Get Ready Student Success Scholarship

Interested students should complete the following steps and submit the required forms for consideration:

1. Create a MNAid Student Portal Account

   How to Create Your MNAID Student Portal Account.pdf
2. Fill out the Get Ready Student Success Scholarship Online Application. Within the online application, make sure to upload your official high school transcript.
    
3. Submit your 2026-27 FAFSA
    
4. Login to your MNAid Student Portal Account as early as July 2026 to submit the Scholarship Acceptance Form.

Expectations for Receiving the Scholarship:

Scholarship recipients must complete the interactive financial literacy modules prior to the start of your first term. (Link to module coming soon.)

Scholarship recipients must complete the Scholarship Acceptance Form between July 1 – August 15 to confirm their final institution/program of choice. The information provided will be used to verify the student’s official enrollment status at the institution for scholarship disbursement. Failure to do so could result in the delay of disbursement or forfeiture of the Get Ready Scholarship for the designated aid year or term.

If there is a change to your institution/program, start term, or credit load (less than 3 credits) after you have submitted your scholarship acceptance form, please email the Get Ready Scholarship and Alumna Services Specialist at mai.chue.ozcan@state.mn.us with any updates.

Who is Eligible?

To be eligible for scholarship consideration, an applicant must:

• be a Minnesota high school student enrolled in at least one full academic year at a Get Ready partner school, and participated in at least one Get Ready service or project during that time;
• be a current Minnesota high school senior graduating spring or summer 2026 from a Get Ready partner school, OR will have earned a GED equivalency before August 1, 2026, OR be a Minnesota high school graduate between 2024-2031 who was enrolled at a partnering Get Ready high school for at least one year and has NOT received a disbursement of the GRSSS;
• be a U.S. citizen or eligible non-citizen as defined by FAFSA;
• be a Minnesota resident;
• submit a completed scholarship application online before the deadline;
• be enrolled in a minimum of 3 credits at an accredited Minnesota college/university or eligible certification program for the 2026-27 academic school year;
• be under the age of 22 when the GRSSS is disbursed. 

Get Ready GEAR UP Minnesota is partnering with the following high schools to provide on-site direct service support for students during the 2024-2031 grant cycle. Students who attend(ed) one of these schools for at least one full academic year and participated in at least one Get Ready service, project, or sponsored event is eligible to apply for the GRSSS.

• Apollo High School
• Brooklyn Center High School
• Camden High School
• Cooper High School
• Fridley High School
• Laporte Secondary School
• Long Prairie-Grey Eagle Secondary School
• North High School
• Northome Secondary
• Red Lake Secondary School
• Roosevelt High School
• South High School
• Tech High School
• TrekNorth Senior High School
• Walker-Hackensack-Akeley Secondary School

An eligible institution is one that is a regionally accredited institution offering higher education instructions that is physically located within boundaries of the state of Minnesota. Additionally, the institution must be an active participant of the Minnesota State Grant program. Below is a comprehensive list of approved colleges, universities, and certification programs that have successfully supported Get Ready scholarship recipients with their post-secondary education in the past.

The GRSSS will be paid directly to an applicant’s intended postsecondary institution or program, AFTER the student’s enrollment has been verified. The scholarship will be split in half for a fall disbursement and spring disbursement. Students who do not use up their scholarship in either the fall OR spring term may submit a written request to Mai.Chue.Ozcan@state.mn.us, to have their remaining scholarship be disbursed over another qualifying term within the awarded academic year (i.e. summer 2027).

IMPORTANT NOTE ON ENROLLMENT CERTIFICATION:

Many institutions will not certify official enrollment until AFTER their final add/drop registration deadline. This could result in a delay of crediting the GRSSS to a student’s account until after the term has begun. Any monthly payment plan obligations that the student has enrolled in, interest charges accrued on unpaid balance, or late fees that are assessed on outstanding balances prior to the disbursement of the GRSSS will be the student’s/family’s responsibility to pay. Please reach out to the financial aid office or student accounts and billings office at the student’s institution/program with questions or concerns.

Am I eligible to apply or be considered if I have a low GPA?

Yes. While a minimum 2.0 cumulative GPA is recommended, so long as you have met the student eligibility requirements (see above), you can apply for the GRSSS.

Am I still eligible for the scholarship if I am an undocumented student who will graduate from a MN high school?

No. As a result of new federal regulations implemented in 2025, undocumented students will NOT be eligible to receive the Get Ready Student Success Scholarship. Applicants must be a U.S. citizen or eligible non-citizen, as defined by FAFSA, to be eligible for consideration.

Can I still apply if I participated as a Get Ready student at one high school but graduated from a different high school?

Yes, so long as you under 22 years of age when the scholarship is disbursed and your high school transcript shows that you were enrolled one full academic year at a partnering Get Ready school, you would still be eligible to apply. The high school that you graduated from will still need to be a Minnesota high school to fulfill Minnesota residency requirements.

Can I use this scholarship for colleges or universities outside of Minnesota?

No. The Get Ready Scholarship can only be used at an accredited Minnesota college/universities or eligible certification program that also participates in the Minnesota State Grant Program.

Do I have to be enrolled full-time to qualify for the scholarship?

No. You only need to be enrolled in a minimum of 3 credits per academic term at an eligible Minnesota institution, for a program leading to a 2-year or 4-year degree, or accredited diploma or certificate program.

Can I apply for the scholarship now, if I forgot to do so in my senior year of high school?

Yes. High school graduates from Get Ready partner schools who still meet the student eligibility requirements may apply for scholarship consideration in subsequent years within the active grant cycle (2024-2031). Students applying as such will be considered on second priority basis and will be contingent upon the availability of funds.

What qualifies as an accredited certification program?

Eligible certification programs are at least 12 quarter credits OR 8 semester credits OR 300 clock hours, that are 8 weeks long and offered through an institution of higher learning. Most qualifying accredited certification programs participate in the Minnesota State Grant program. Please reach out to your certificate program to inquire if they participate in the Minnesota State Grant program.

How are the scholarship award amounts determined?

Scholarship amounts are set for each academic year. For the 2026-27 academic school year, students attending a 2-year institution or eligible certification program may receive $1,000 per academic year. Students attending a 4-year institution, private or public, may receive $3,000 per academic year.

Is this scholarship renewable?

No, the scholarship is a one-time scholarship that must be used for the academic year that it was awarded. As an example, a 2026-27 Get Ready Scholarship can be used for the fall 2026 term, winter 2026/27 term, spring 2027 term, or summer 2027 term. It cannot be used for the fall 2027 term as this term is a part of the next academic year (2027-28).

Where can I look for additional scholarships?

Visit the Scholarship Resources page to review current scholarships that have been shared by other organizations with the Get Ready GEAR UP Minnesota program. These opportunities are informational only and are not administered through Get Ready GEAR UP Minnesota or the Minnesota Office of Higher Education.

How many scholarships will be awarded?

The number of scholarships awarded will be contingent upon the availability of funds, the number of eligible applicants, and the type of post-secondary institution or program that each applicant selects. Get Ready is committed to awarding $400,000 in total scholarship for the 2026-27 academic awarding year.

When will I find out if I won a scholarship?

Students who submit a completed scholarship application by the priority deadline will be notified by their high school college and career readiness coordinator between May and June. Students who submit a completed scholarship application after the priority deadline will be notified via postal mail on a rolling basis until August 1st or until the funds run out. Students can also log back into their MNAID Student Account Portal for a status update on their application.

When will I receive my scholarship?

The scholarship will be split into a fall disbursement and a spring disbursement and sent directly to the college/university or eligible certification program after enrollment and registration has been verified. Fall disbursements will be credited to a student’s account around late September. Spring disbursements will be credited to a student’s account in late February.

If a student received only one disbursement for fall or spring, they can submit a written request to Mai.Chue.Ozcan@state.mn.us to have the 2nd disbursement applied towards the summer term of the same academic award year; student must be enrolled in a minimum of 3 credits for the summer term to receive the disbursement. Timing of disbursement will vary based on timing of enrollment verification.

What am I required to do after I find out I have been selected as a scholarship winner?

With your institution/program:

1. Visit the campus, meet with admissions and faculty advisors, connect with other admitted students, and review financial aid to make a final college decision.
2. Review and submit required enrollment documents – immunization forms, payment authorization and acknowledgement form, payment plan registration, loan authorization, housing contracts, registration and orientation, etc.

With Get Ready GEAR UP Minnesota:

3. Login to your MNAid Student Account Portal in July to confirm your final college/program choice by submitting your scholarship acceptance form
4. Notify the Scholarship and Alumna Services Specialist, Mai Chue Ozcan of any changes to your post-secondary plans before August 15th.
5. Continue to reach out to the Scholarship and Alumna Services Specialist for resources and transitional support as needed during your first year in college.
6. Complete the interactive financial literacy modules in the summer, prior to the start of your first term. The learning module can be found at the following link: [LINK]

What if I’m not sure about my post-secondary plans to complete my scholarship acceptance form?

The Get Ready Scholarship & Alumna Services Specialist, Mai Chue Ozcan, can provide advising support and guidance to students who may be unsure about their postsecondary plans. Mai Chue is certified as an InsideTrack coach and has over ten years of direct service support and college advising experience. She can be reached via call/text at 651-706-6032 and is also available for virtual advising meetings at https://bit.ly/MaichueOzcan.

What happens if I receive the scholarship but don’t enroll in college in the fall of 2026?

Eligible Get Ready participants who applied and were awarded, but for any number of reasons declined the scholarship, may reapply in subsequent years as a second priority applicant, so long as they still meet the eligibility criteria and have NOT received a prior GRSSS disbursement. Because there is a set amount of funding per year that can be awarded, it’s important to let the Scholarship and Alumna Service Specialist know so that the funds can be re-awarded to another student on the waiting list.

Can I rollover my scholarship into a different academic year if none of my scholarship has been disbursed?

No, a scholarship awarded cannot be rolled over to a term in a different academic aid year. Scholarships must be used in the aid year it was awarded; for example, a 2026-27 scholarship award can be applied towards a fall 2026, winter 2026/27, spring 2027, or summer 2027 term. It cannot be disbursed use in fall 2027 as this term is considered a part of the new academic awarding year.

What if I decide to change my college or start term AFTER I submitted my scholarship accept form online?

All written notifications regarding any changes to an applicant’s postsecondary plans (i.e. changing institutions, registered for less than 3 credits, not enrolled for a specific term, declining award, requesting to extend scholarship to summer term, etc.) should be emailed to the Get Ready Scholarship & Alumna Service Specialist, Mai Chue Ozcan (She/Her/Hers), at Mai.Chue.Ozcan@state.mn.us.

Will the scholarship impact my financial aid award?

Yes, receiving the Get Ready Student Success Scholarship could impact your financial aid award offer with a college/university or eligible certification program. Per financial aid regulations, a student may only receive financial aid up to the cost of attendance or “total estimated expenses for one year at a college or university”; this typically includes tuition, room and board, books and supplies, transportation, and miscellaneous expenses. If the sum of permissible financial aid (i.e. grants and scholarships, gift aid, etc.) is more than the cost of attendance, the college/university may make adjustment to certain financial aid sources offered in your award package (i.e. work study, student loans, parent PLUS loans, institutional grants/scholarships).

What if I have additional questions or concerns?

You can contact the Get Ready Scholarship and Aluma Services Specialist, Mai Chue Ozcan at Mai.Chue.Ozcan@state.mn.us or 651-706-6032 (call/text). Additional information can also be online at our About Us page.