Moorhead colleges watching projected $210.5 million shortfall in State Grant Program
By Ingrid Harbo
December 04, 2024
Vice President of Strategic Enrollment Management Jason Trainer participated in the following story about the Minnesota State Grant Program.
MOORHEAD — For Jesus Gonzalez, the Minnesota State Grant is one of the supports allowing him to attend Concordia College in Moorhead.
Gonzalez, a senior studying finance, and his brother, who attends the University of St. Thomas in St. Paul, both receive the need-based grants for Minnesota residents attending colleges and universities in Minnesota.
“As part of being able to afford college as this whole package, the State Grant goes into there and is a big supporter of that,” Gonzalez said.
But in future years, the outlook for the financial aid program is uncertain. In a report issued Nov. 1, the Minnesota Office of Higher Education reported the program is facing a projected shortfall of $210.5 million in fiscal years 2026 and 2027.
Comments by Jason:
At public schools, the outlook is a little different than at private schools, said Jason Trainer, vice president of strategic enrollment management at Minnesota State University Moorhead. At MSUM, the North Star Promise will cover the gap for many students who have received the state grant.
“There’s not 100% overlap, but the vast majority of our students that would be receiving a state grant would just have that extra gap picked up by the North Star Promise program,” Trainer said.
This year, of the 896 MSUM students that received the State Grant, 80% qualified for the North Star Promise.
“There is a segment of the students, though, that would lose that funding and we would have to figure out if we’re going to make that up through other institutional funds,” Trainer said.