On Jan. 30, the U.S. Department of Education (US DOE) announced that colleges and universities will receive 2024-2025 Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) applicant data beginning in the first half of March. Initially, US DOE had announced institutions and state agencies would begin to receive data by the end of January 2024.

This new timeline is up to six weeks later and will cause an additional delay for college-bound students and families to receive financial aid offers, which will likely occur in early to mid-April. Students will receive financial aid offers much later than anticipated, which compresses the timeframe that students and families can weigh options and make informed decisions with aid offer information.

We want to acknowledge the stress and anxiety that the current challenges are causing students and families, college access staff, as well as higher education institutions. US DOE is working to ensure that students and families receive all the financial aid they are eligible for.

The Minnesota Dream Act, the state's financial aid application for students with undocumented status, is now available for students to complete. College-bound students who plan to attend college or career school during the 2024-25 school year should complete the 2024-25 MN Dream Act. Like the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA), the application must be completed each academic year that the student is enrolled in college.

Students who complete the MN Dream Act are eligible for state-based financial aid, including the Minnesota State Grant and North Star Promise Scholarship, if they meet state residency requirements. Students can also receive in-state resident tuition rates and privately funded financial aid at Minnesota public colleges and universities.

In honor of Career and Technical Education (CTE) month, both Govenor Tim Walz and Lt. Governor Peggy Flanagan visited classrooms at community and technical colleges, along with  Office of Higher Education Commissioner Dennis Olson, to see firsthand some of the many programs that thousands of students can take this fall without paying tuition and fees. On Feb. 20, Gov. Walz visited Normandale Community College in Bloomington, Minn., and Lt. Gov. Flanagan visited Minneapolis Technical and Community College on Feb. 15.

With the new North Star Promise Scholarship program, eligible Minnesotans who have a family income of less than $80K can attend any public or tribal college in the state without paying tuition and fees. Students apply by completing the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA).

The new American Indian Scholars Program will provide a first-dollar full tuition and fee-free pathway to eligible undergraduate students. 

Eligible students include Minnesota residents who are enrolled members or citizens of any federally recognized tribe or Canadian First Nation to attend a Minnesota State institution or the University of Minnesota. In addition, students who are not eligible for resident tuition, but are enrolled members or citizens of a Minnesota Tribal Nation, are also eligible for the program.

The Office of Higher Education (OHE) is inviting new high schools to participate in Direct Admissions Minnesota for the 2024-25 academic year.

The Direct Admissions Minnesota program is designed to encourage all graduating seniors to consider themselves “college material” by proactively notifying them of the colleges and universities that are eager to admit them. Students will receive a letter at the beginning of the 2024-2025 academic year that lets them know which Minnesota colleges and universities are granting them proactive admission. Currently participating high schools report that students benefit from boosted self-confidence, reduced self-selection bias, and enjoy a more stress-free college application process.

OHE is hosting four virtual information sessions in March for interested high schools administration and staff to learn more about the program. In addition to attending an information session, high schools interested in participating in the program should complete the Direct Admissions High School Interest Form on the OHE website by March 31.

The application for the Minnesota Paramedic Scholarship has launched and is available for eligible students to complete. A total of 600 scholarships of $5,000 each will be awarded to Minnesota residents who are completing a paramedic diploma or degree. All eligible programs require students to be a current Emergency Medical Technical (EMT) license holder before starting the program.

This temporary scholarship program was passed during the 2023 Minnesota Legislative session to increase the number of licensed paramedics in Minnesota.

The first round of scholarships will be awarded to students starting Fall 2024. Questions about the program can be directed to Adam Johnson at Adam.D.Johnson@state.mn.us.

Minitex, a state-funded library organization located at the University of Minnesota-Twin Cities, published its 2023 annual report with highlights from the past year, statistics from its major services and a look into its future. The report, titled Community Collaboration, provides an overview of its partnerships and steps forward with two of its most important services, eLibrary Minnesota and MNLINK.

Minitex is an information and resource sharing program that supports library systems throughout the state and operates with grant funding administered by the Minnesota Office of Higher Education.