State Grant benefits

“Going to college was my dream and with the State Grant I received I was able to make that dream a reality. I want Minnesota legislators to know that by increasing the amount of grant money for students they will make attending college a lot easier for students like me who grew up below the poverty line.”
—LaCresia Elaine King, Concordia College student

To help keep college affordable, Minnesota provides need-based aid to thousands of low- and middle-income families through the State Grant program. This program:

Targets students with the greatest need
- Three-quarters of recipients have incomes below $40,000; about a quarter have incomes between $40,000 and $70,000 (see income distribution chart).
Makes strategic investments in our state’s future workforce
- With falling numbers of high school graduates and rising numbers of Baby Boomer retirements, Minnesota will soon have a shortfall of college-educated workers (see supply-demand mismatch chart).
- Now more than ever we need to help more low-income students move into and complete college. (Less than one in three low-income high school students in Minnesota go on to college, compared to two out of three when income is not considered; see high ability 8th graders chart).
- In this global knowledge economy, retaining an educated workforce will be critical to retaining jobs.
Has a statewide impact
- There are 84,000 State Grant recipients or more than one out of three undergraduate students who are Minnesota residents..
- Most recipients attend public colleges and universities, both two-year and four-year (67%). About 12% of State Grant recipients attend the 17 nonprofit private colleges that make up the Minnesota Private College Council (other students attend other nonprofits and for-profit institutions) See 2008-09 state grant recipients chart.
- High percentages of students are eligible for this program in all corners of the state. (Greatest share of eligible families live in Greater Minnesota and inner cities. See household income by district map; these households would likely be eligible now to receive state grants.)
Helps students minimize their borrowing and future debt burden
- State Grant aid reduces the amount of loans students need to take out to finance their education. (Unfortunately, government-financed aid to students has been lagging in recent years. Institutional aid has increased dramatically, but so has student borrowing; see financial aid changes chart.)

Who supports investment in the State Grant program?

And among Minnesotans, surveys show that most people favor public funding for student aid.

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Our colleges

Augsburg College

Located in Minneapolis with abundant opportunities to gain experience both inside and outside the classroom.
National recognition for an effective first-year program and for combining learning with service.
Top majors are business, science, teaching
A diverse community of 3,000 students

Bethany Lutheran College

Located in Mankato overlooking the Minnesota River Valley
A community of 540 students -- most live on campus
Popular majors include business administration, communication, psychology, and elementary education
Focus is on a solid, Christian education

Bethel University

Located on a residential, wooded campus in a Twin Cities suburb
Enrolls 5,600 students in 100 undergraduate, graduate, and seminary programs
Integrates faith, learning and the translation of Christian belief into global service
20 international programs; top 3 percent ranking of students who study in foreign countries

Carleton College

Residential campus in the small community of Northfield
Ranked one of the country's top liberal arts colleges
Noted for its bright and talented students and strong faculty
Enrollment of 2,000 students of diverse backgrounds

College of Saint Benedict

Together with Saint John's -- 3,800 undergraduate students have many opportunities
Located on 3,200 acres of woods and lakes west of St. Cloud
A focus on globalism includes an extensive international study program
A commitment to experiential learning, research and internships

St. Catherine University

Largest and most comprehensive Catholic college for women in the U.S.
Beautiful campuses in St. Paul and Minneapolis
Committed to meeting the educational needs of women of all ages; offers liberal arts, healthcare and professional programs in traditional and weekend formats
Serves 5,000 students

College of St. Scholastica

Main campus in Duluth; also in St. Paul, St. Cloud, Brainerd
Undergraduate and graduate programs in traditional, accelerated and online formats
Top majors: Health information management, management, education, nursing
3,200 students; 1,940 undergraduates on Duluth campus
U.S. News ranking in top tier of Midwestern universities

Concordia College

Located in the Fargo-Moorhead metropolitan area that includes 20,000+ college students
Serves more than 2,700 students
Top programs include the sciences, education and music
Recipient of NAFSA Simon Award for Campus Internationalization
Home of world-renowned Concordia Language Villages

Concordia University

Located in the St. Paul metro area
Serves 1,500 undergraduate and 300 graduate students of all ages and backgrounds
Top majors include Christian education, business and teacher education
A laptop university with 24/7 Web access

Gustavus Adolphus College

Oldest Lutheran college in Minnesota; Swedish heritage; home of the Nobel Conference
Beautiful residential campus located in St. Peter, overlooking the Minnesota River Valley
Prepares 2,500 undergraduates for lives of leadership, service and lifelong learning
Recognized science, writing, music, athletics, study-abroad, and service-learning programs

Hamline University

Ranked first in Minnesota among comprehensive universities according to U.S. News
4,400 undergraduate, graduate, and law students
Located in residential neighborhood of St. Paul
Intimate environment of small classes and personal attention along with the opportunities of a comprehensive university

Macalester College

1,900 undergraduates come from every state and 90 countries
Located in a friendly St. Paul neighborhood
Emphasis on global perspectives; more than half study abroad
Produced many Fulbright and Rhodes scholars

Minneapolis College of Art and Design

700 students; 14 majors in fine arts, media and design
Located next to the Children's Theater and Minneapolis Institute of Arts
Studio-based and business-oriented programs; BFA, BS and MFA degrees
Only art and design school to be named a Best Midwestern College by Princeton Review

Saint John's University

Together with Saint Benedict -- 3,800 undergraduate students have many opportunities
Located on 3,200 acres of woods and lakes west of St. Cloud.
A focus on globalism includes an extensive international study program
A commitment to experiential learning, research, internships

Saint Mary's University of Minnesota

Values-based, results-oriented education in the Catholic, Lasallian tradition
Outstanding environment for learning, living and recreation
400-acre Winona campus in the bluffs of the Mississippi River Valley
1,300 traditional undergraduates, with 4,100 graduate and professional students at other locations

St. Olaf College

Environmentally aware, 300-acre residential campus in historic Northfield
3,000 students; top majors are music, mathematics and the sciences
Nation's top liberal arts college for study abroad
College of the Lutheran church -- where conversations about faith are part of daily life

University of St. Thomas

Minnesota's largest private university with 10,500 students (5,500 undergraduates)
95 undergraduate majors
Main campuses located in a stately St. Paul neighborhood and in downtown Minneapolis (other campuses in Owatonna, Minn. and Rome, Italy)