How to get money for college
Don’t dismiss scholarship opportunities

-- Sandy Sweep

Buying Ramen noodles at ten-for-a-dollar and scraping up quarters for parking—this is life for most college students. But with increasing tuition rates and decreasing state support for colleges, many Minnesota residents are a few dollars short of the opportunity to be that starving college student.

Unless students have access to some very deep pockets, many wonder, Where will the money come from? According to Minnesota State Colleges and University system Chancellor James H. McCormick, “Clearly, public colleges and universities in Minnesota and across the nation need to turn increasingly to private support for maintaining quality and access in the face of shrinking state appropriations.” As college systems turn to private support, so can students. And support is available right in the university’s own back yard.

That support comes in the form of scholarships and grants—all free money—not a loan that has to be repaid. Metropolitan State University has a number of scholarships and grants available, and students don’t necessarily have to be a Rhodes Scholar to get one.

Scholarships are misunderstood by many students; one misconception is that applying for scholarships is a hassle. Students often don’t want to be troubled by filling out applications, getting recommendation letters and writing essays. But applying for a scholarship is a small hassle compared with working 40 hours a week to pay for tuition, or worse, bypassing further education altogether.

Metropolitan State University scholarships are offered to a broad array of students. Students may be awarded scholarships based on study interests including, but not limited to, management, nursing, social work, language and/or linguistics majors. Students may be awarded scholarships because they are students of color, because they are blind, because they are women over 30 years of age returning to school, because they reside in a certain county or graduated from a specific high school. And Student Senate scholarships are awarded based on both financial need and academic progress. The only way for students to find out if there is a scholarship that matches their background is to apply.

The Student Senate is currently reviewing numerous means of generating monies to make additional scholarships available for students. Visit their website at http://senate.metrostate.edu for upcoming news.

The Financial Aid Office on the St. Paul Campus is open throughout the year and offers assistance with all forms of aid, including FAFSA (Financial Aid Form for Student Assistance), loans, etc. The office also has paper applications available for most scholarships. The easiest way to keep up on current scholarships and to download forms is by checking www.metrostate.edu/aid/scholarships.html. Deadlines vary, so visit often and watch dates closely. Call 651-793-1414 or email finaid@metrostate.edu for more information.

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