Eligibility criteria

The amount of financial aid you receive at disbursement will depend on whether you meet all of the eligibility and enrollment criteria for the awarded funds.

The day you submit your Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) may also determine what kinds of financial aid are available. Meeting your FAFSA priority deadline allows you to be considered for aid programs with limited funding. The FAFSA priority deadline for all incoming freshmen is March 1st. The priority deadline for all returning students is April 1st.

To receive financial aid, you must:

  • be a U.S. citizen or eligible noncitizen;

  • have a valid Social Security number (SSN);
  • be admitted to a University of Minnesota, Twin Cities, degree or eligible certificate program, effective the term in which you receive aid. Unless you are taking required prerequisite courses (see below), you are not eligible before you have been admitted to a degree or certificate program even though you may be registered.
  • not be indebted to any institution for repayment of any federal grant or be in default on any Title IV loan (federal loan programs such as Federal Direct, NDSL, Perkins, and Stafford);
  • comply with Selective Service registration requirements. If you are a male student at least 18 years old born after December 31, 1959, you must have Selective Service registration;
  • not be convicted of a drug offense that occurred while you were receiving federal student aid (eligibility is suspended for a time period);
  • comply with the federal verification program, if requested;

  • not be in default on a federal student loan or owe a refund on a federal student grant;

  • provide information to resolve any discrepancies identified as a result of Department of Education interfaces with the Social Security Administration, the Department of Homeland Security, or the National Student Loan Data System (NDSL);
  • meet financial aid satisfactory academic progress standards;

  • clear any hold on your financial aid record by
    1. reporting your correct name (as given on your Social Security card) or Social Security number;
    2. responding promptly if contacted by Student Financial Collections;

  • complete all required promissory notes within five days of notification;

  • not receive federal Pell Grant from more than one school at the same time;

  • submit all requested academic transcripts.

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