Southwest Minnesota State University: Courses, Admission, Cost

The university was originally born as Southwest Minnesota State College (SMSC) in 1964. On 19 September 1967, it accepted its first batch of students. It was on August 1, 1975, that the institution became Southwest State University (SSU), and retained its name for almost 30 years until the Southwest Minnesota State University (SMSU) name was adopted on July 1, 2003.

Southwest Minnesota State University is amongst the top four-year public universities that deliver a high-quality degree in liberal arts and trades to train you for a socially and professionally prosperous life. Southwest Minnesota State University trains students as committed people of their local and global cultures to face the diverse demands of this century. Its rigorous degree programs, delivered in the tradition of liberal arts, are committed to linking scholarly and realistic career learning experiences of students in southwestern Minnesota with the broader world.

The Student Financial Aid Office's mission is to provide students seeking financial aid with equal, equitable, and impartial support. This campaign promotes the university's goal by helping students with financial resources to allow them to register and complete their academic programs. The agency maintains that federal and state financial aid to students is provided under the laws and regulations defined by the respective education departments. The Student Financial Aid Office manages all financial support from the federal, state, and university, including grants, scholarships, student jobs, and student loans. Students receive an assistance package which is decided based on the need of the student as calculated by the FAFSA results and the tuition rate for their course.

Grants are given out on the basis of financial necessity as determined by FAFSA results. Grants are gift accounts, which do not require redemption. A financial aid award for a student will be inclusive of grant funds based on the guidelines issued. The grants offered by the university are Federal Pell Grant, FSEOG, Minnesota GI Bill Program, MN Dream Grant, Minnesota State Grant Program, TEACH Grant, and Post Secondary Child Care Grant Program. Although all consider the highest-successful candidates, the first form of scholarship is based solely on merit, and the second on merit and financial necessity. It offers scholarships like New Undergraduate Student Scholarships, Continuing Undergraduate Student Scholarship, Minnesota Indian Scholarship Program, and Oscar and Cora Sather Endowed Scholarship. Loans are amounts that students borrow and need to be repaid. The amount of the loan depends on students and their families. The university provides students three classes of the loan – Graduate Loans, Plus Loans, and Private Loans.