
Are you an unaccompanied youth who is homeless, or self-supporting, and at risk of becoming homeless?

Only biological or adoptive parental information can be used when dependent students apply for financial aid. Grandparents, aunts/uncles, siblings, foster parents, legal guardians, or family friends are not considered parents unless they have legally adopted the student. Students unable to answer “Yes” to any of the FAFSA dependency questions, but unable to provide parental information should contact the Financial Aid Office for further guidance.

Dependent students that do not have unusual circumstances, but whose parents are unwilling to provide information or tax data for FAFSA completion, may still be eligible for an unsubsidized loan. Students in this situation should contact the Financial Aid Office to discuss their circumstances.

FAFSA data will be sent to a central processing unit where they will confirm the student’s name, date of birth, and SSN with other federal agencies. FAFSA information will then be sent to each school listed on the application.
Students will receive a summary of their FAFSA data in the form of a Student Aid Report (SAR) within 1-3 days of submitting the application if they have provided a valid email address when applying. If they did not provide an email address, the SAR will be mailed. Students should review this report for accuracy and make any FAFSA corrections, if applicable, as soon as possible.
It takes approximately 3 business days for the Financial Aid Office to receive FAFSA data after completion. Students will be mailed a Financial Aid Tracking Letter that details any next steps or verification requests soon after. This will also be available within the eServices portal under the Financial Aid tab.

Login to the FAFSA application using the student FSA ID and password.
Select “Make FAFSA Corrections”.
Correct any inaccurate information.
Save and re-submit the application (some corrections will require a parent’s signature).
Each school that is listed on the FAFSA will receive any corrections in approximately 3 business days.

A percentage of all students seeking financial aid each year is randomly or institutionally selected to verify the accuracy of their FAFSA information. The Financial Aid Tracking Letter sent by the school will detail any information that requires verification, and what documentation is required. Financial aid cannot progress until all verification has been submitted, including requested signatures and other supporting documentation.
Examples of information students may be asked to verify include:
Household size and number in college
Tax data, or verification of non-filing
Untaxed income

A Professional Judgement Appeal is an option for households that have experienced a loss of income greater than 15%, or major unreimbursed medical/dental expenses (those not covered by medical insurance and greater than 10% of total income) since the tax year requested on the FAFSA. This appeal provides the Financial Aid Office discretion in using more recent/accurate financial information to determine aid eligibility.

Financial aid applies to student accounts after the 12th business day of the term for those that have received an offer notice and have met all criteria to receive aid.

Anticipated scholarships can be reported within the “Other Aid” section of your Offer Notice acceptance process or by submitting a Scholarship Notification Form to the Financial Aid Office at any MN North campus.

Check out our Scholarships page for a listing of institutional and regional scholarships, as well as links to common scholarship search resources.

Information about work-study and other student employment opportunities can be found on our Work Study page. A FAFSA application is required to determine work-study eligibility.

View the MN North Financial Aid home page for information about loan programs offered at our campuses.

To receive financial aid for a course, students must be both degree-seeking, and their courses must be required to complete their declared degree. Students enrolled in at least one aid-eligible course through MN North may complete a Consortium Agreement to have other MinnState courses considered for financial aid. Any course considered must also be required for completion of the degree(s) you are pursuing through MN North.

Financial aid is paid out at the beginning of each term with the assumption that students will continue to earn their aid throughout the duration of the semester by attending and participating in class. Withdrawing (officially or unofficially) or dropping courses for which students have already been paid can result in the school returning the portion of aid that was not earned, which creates a balance owing to the student account.

Maximum Timeframe is often referred to as the 150% Rule. This rule states that students become ineligible to receive financial aid when it is determined they cannot complete their degree without having attempted more than 150% of the number of credits required for their degree.
For example, if a degree requires 60 credits to complete, any earned or attempted credits that apply toward your degree or were completed since the degree was declared (including transfer credits but excluding up to 30 remedial credits) cannot total more than 90 (60 x 150% = 90).