Federal Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA)

Students planning on attending college the following fall of their senior year can submit FAFSA® beginning October 1. Students and families must complete and submit a free application for this federal student financial aid. This is also needed to apply for most state and college aid. 

Procrastinators, take heed: Be sure and make plans to take advantage of the October 1 start date because financial aid is often given out on a first-come, first-serve basis. Filing early could mean more money for college for the next school year. Additionally, many colleges have moved up their financial aid application deadlines to coincide with the new FAFSA date. Check your student’s college’s financial aid web pages to avoid missing important deadlines.

Applying for FAFSA:

• Complete and submit a free application for federal student financial aid and to apply for most state and college aid.
• Applications beginning Oct. 1 and ending by June of each year
• Download and print the FAFSA Worksheet to assist with the application
  • Obtain worksheet and apply online at FAFSA.gov
• All State FAFSA Aid deadlines are posted on the website Worksheet and Application forms
• The current year’s taxes should be completed before applying to simplify the application process
• Your Student Aid Report (SAR) will be sent to you after your online application usually within 3 days
• Contact your prospective college with any SAR errors and correct them online with FAFSA

Compare Your Aid Awards

The College Board website helps students and their families understand their award letter, compare aid offers and learn about strategies for paying their share of the expense. 

• Compare here

Tuition Reciprocity

Minnesota has ongoing reciprocity agreements with Wisconsin, North Dakota, South Dakota, one institution in Iowa, and the Canadian province of Manitoba. The agreements reduce non-resident tuition prices and eliminate non-resident admissions barriers for residents of each state who attend a public institution in the other state.

Learn more about tuition reciprocity on the MN Office of Higher Education website.

Midwestern Student Exchange Program (MSEP)

Through the MSEP, public institutions agree to charge students no more than 150% of the in-state resident tuition rate for specific programs. Private institutions offer a 10% reduction on their tuition rates. You must be enrolling as a non-resident student at a participating MSEP campus to receive the discount. All enrollment decisions are made at the discretion of the receiving campus and the campus may exercise its right to limit participation or set specific admission requirements for MSEP.

Learn more about this program by visiting the MSEP website.

Minnesota Career Information System (MCIS)

This system offers a FINANCIAL AID SORT which is a favorite for the college bound Cougar.  It has a customization features that allows students to find scholarships that are a possible match based upon the individual's particular background, major of study, hobbies, etc....  This helps pull out scholarship opportunities from a national database and provides a tool for you to store and track progress on your scholarship search.

To access MCIS simply select LOG IN with CLEVER button at the bottom of the sign-in page and then use the Google option to utilize the same user name and password you do for logging into devices at LSHS or your school email.

Once logged in, go to the EDUCATION tab and select:  Where can I get help paying for school?

• Paying for School
• Financial Aid Sort
• Financial Aid
• Scholarships

Please contact Amy Juaire at Amy.Juaire@isd194.org in the Career Center if you have any other questions or trouble loging into MCIS.