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St. Paul, Minn. — 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.
The MN Dream Act provides certain benefits to undocumented students who meet the following criteria:
- Attended a Minnesota high school for at least 3 years; and
- Graduated from a Minnesota high school or earned a GED in Minnesota; and
- Complied with Selective Service registration requirements (applies only to male students born in 1960 or after); and
- Provide documentation to show they have applied for lawful immigration status but only if a federal process exists for a student to do so (does not include applying for Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals). There is currently not a federal process in place, so this documentation is not currently required.
Please note: Establishing residency via the MN Dream Act is one of ten ways to be a Minnesota resident and be eligible for state financial aid. If a student does not meet the criteria above, please reach out to the Office of Higher Education at the contact below to discuss the situation, as the student may meet another residency definition.
If a student is completing the MN Dream Act for the first time, they will be required to submit the following information to the Office of Higher Education:
- Minnesota high school transcripts showing attendance at a high school in the state for at least 3 years; and
- Minnesota high school diploma (or transcript showing the student graduated) or copy of GED earned in the state; and
- Copy of Selective Service card showing the student registered with the U.S. Selective Service. This requirement only applies to males, ages 18 to 25 years, whose only way of establishing MN resident student status is via the MN Dream Act.
- If the student has a Social Security number, the student can register online at www.sss.gov. Confirmation of registration will be sent to the student within two weeks.
- If the student does not have a Social Security number, the student should download the form here and submit it, along with all other documentation, to the Office of Higher Education. The paper Selective Service System Registration Form must be completed in black ink and in capital letters only. The document cannot be emailed or faxed; the original form must be mailed to:
Minnesota Office of Higher Education
State Grant Unit 1450
Energy Park Drive, Suite 350
St. Paul, MN 55108
Do you have questions?
Please contact State Program Administrator Shawn Reynolds at shawn.reynolds@state.mn.us or 651-355-0615 with any questions.
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