Financial Aid Office

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 recommend that you apply for financial aid each year by the first part of March or as soon as you complete your federal income tax returns. 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 the first part of March, 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 for the academic year and summer term:

  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 2009-2010 and want to pre-fill the 2010-2011 FAFSA).
  2. For the 2011-2012 award year you must submit a St. Cloud State Application for Financial Aid to complete your application. This form will no longer be required for the 2012-2013 award year which begins with fall semester 2012.

Transferring to St. Cloud State from another school? Remember to include St. Cloud State's school code (002377) on your FAFSA and ask the school from which you are transferring to cancel any pending financial aid for the term you are transferring to St. Cloud State.

The information provided on the FAFSA and St. Cloud State Financial Aid Application is used 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 and will be available on your SCSU e-Services Sign-in under the "Financial Aid" link.

The federal processors may require that we verify the accuracy on your FAFSA, a process called "verification." Approximately 30 percent of all students will be selected for verification. If you are selected for verification, you will receive a letter from us requesting additional information which may include a copy of student and parent (dependent students) or spouse (independent students) federal income tax return transcript and W-2 forms

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

Financial Aid Office

Contact Information
Phone: (320) 308-2047

St. Cloud State University is an affirmative action/equal opportunity educator and employer.
St. Cloud State University is a member of the Minnesota State Colleges and Universities system.
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