Public Safety Officer's Survivor Grant

 

If you have questions about this program, please contact the staff member listed on this page via email. If a staff member is not listed, please email info.ohe@state.mn.us and provide a detailed description of your question.

The Public Safety Officer's Survivor Grant provides educational benefits to dependent children and the surviving spouse of a public safety officer killed in the line of duty on or after January 1, 1973.

Who is Eligible?

Applicants must be enrolled in an undergraduate degree or certificate program or a graduate degree program after June 30, 2011, at an eligible Minnesota institution that participates in the State Grant Program and not have received benefits for the maximum of 10 full-time semesters or 15 full-time quarters. (A student who withdraws from enrollment for active military service or due to a major medical illness is entitled to an additional semester of grant eligibility.)

How Much Money Can You Get?

The annual full-time tuition and fee maximums are $16,106 for students in a 4-year degree or graduate program and $6,484 for students in a 2-year degree program, prorated for term length and enrollment level.

What Is the Application Process?

Applicants need to take a certificate of eligibility to the financial aid office at the school they attend or plan to attend. Awards need to be applied for each term. This certificate can be obtained from:

Minnesota Department of Public Safety
445 Minnesota Street, Suite 1000 NCL Tower
St. Paul, MN 55101
Tel: (651) 201-7164

Children of Fallen Heroes Scholarship

The maximum Pell Grant award for a full time student for the 2021-2022 award year is $6,495.

Who is Eligible?

A Pell-eligible student whose parent or guardian died in the line of duty while performing as a public safety officer is eligible to receive a maximum Pell Grant for the award year for which the determination of eligibility is made. The student must be less than 24 years of age or enrolled at an institution of higher education at the time of his or her parent's or guardian's death. In subsequent award years, the student continues to be eligible for this scholarship, as long as the student has a Pell-eligible Expected Family Contribution (EFC) and continues to be an eligible student. The EFC is calculated when a student files the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA).

How Much Money Can You Get?

The maximum Pell Grant award for a full time student for the 2019-2020 award year is $6,195.

How is the Award Determined?

To qualify for this scholarship, a student must be Pell-eligible and have a Pell-eligible EFC (up to $5,846 for the 2021-2022 award year).

What is the Application Process?

Apply for a Federal Pell Grant by completing the FAFSA on the Web or by downloading a paper FAFSA.

After filing the FAFSA, the student should contact the institution's financial aid administrator at the college or vocational school he or she is attending to ask what documentation the school needs in order to document the student's eligibility for the scholarship