Postsecondary Child Care Grant FAQs

Only certain schools are eligible to participate in the Postsecondary Child Care Grant program. Eligible institutions include:

               • All public postsecondary schools in Minnesota

               • Private, baccalaureate degree-granting colleges and universities located in Minnesota

               • Nonprofit, two-year vocational schools in Minnesota that grant associate degrees

*Note: School participation in the Postsecondary Child Care Grant is optional and not all schools choose to participate.

If your school is not listed here, it is not participating in the Postsecondary Child Care Grant Program. 

No. Only the student who is the parent, legal stepparent, or legal guardian of the child can apply for the Postsecondary Child Care Grant (CCG). The program is designed to help students cover child care costs for their own dependent children while they are enrolled in school.

If you are a legal guardian, you must provide proper custody or guardianship documentation to your school’s financial aid office.

Online search results may not reflect current program rules. Always use the Minnesota Office of Higher Education (OHE) website or the official Postsecondary Child Care Grant (CCG) application for accurate eligibility information. Eligibility depends on multiple factors such as residency, enrollment, child age, MFIP status, and documentation requirements—not just general search results.

You should contact your school’s financial aid office directly to check on the status of your Child Care Grant application. Their contact information is listed on the printed application you submitted.

For technical issues with the MNAid Student Portal (such as logging in or account errors), you can call 651-642-0567 (option 2) or email Nichole.Andersen@state.mn.us

If you transfer or attend a different school after submitting your Child Care Grant application, email Nichole.Andersen@state.mn.us. Our team will update your application so it can be routed to your new school.

Yes. You must submit a new application using your student portal and have an up-to-date FAFSA each award year (July 1 – June 30).

You must notify your school’s financial aid office within 10 days of any changes, such as provider, costs, childcare hours, enrollment changes, or receipt of MFIP/Basic Sliding Fee assistance. Failure to do so can result in your childcare grant being canceled for the entire academic year.

If you withdraw before attending, the full term’s award must be refunded. If you withdraw after attending, your school will recalculate your award based on your schools internal policies and procedures.

• If you drop credits, your award may be reduced.
• If you withdraw from all classes, your school’s refund and repayment policy will apply.
• If you take a term off, you may need to reapply and could be placed on a waiting list if funds are limited. 

Schools are required to make sure Child Care Grant funds are used only for actual, eligible childcare expenses. To do this, they may ask you to provide proof of payment (such as receipts, canceled checks, or bank statements) showing that you paid your provider. This protects both you and the program by ensuring:

• Your award is based on real childcare costs.
• The state funds are being used correctly and fairly.
• You remain eligible to keep receiving the grant.

If you cannot show proof that you are paying for childcare, your award may be denied. 

Schools may request additional documentation to ensure eligibility for the Child Care Grant. Failure to provide the additional documentation can result in cancelation and/or denial of child care grant funds. 

Yes. You must report to your school’s financial aid office within 10 days any changes in provider, hours, costs, enrollment, or MFIP/child care assistance. Failure to report can result in cancellation and/or denial. 

Funds are typically disbursed 3–5 weeks after the start of the term, no earlier than when other financial aid is released. Payments usually go directly to the student, who is responsible for paying their childcare provider. Funds can also be paid directly to the childcare provider.

Please contact your school’s financial aid office for processing timelines and disbursements as these may vary from school to school.

Note: funds can’t be disbursed until the school has had time to process the application. Please check with your school for their processing timelines.

Up to $6,500 per child per nine-month academic year, based on your Student Aid Index (SAI), enrollment level, and actual costs. Schools may request approval for a 10% increase for infant care. Students are able to receive an extra term of eligibility for summer term attendance. 

Yes. The grant covers up to 40 hours/week per child, capped at $10/hour for center care and $5/hour for home care.

No, if you receive MFIP during the term. If other assistance covers fewer than 40 hours/week, CCG may cover the remaining uncovered hours up to 40/week.

Yes. Students, must appeal first through their school’s appeal process. If not resolved, the school may forward the appeal to the Minnesota Office of Higher Education (OHE) for final review.

Note: OHE will not be able to reverse a schools denial decision if the denial was based on compliance with program rules or the schools written internal policies and procedures.

Please also remember to be respectful when communicating to financial aid administrators, directors, and OHE staff. 

Contact your school’s financial aid office regarding their special circumstance appeal process when income reported on FAFSA is not reflective of your current situation. 

The grant helps offset existing child care costs while you attend school. You must already be paying for care and show you can cover costs because funding is limited and not guaranteed. 

Providing false or misleading information on your Child Care Grant application is considered fraud. If it is discovered that you are not paying for child care, or that your provider is ineligible (such as a family member at the same address, or someone misrepresented as a provider), the following can happen:

• Immediate loss of eligibility for the Child Care Grant.
• Repayment of all grant funds you received while ineligible.
• Institutional or state disciplinary action, which may include suspension of financial aid.
• In cases of intentional fraud, referral to state authorities for investigation.

The program is funded with limited state dollars to help students who are genuinely paying for childcare so they can attend college. Misuse of funds takes resources away from other students and could result in serious consequences.

If you realize you’ve made an error, contact your financial aid office right away so they can help you correct it.