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St. Cloud State University

St. Cloud State University

Office of Scholarships and Financial Aid
How to Apply for Financial Aid

Timelines

January

  • Apply for scholarships.
    Remember the St. Cloud State University scholarship deadline for freshmen students is January 25th.
  • File your FAFSA as soon as possible after January 1.
    Note any deadlines as some states have a filing deadline for the FAFSA.
  • Complete the St. Cloud State University Application for Financial Aid.

February/March

  • If you filed your FAFSA electronically, you should receive a copy of your Student Aid Report (SAR) in 2-3 weeks (approximately 4-6 weeks if you filed a paper FAFSA). The SAR is a summary of the information you entered on your FAFSA. It also lists your estimated Expected Family Contribution (EFC). The Financial Aid Office will use the EFC to determine your eligibility for need-based aid (grants, work study, subsidized loans) and aid not based on need (unsubsidized loans and parent loans).
  • If you do not receive your SAR, contact the federal processor at 1-319-337-5665 or 1-800-433-3243. Review your SAR carefully for accuracy. If necessary, make any corrections on-line at www.fafsa.ed.gov or by completing the appropriate section on your SAR and mailing it to the address listed on the SAR. You will then receive an updated SAR once the corrections have been processed.
  • The federal government selects 30% of the FAFSAs for verification.  You may be selected for verification, at which time you will be asked to complete a verification form along with copies of your and your parent’s (dependent students) federal income tax returns and W-2 statements.

April/May

  • Preliminary award letters will be sent to students with complete financial aid applications. This is an estimate of your financial aid; your official award letter will be sent in approximately May. The award letter describes the types and amounts of financial aid for which you qualify, enrollment and disbursement requirements, and the comprehensive cost of attendance.
  • If your family's financial circumstances change due to special or extenuating conditions, contact the Financial Aid Office to determine if a review of your situation can be completed. You will be asked to provide written documentation with your request.
  • If you are applying to schools in addition to St. Cloud State University, compare the financial aid packages from each school. You will want to analyze your total out-of-pocket expenses (actual costs minus financial aid) for each school and not just the total amount of aid.

June/July/August

  • Apply for your student loans listed on your award letter. Determine what you need to cover your educational expenses; this may be less than what is listed on your award letter.
  • Your bill for tuition, fees, room, and board (if living on-campus) will be available online approximately early July.  If you will be using a payment plan to pay for your educational costs, contact the Business Services Office for information on payment plans.
  • Complete Stafford and SELF loan entrance counseling if you are a first-time borrower. You must complete the loan entrance counseling before your loan funds may be disbursed to your account.
  • If you applied for a student or parent loan, you will receive information from the lender regarding disbursement of the loan.
  • If you were awarded work study and have returned your application, you will receive a work authorization indicating where you will be working. Contact the supervisor of the department to schedule your work hours.

Reminders:

  • You need to reapply for financial aid each year
  • If you submitted a FAFSA during the previous year, you may be able to complete the Renewal FAFSA instead. The Renewal FAFSA on the Web pre-populates most of your answers from the previous year's FAFSA.
  • Apply for scholarships at St. Cloud State and by using the Scholarship Bulletin Board.