Financial Aid
To apply for financial aid at Hennepin Tech, a student must complete the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) at StudentAid.gov and include Hennepin Tech’s school code, 010491. Once this step is complete, view your eServices account to check your financial aid status. Hennepin Tech hosts FAFSA complete sessions designed to assist students, step by step, in completing the FAFSA. Sign up for a FAFSA Complete session on the Hennepin Tech website at: HennepinTech.edu/Get-Started
After the Financial Aid Office has all the required paperwork and the student has declared a major that is at least 16 credits in length, a notification email will be sent to the student instructing them to obtain an award letter on eServices.
The award letter shows what the student will receive at each credit level and it also shows how much the student may borrow in Federal Direct Stafford loans. The award letter shows the awards for both fall and spring terms. An award letter will be issued for summer term only if a student enrolls for classes for summer term.
Awards on the award letter may include the following. Not all students will be awarded all awards.
- Federal Pell Grant
- MN State Grant
- Federal Supplemental Educational Opportunity Grant (SEOG)*
- Federal Direct Stafford Loan, Subsidized, and/or Unsubsidized
- Work Study, Federal or State*
*Funds for these programs are limited and are awarded on a first-come basis
Required Semester Credit Level for Federal Grants (all terms)
| Full-time |
12 or more credits |
| Three-quarter time |
9 to 11 credits |
| Half-time |
6 to 8 credits |
| Less than half-time |
1 to 5 credits |
Required Semester Credit Level for Minnesota State Grant (all terms)
| Full-time |
15 or more credits |
Minimum enrollment level for a MN State Grant is 3 credits. Awards vary at each credit level.
Required Semester Credit Level for Federal Direct Stafford Loans
| Half-time or greater |
6 or more credits |
Yearly Federal Direct Stafford Loan Limits
| Dependent Student Grade Level One (completed less than 30 credits): |
$5,500 |
| Dependent Student Grade Level Two (completed 30 or more credits): |
$6,500 |
| Independent Student Grade Level One (completed less than 30 credits): |
$9,500 |
| Independent Student Grade Level Two (completed 30 or more credits): |
$10,500 |
Other loan options not listed on the Hennepin Tech award letter
- Federal Direct PLUS (Parent Loan for Undergraduate Students)
- The SELF Loan (MN State Aid Program)
- Private education loans
Other grant options at Hennepin Tech but not listed on the Hennepin Tech award letter
The MN Child Care Grant is available for students with child care costs. A separate application is required for this grant and awarding is based on the availability of funds. Priority is given to returning child care grant recipients.
Transferring Financial Aid to Hennepin Tech
- The financial aid awards at one school do not automatically transfer to another school.
- The student transferring to our school (010491) must add our school code to their FAFSA.
- All financial aid, including future loan disbursements, at the first school must be cancelled by the student. Failure to cancel loans could result in a delay of receiving loans at Hennepin Tech.
Pell Census Date (Federal Pell Grant Recipients Only)
Pell Grant awards do not increase automatically for students who add a class after the Pell census date, which is a date where enrollment levels are “locked” for Pell recipients.
Students who add courses after the Pell Census Date are not eligible for the Pell Grant without filing a Pell Census Appeal form with the financial aid office. For unique situations, such as a course cancellation of one section causing enrollment in a different section, there is a Pell Census Date Appeal Form. If the appeal is approved, the late add course will be made Pell eligible.
Aid Disbursement
Financial aid disbursement begins the third week of each term. Disbursements to students are made weekly in the form of direct deposit or paper check (paper checks are not available for pick up) but are made no later than 14 days after the credit balance occurs. Adjustments to aid may be made after disbursement if a student’s course schedule changes. Requests to cancel a loan must be made in writing to the Financial Aid Office and if the loan has been disbursed, the amount to be canceled must be returned to HTC.
Purchasing Textbooks and Required Supplies with Financial Aid
Students who have submitted a FAFSA will be allowed to charge textbooks and required supplies in the Campus Store prior to financial aid disbursement. The amount of eligibility varies by program of study. Students whose FAFSA or academic record indicates significant issues impacting aid eligibility may not receive this service until those issues are resolved.
Withdrawal from College/Return of Title IV Funds
Federal law specifies how the college must determine financial aid eligibility if a student withdraws from the college or does not begin attending a course. If a student completely withdraws from all credits for a term before the 60% point of that term or does not begin attending a class, the financial aid disbursed may be recalculated according to the State and Federal Return of Title IV Funds. Return of financial aid calculations are performed no later than 30 days after determining the student withdrew or stopped attending classes. Funds are returned to the Federal/State Aid Programs no later than 45 days after determining the student withdrew or stopped attending classes.
Students earn financial aid in proportion to the time they are enrolled at the college. The unearned share of financial aid is returned in the following order: Federal Direct Unsubsidized Stafford Loan, Federal Direct Subsidized Stafford Loan, Federal Direct PLUS Loan, Federal Pell Grant, Additional Federal Pell Grant, Federal SEOG. State financial aid programs are refunded to the Minnesota Office of Higher Education/State of Minnesota. The student may need to repay a portion of financial aid he/she received.
Failure to attend a class may lead to the return of Federal financial aid, but it does not qualify as a withdrawal from the college unless the student completes a withdrawal form.
If you do not receive all of the funds that you have earned, you may be due a post-withdrawal disbursement. If the post-withdrawal disbursement includes loan funds, you may choose to decline the loan funds so that you don’t incur additional debt. HTC may automatically use all or a portion of your post-withdrawal disbursement (including loans funds if you choose to accept them for tuition and fees). For all other charges, HTC needs your permission to use the post-withdrawal disbursement but the funds will be offered. However, it may be in your best interest to keep the funds to reduce your debt at the school.
Attendance and Last Date of Attendance (LDA)
Attendance is required for students receiving financial aid. Financial aid recipients who do not attend their courses will have an adjustment made to their aid. The aid adjustment could result in a balance due to the college and a late charge.
In some cases, there may not be a change in the aid because the student’s new credit level is still within the award’s credit range. Students who have applied for financial aid and do not plan on attending must drop their courses before the fifth (5th) day of the term.
For students not receiving a passing grade in a course, the financial aid office must determine the last date of attendance (LDA) to be in compliance with federal regulations. To meet this requirement, the school implemented a process for determining why a grade of F was issued.
Below are the reasons for an F and the impact on financial aid:
| Reason for F |
Impact on Financial Aid |
| Never attended/participated* |
Not eligible for financial aid |
| Stopped attending classes** |
Reduction in financial aid |
| Attended class and didn’t pass the class |
Financial aid does not change |
* Participation, in this context, refers to student involvement in academic activities including, but not limited to, classroom attendance and/or online course activities. Logging into D2L or other online course delivery platforms alone does not constitute participation in an academic activity.
** If a student stops attending one class after aid is disbursed and completes other class(es), adjustments to aid may need to be made.
Third Party Authorization/Agency Funding
The third party billing process allows agencies and employers to pay a student’s educational costs. The agency or employer submits a written authorization based on information the student provides to them. Use of the Hennepin Technical College Third Party Authorization for Payment form (available online) is preferred, but the authorization may be in the form of a purchase order or the third party’s own form, as long as all required information is provided. A Third Party Authorization must be received by the college prior to the tuition payment deadline to avoid the student’s registration from being cancelled. If the third party paperwork cannot be submitted before the tuition payment deadline, the student should pay the outstanding balance or enroll in the NELNET/FACTS tuition payment plan until the third party paperwork is received and processed. Any payments made by the student will be refunded once the third party authorization is in place.
Once the semesters’ add/drop period has passed and financial aid has applied to student accounts, the college will invoice the agency or employer. The student is ultimately responsible for their educational costs. If for any reason the third party does not pay all or a portion of the student’s charges, the student will need to pay any remaining balance.
The college does not accept authorizations for payment that require a course to be completed or a certain grade to be achieved before payment is made. Students with this type of authorization will need to pay their tuition by the tuition due date and then seek reimbursement from their agency or employer.
Scholarships
Information about scholarships from Hennepin Tech and other sources is available on the Hennepin Tech website at: HennepinTech.edu/Scholarships
The application form for Hennepin Tech Foundation Scholarships is available on the Hennepin Tech website. Additional information pertaining to scholarship eligibility is listed on the application. Foundation Scholarships are based on both merit and/or financial need. At the time of selection and disbursement, scholarship recipients must be making satisfactory academic progress and be registered for the appropriate number of credits required for the scholarship(s) they’re applying for.
Veterans Education Benefits
Any veteran seeking to utilize their education benefits must submit an application to the Veterans Administration (VA). Each semester the student is planning to receive benefits, the college’s certifying official must be notified by Veterans Enrollment Certification-Deferment Request Form. The college’s role is to report to the VA the student’s enrollment information. This is called the Enrollment Certification.
The certifying official must report any changes to the student’s declared major, credit level, address, course schedule, etc., to the VA. Schedule changes after the initial Enrollment Certification may change the amount of benefits.
Hennepin Tech complies with Minnesota Statue 197.775 which exceeds all criteria of Title 38 United States Code Section 369(e).