Minnesota Public Safety Officer's Survivor Grant

A student must:

• Meet one of the following:
  • A dependent child under the age of 23 before the first day of the academic year
  • A dependent child under the age of 30 if served on active military duty 181 consecutive days or more and has been honorably discharged or released to the dependent child’s reserve or National Guard unit
  • A surviving spouse
• Be enrolled in an undergraduate or graduate degree program or a certificate program at an eligible Minnesota institution that participates in the State Grant Program
• Obtain a Public Safety Officer’s Benefit Fund Certificate issued by the Commissioner of Public Safety
• Have not received benefits for more than 10 full-time semesters or 15 full-time quarters (A student who fully withdraws from the institution for active military service or due to a major medical illness may be permitted to an additional semester of grant eligibility)

The amount of the award is the lesser of:

a) the annual average full-time tuition and mandatory fees charged by the institution, prorated for term length and enrollment level; or

b) the applicable tuition and fee maximum established in law for the State Grant program, prorated for term length and enrollment level.

Applicants must provide the Financial Aid Office at the institution they attend a copy of the Public Safety Officer’s Benefit Fund Certificate and fill out the student section of the application.

The Financial Aid Office will complete the institution section of the application and submit all required documents to the Office of Higher Education for review. Awarded students will be notified by the institution.

The eligibility certificate can be obtained from:

Minnesota Department of Public Safety
445 Minnesota Street, Suite 1000 NCL Tower
St. Paul, MN 55101
Tel: (651) 201-7164

Who is Eligible?

A Pell-eligible student whose parent or guardian died in the line of duty while performing as a public safety officer is eligible to receive a maximum Pell Grant for the award year for which the determination of eligibility is made. The student must be less than 24 years of age or enrolled at an institution of higher education at the time of his or her parent's or guardian's death. In subsequent award years, the student continues to be eligible for this scholarship, as long as the student has a Pell-eligible Student Aid Index (SAI) and continues to be an eligible student. The SAI is calculated when a student files the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA).

How Much Money Can You Get?

The maximum Pell Grant award for a full time student for the 2024-2025 award year is $7,395.

How is the Award Determined?

To qualify for this scholarship, a student must be Pell-eligible and have a Pell-eligible Student Aid Index (SAI).

What is the Application Process?

Apply for a Federal Pell Grant by completing the FAFSA on the Web or by downloading a paper FAFSA.

After filing the FAFSA, the student should contact the institution's financial aid administrator at the college or vocational school he or she is attending to ask what documentation the school needs in order to document the student's eligibility for the scholarship