free college application month minnesota

Free college application opportunities for the 22-23 school year

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Many Minnesota colleges will charge no fee for applications this year. The Minnesota Office of Higher Education has collected all the pertinent information in a flier available to libraries and other community organizations.

Text courtesy of the Minnesota Office of Higher Education.

As Minnesota high school students think about applying to college, application fees should not be a barrier. There are many opportunities for students to apply to Minnesota institutions for free throughout the year. All the important details are available in this one-page document. For the 22-23 school year:

• 54 campuses do not charge an application fee for the whole month of October (College Knowledge Month). 
• 34 campuses never charge a fee at any time of year.
• All campuses that are part of the University of Minnesota, Minnesota State or the Minnesota Private College Council waive application fees at any time of the year for low-income students.

Free applications all year

4-YEAR PRIVATE COLLEGES Augsburg University Bethany Lutheran College Bethel University Carleton College College of Saint Benedict College of St. Scholastica Concordia College, Moorhead Concordia University, St. Paul Gustavus Adolphus College Hamline University Macalester College Saint John’s University Saint Mary’s University of Minnesota St. Catherine University St. Olaf College University of St. Thomas University of Northwestern –St. Paul

4-YEAR PUBLIC UNIVERSITIES Metropolitan State University St. Cloud State University

2-YEAR PUBLIC COLLEGES Anoka Technical College Anoka-Ramsey Community College Central Lakes College Fond du Lac Tribal and Community College Lake Superior College Minnesota State Community & Technical College Minnesota West Community & Technical College Normandale Community College Northland Community & Technical College Pine Technical & Community College Ridgewater College Riverland Community College Rochester Community & Technical College Saint Paul College South Central College

FREE APPLICATIONS DURING october (COLLEGE KNOWLEDGE MONTH)

4-YEAR PRIVATE COLLEGES Minneapolis College of Art and Design [promo code MCW2023]

4-YEAR PUBLIC UNIVERSITIES Bemidji State University Minnesota State University, Mankato Minnesota State University Moorhead Southwest Minnesota State University University of Minnesota, Crookston University of Minnesota, Morris [promo code Morris23] University of Minnesota, Rochester Winona State University

2-YEAR PUBLIC COLLEGES Alexandria & Community College Century College Dakota County Technical College Hennepin Technical College Inver Hills Community College Minneapolis College Minnesota North College Minnesota State College Southeast North Hennepin Community College [promo code CKM2022] Northwest Technical College St. Cloud Technical & Community College

FREE APPLICATIONS FOR LOW-INCOME STUDENTS ALL YEAR

All institutions and campuses that are part of the University of Minnesota, Minnesota State or the Minnesota Private College Council have committed to waiving application fees for qualified students throughout the year. The campuses listed above accept the NACAC Application Fee Waiver , including the U of M-Duluth. High school counselors and college admission staff can help a student make these arrangements when applying. The U of M-Twin Cities campus waives fees for qualified students within their admission application.

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Minnesota State Week, College Knowledge Month Offer Opportunity to Apply for Free

Posted: September 20, 2021

Contact: Doug Anderson, [email protected] , 651-201-1426

“With more than 3,800 extraordinary academic programs delivered in-person, online, or in hybrid mode, our colleges and universities offer the most affordable and accessible higher education options in the state,” said Devinder Malhotra, chancellor of Minnesota State. “We are very pleased to extend this offer and encourage students to take the next step towards their higher education goals.” 

Minnesota State Week is a promotion intended to drive student awareness and virtual and in-person campus visits, as appropriate. This year, Minnesota State Week is October 25 – 31. This timing immediately follows the K-12 MEA break – this is an outstanding time to take advantage of the many admissions events happening at the colleges and universities in mid-October and learn about available grants and scholarships, including Workforce Development Scholarships for students entering any of several high-demand careers. 

College Knowledge Month is a statewide college application initiative that occurs annually during the month of October. The goal is to provide graduating high school seniors, especially underrepresented students, with the support needed to apply for college. 

The colleges and universities of Minnesota State will celebrate these initiatives by waiving the undergraduate application fee students often pay when they apply for admission for all or part of October, depending on the school. Applications may be completed online or by contacting the college or university being considered. With the Minnesota State online application , students can apply to one or several Minnesota State colleges or universities by completing the application once.

Most Minnesota State colleges and universities are waiving undergraduate application fees for the full month of October. Some, denoted in the list below with an asterisk, are waiving fees from Oct. 25 – 31 only. Colleges and universities that never charge an undergraduate application fee are denoted in the list below with two asterisks. Application fees for qualified low-income students and active duty military service members deployed overseas can always be waived at every Minnesota State college and university.

If prompted for a promo code, applicants should use “CKM2021.” 

For more information, contact any of the Minnesota State colleges or universities, or visit www.minnstate.edu/minnstatewk. 

30 STATE COLLEGES : Alexandria Technical and Community College Anoka Technical College** Anoka-Ramsey Community College** Central Lakes College** Century College Dakota County Technical College* Fond du Lac Tribal and Community College Hennepin Technical College Hibbing Community College Inver Hills Community College* Itasca Community College Lake Superior College** Mesabi Range College Minneapolis College Minnesota State College Southeast Minnesota State Community and Technical College** Minnesota West Community and Technical College** Normandale Community College North Hennepin Community College Northland Community and Technical College** Northwest Technical College Pine Technical and Community College** Rainy River Community College Ridgewater College** Riverland Community College** Rochester Community and Technical College** St. Cloud Technical and Community College Saint Paul College** South Central College** Vermilion Community College 

SEVEN STATE UNIVERSITIES: Bemidji State University Metropolitan State University** Minnesota State University, Mankato Minnesota State University Moorhead Southwest Minnesota State University St. Cloud State University** Winona State University 

* Colleges and universities waiving fees for week of Oct. 25 to 31 ** Colleges and universities that never charge an undergraduate application fee 

During the COVID pandemic, the colleges and universities of Minnesota State are aggressively implementing multiple strategies to mitigate the risk of transmission and protect health and safety. Additional information is available from the COVID page of the Minnesota State website or the website of each of the Minnesota State colleges and universities.  

Minnesota State includes 30 community and technical colleges and seven state universities serving approximately 340,000 students. It is the third-largest system of two-year colleges and four-year universities in the United States.