Financial Aid and Scholarships for Online Bachelor's Students

Saint Mary’s accepts applications year-round. Apply at smumn.edu/apply .

Our staff will guide you through your financial aid offer and answer any questions you may have.

Complete the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) Fill out the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) at studentaid.gov to be considered for need-based aid from both Saint Mary’s and federal/state sources. 

• Use Saint Mary’s Federal School Code: 002380. 
• Make sure we have your Social Security Number on file so we can link your FAFSA when it’s received.

After you’re accepted and your FAFSA is processed, we’ll send your financial aid offer.

If you’re making a return to college, this $2,000 one-time scholarship was designed with you in mind. This is a competitive scholarship with the yearly application opening up in the summer through notification in Saint Mary’s Today for the Fall Semester. The exact number of scholarships awarded and amount is dependent upon the number of qualified applications received and generous benefactor funds. To qualify, you must:

• Be enrolled in an online bachelor’s degree program through the School of Advancing Studies
• Have earned at least 6 credits toward your degree
• Hold a cumulative GPA of 2.75 or higher with Saint Mary’s
• Demonstrate financial need
• Show strong motivation to learn and complete your degree
• Share how your judgment and life experience have shaped your academic journey

If your employer is part of our Trusted Partnership Program, you may be eligible for additional tuition discounts. We partner with businesses, school districts, healthcare systems, and nonprofits to help employees earn their degrees at a reduced rate.  Check if your employer is a Trusted Partner.

Whether you earned your associate degree last semester or decades ago, you’re eligible for a $500 scholarship each semester as a full-time student — or $250 per semester if you’re part time*. This award stacks with other financial aid, never to exceed the cost of tuition, helping to reduce your out-of-pocket costs every term.

*This is a non-need based scholarship, thus students are not required to complete a FAFSA to be eligible. However, scholarship recipients are still encouraged to complete the FAFSA to apply for other financial aid such as loans, grants, additional scholarships, and more.

If you’re enrolled at least half-time in a degree-granting program, you may be eligible for grants — available to U.S. citizens only. Grants are a type of aid that does not need to be repaid. Your aid package may include Pell Grants and/or State Grants

You must be enrolled at least half time in a degree program and submit the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA). Students may qualify for the Federal Direct Loan (also known as the Stafford Loan), pending approval by the Saint Mary’s Financial Aid Office. If you drop below half-time enrollment during the semester:

• All or part of your loan funds for that semester may need to be returned to the lender.
• This could result in a balance owed to Saint Mary’s if we are required to return the funds.
• If you already received a refund check, you may owe repayment directly to the lender.

Because enrollment status can affect your loan eligibility, it’s important to speak with our Student Central Team before making changes to your course load. We’re here to help you understand your options and make informed decisions.

Private loans are used to bridge the gap between the cost of education and the amount of other financial aid received. You should exhaust all federal loan programs before applying for private loans.

There are many different private loan programs offered; please take the time to compare the terms and conditions of all private loans you are considering.

We have provided a Private Loan Options List as a service to students, and it is intended to assist in the selection of a lender. The selection of a lender is solely your choice and you may use any other lender outside of this list that may better suit your needs. Saint Mary’s does not endorse any one lender listed and will certify any private loan you are eligible to receive.

Lender List

The lender options shown above are unaffiliated lenders who provide students with loan programs that have longevity in the loan industry, provide good customer service to borrowers, offer competitive interest rates, and may offer a look back feature for past due balances. These lenders are also compatible with FastChoice and ScholarNet to ensure efficient certification and disbursal of loan funds to Saint Mary’s. Lenders not associated with these loan programs will be processed by paper certification and paper check disbursal.

Use the Electronic Lender List and Loan Comparison Chart to find the loan that best fits your needs.

Code of Conduct for Lenders

The Financial Aid Office of Saint Mary's is committed to providing objective information about lenders in a professional manner in order to assist you and your family in making informed decisions. The Financial Aid Code of Conduct for Lenders describes how Saint Mary's maintains this commitment and can be downloaded below. You may also view a hard copy in the Financial Aid Office.

Code of Conduct

The Subsidized Federal Student Loan is interest-free until the repayment period, which begins six months after active enrollment ends or when you drop below half-time status. Must demonstrate financial need on the FAFSA. 

The Unsubsidized Federal Student Loan is not interest-free, but interest payments may be paid or deferred while in school. It does not require a financial need to qualify.

Before receiving a student loan, borrowers must complete an online entrance counseling session. This interactive counseling session will help you understand:

1. How the loan process works;
2. Managing your education expenses;
3. Other financial resources to consider to help pay for your education; and
4. Your rights and responsibilities as a borrower.

The online entrance counseling session will take you approximately 15-30 minutes to complete. To get started:

1. Go to www.studentloans.gov
2. Log in using your FSA ID username and password
3. Select "Complete Counseling"
4. Select "Start Entrance Counseling".
5. Select “Minnesota” and “Saint Mary’s University of Minnesota” from drop down boxes.
6. Select “Notify This School.”
7. Select Student Type and Continue
8. Complete entrance counseling by answering all questions
9. Click “Submit”
10. Print the Entrance Counseling for your records.

The Federal Stafford Loan and Federal Direct Loan Exit Counseling is used when a student has borrowed in a federal loan program and has dropped below half time status (please see definition listed below).

It is mandatory that this counseling information be completed by students in order to receive their rights and responsibilities of repaying their student loans.

Please click on the Federal Stafford and Federal Direct Loan Exit Counseling link in order to complete the exit counseling.

*Please note: It does not matter which loan program (Federal Stafford Loan or Federal Direct Loan) you have borrowed from. The exit counseling is the same for both programs.

Federal Stafford & Federal Direct Loan Exit Counseling

*Half-time status is defined as the following:

1. Graduate students must maintain the following: a minimum of 4 credits per term or an equivalent to this OR if you are registered by a learning contract, you must maintain one credit per month of your contract. (Example: 7-month contract must have at least 7 credits in order to be half-time)
2. Undergraduate students must maintain the following: a minimum of 6 credits per term.

Click here to see the allowed amounts of Direct Subsidized and Unsubsidized Loans you are eligible to borrow. Actual amount is based on the cost of attendance.

Institutions that enter into an agreement with a potential student or parent of a student regarding a Title IV loan are required to inform the student or parent that the loan will be submitted to the National Student Loan Data System (NSLDS) and will be accessible by servicers, guaranty agencies, lenders, and institutions determined to be authorized users of the data system.  Students can access their information as well at www.studentaid.gov. In compliance with federal regulations under HEOA Sec. 489 amended Sec. 485B (d) (4) (20 U.S.C. 1092b) the College is required to notify you that approved loans will be submitted to the National Student Loan Data System (NSLDS) by the U. S. Department of Education and will be accessible by servicers, guaranty agencies, lenders, and institutions determined to be authorized users of the data system as determined by the U. S. Department of Education. Terms and conditions Terms and conditions of Title IV, HEA loans terms and conditions of Federal Student Loans are listed on the Master Promissory Note signed by a borrower accepting the loan. The Stafford Promissory Note is completed online through https://studentaid.gov/.