State Grant program key facts

The State Grant program provides crucial aid to Minnesota college students

Broad benefits

84,518 undergrads
Number of low- and middle-income Minnesota undergraduate students who receive need-based aid through the State Grant Program.

1 out of 3 MN undergrads
Share of all undergraduate students from Minnesota who receive need-based aid through the State Grant Program — the ratio is similar at public and nonprofit private institutions.

$50,000
Most students who receive State Grant awards are from families earning below this amount.

Impact on students at public and private institutions

67%
Share of all State Grant recipients who attend a public college or university.

15%
Share of all State Grant recipients who attend a private nonprofit college or university.

$2,696
Average annual State Grant award for students earning BA/BS degrees.

Need for ongoing re-investment

$3,496 gap
State Grant awards are calculated using an assumption for student living expenses that fall this far below the most recent estimate of actual expenses. This is just one example of how the program’s purchasing power has eroded over the last 25 years.

14 point drop
State Grant awards make up a shrinking share of students’ financial aid. State Grant awards accounted for 7% of financial aid in 2007, compared to 21% in 1999. Meanwhile, reliance on institutional grants and borrowing has grown.

$25,032
Average cumulative debt held by graduating seniors from Minnesota’s public and nonprofit private colleges in 2008. This amount was 28% higher than in 2004, when the average cumulative debt was $19,529.

1 out of 3 low-income students
Share of Minnesota students from low-income families who attend college, compared to more than 2 out of 3 students when income is not considered.

more than 4,000 Minnesotans
Annual gap between demand for new college-educated workers and expected supply in the coming decade.

Consequences of current State Grant deficit

$42 million
Current projected deficit in the State Grant program for the biennium that runs through June 2011.

9,363 students
Number of students who are projected to lose State Grant awards in the 2010-2011 academic year, as required by law, given the current program deficit.

18.5% drop
Projected average size of the cut in State Grant awards for the 2010-2011 academic year, as required by law, given the current program deficit.

• 2010 Legislative Agenda
• Sign up for the Legislative Action Network
• State Grant program benefits
• State Grant program background
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