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St. Cloud State University

St. Cloud State University

Office of Scholarships and Financial Aid

How to Apply for Financial Aid

All students are encouraged to apply for federal and state financial aid, whether or not you think that you may be eligible. Financial aid includes grants, work study, scholarships, and loans and is available to all income levels. Applying for financial aid is free when you use the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA).

We encourage you to apply for financial aid by April 15th of each year. The sooner you apply, the sooner you will receive notification of your financial aid eligibility. Some aid programs have limited funding and are awarded on a first come-first served basis.  If you are applying after April 15th, you will still be considered for federal Pell Grant and loan eligibility; however, some federal, state and university funding might not be available. 

Where do you start?

There are two steps to apply for financial aid:

  1. Complete the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) online after January 1st at www.fafsa.gov.  Include Saint Cloud State University School Code:  002377. If you have completed a FAFSA for the previous year, you may use your 4-digit federal Personal Identification Number (PIN) to pre-fill your current year's FAFSA (i.e., you completed the 2008-2009 and want to pre-fill the 2009-2010 FAFSA).
  2. Complete and submit the St. Cloud State University Application for Financial Aid.

The information provided on the FAFSA and St. Cloud State Financial Aid Application is used by SCSU to determine your eligibility for all types of financial aid – grants, work study, and loans. Once we determine your eligibility for financial aid, an award letter will be prepared for you. The award letter will be available on your SCSU e-Services Sign-in under the Financial Aid link.

To help you with your financial aid planning, please see the sections of our website that refer to Timelines and Important Dates and Deadlines.