Gustavus Adolphus College

Aid categories include merit scholarships, state and federal grants and specialized low-income programs, including: 

• Presidential Scholarships: Awarded automatically based on your admission application. Values range up to $42,000 per year.
• The Gustie Guarantee: Free tuition for Minnesota families with an Adjusted Gross Income (AGI) under $80,000.
• Fine Arts Scholarships: Up to $8,000 per year for achievements in music, theater, dance, or art. Requires a separate application by November 8. 
• Minnesota State Grant: Need-based grant money reserved exclusively for Minnesota residents, worth up to several thousand dollars annually.

Gustavus Adolphus College does not have its own student loan program but offers internal payment adjustments, student employee payroll options and third-party partnerships. Available payment choices can help optimize out-of-pocket tuition costs.

• The Student Payroll Deduction Option: If you receive Federal Work-Study or campus employment, you can choose to have your earnings directly applied to your tuition balance instead of receiving a traditional paycheck.
• Flexible Month-by-Month Payment Plans: To avoid taking out alternative private student loans, families can bypass standard lump-sum semester billing by utilizing the college's internal Statement of Financial Responsibility (SFR) payment plans.
• Deferred Balancing: You can structure your bills to pay off tuition incrementally throughout the term.
• Clearance Deadlines: To keep your class schedule secure without registration holds, you must reduce your active balance to $500 or less (or pay a minimum of 75% of the total balance alongside an active repayment agreement) by November for the Fall term and April for the Spring term.

While Gustavus doesn't offer unique private college loans, its financial aid office fast-tracks access to regional programs:

• The Minnesota SELF Loan: The State of Minnesota allows both resident and non-resident students to access the Minnesota Student Educational Loan Fund (SELF), which often offers lower fixed or variable interest rates than federal or private loans.
• Employee Loan Forgiveness Assistance: Gustavus partners with TIAA and Savi to provide staff and student-employees with counseling for Public Service Loan Forgiveness (PSLF). You can check active payment plans and download forms through the Gustavus Student Accounts/Finance Office portal.

The Teacher Education Program at Gustavus Adolphus College participates fully in both federal and state-level teacher loan forgiveness, cancellation, and grant-to-loan programs.

Minnesota Student Teacher Grants: During your mandatory student teaching semester at Gustavus, where tuition is halved, you can apply for the Minnesota Student Teacher Grant. This grant offers up to $7,500 in non-repayable aid to students in approved teacher preparation programs who plan to teach in Minnesota's high-need areas or who are from underrepresented backgrounds.

Work-study is widely available, and you can absolutely work while enrolled at Gustavus Adolphus College. Roughly 70% of all students hold an on-campus job at some point during their time at Gustavus.