Minnesota Alternative State Financial Aid Application

After you submit the MN Alternative State Financial Aid Application, you will receive an email explaining what documents you must send to the MN Office of Higher Education (OHE) to show you meet the requirements. You only need to submit these items during your first year of applying:

• Minnesota high school transcripts showing you attended a MN high school for at least three years (certified copies not required).
• A Minnesota high school diploma, transcript showing graduation, or a GED earned in Minnesota (certified copy not required).
• A copy of your Selective Service registration card, if required. This applies only to males ages 18–25 whose only way of establishing MN residency is through the Prosperity Act.
– If you have a Social Security number, you can register online at www.sss.gov and will receive confirmation within two weeks.
– If you do not have a Social Security number, download the paper registration form and mail the completed original (black ink, capital letters only) to:

MN Office of Higher Education
State Grant Unit
1450 Energy Park Drive, Suite 350
St. Paul, MN 55108

OHE will make a copy and mail the original to Selective Service for you.

Selective Service Details
Registration is required only if the Prosperity Act is the only residency definition you meet. If you meet any other residency definition, you do not need to register. Selective Service applies only to individuals identified as male at birth who are ages 18–25.

Examples of students who meet another residency definition and do not need Selective Service registration:
• Students who are lawfully present under DACA, H‑4 visa status, or have asylum pending when they graduate from a Minnesota high school.
• Students who have lived in Minnesota under DACA, H‑4, or asylum pending for at least one year for reasons other than attending college (and took no more than 5 credits during that year).
• Students who lived in Minnesota under DACA, H‑4, or asylum pending for at least one year and later earned a GED in Minnesota.

Some students may meet more than one residency definition. For example, a student who has lived in Minnesota under DACA for six years while attending MN middle and high school and then graduates meets multiple residency definitions, including the Prosperity Act.

Tax Documents
Each year you apply, you must submit:
• Signed federal 1040 tax returns (student and parent, if dependent) for the prior‑prior tax year. Signatures are not required if returns were professionally prepared.
• Schedules 1, 2, and/or 3, if filed.
• W‑2 forms only if marital status has changed since filing the federal return.
• If you or your parents were not required to file taxes, submit a signed statement explaining this and include any W‑2s.

These documents are required every year to verify the income reported on your application.

College Transcripts
If you have attended college for three or more years before the year you are applying for aid, you must submit an up‑to‑date transcript from each college you have attended. Student copies are acceptable.

Immigration Documentation
Eventually, students may need to submit proof that they applied for lawful immigration status, but this will only be required if a federal process becomes available. Since no federal process currently exists, this documentation is not required at this time.

Submitting Materials
Except for the paper Selective Service Registration Form, upload all documents through the Document Management area of the MNAid Student Portal.
If you have trouble uploading, you may email documents to MNDreamAct.OHE@state.mn.us or fax them to (651) 797‑1637.