How do you apply for Financial Aid?

Financial Aid Process

  1. 1

    Complete Your Aid Application

    FAFSA at studentaid.gov for U.S. citizens and eligible non-citizens.

    MN Dream Act Application for residents not eligible for the FAFSA.

  2. 2

    Application Sent to Riverland

    Your application is forwarded to Riverland for review.

  3. 3

    Riverland Reviews & Notifies

    Log into eServices to check your status. From there you can review your awards or submit requested documents.

  4. 4

    Review & Accept Awards

    Accept your awards in eServices. Loans require a separate request.

  5. 5

    Aid Disbursed to Your Account

    Aid applies to your account starting the third Friday of the term.

  6. 6

    Refund

    If you receive more aid than the charges on your account, you will get a refund through BankMobile.

Note: Separate applications and steps may be needed for outside scholarships.

There are a few ways to apply for financial aid. Most students start with the FAFSA. Choose the option below that fits you.

Avoid Student Aid Scams

Applying for the FAFSA and for scholarships is always free. The only official site for the FAFSA is studentaid.gov. If a website asks you to pay to apply or to "unlock" opportunities, it is likely a scam.

Learn how to protect yourself from student aid scams.

Remember: you should never have to pay to apply for federal student aid or scholarships.

Riverland FAFSA School Code: 002335

FAFSA is the Free Application for Federal Student Aid. Complete the FAFSA if you are a U.S. citizen or eligible non-citizen. If you are a Minnesota resident but do not meet either of these requirements, complete the MN Dream Act Application instead.

Whether you are a student or a parent, you will create your own Federal Student Aid (FSA) account to complete the FAFSA.

You will need:

  • Your Social Security Number (SSN). An option is provided for people who do not have an SSN.
  • Your own email address.

The FAFSA collects information about you and your family's income and assets, your dependency status, and other factors to determine your eligibility for federal aid, including Federal Direct Loans and the Federal Pell Grant. Minnesota also uses your FAFSA to check your eligibility for the Minnesota State Grant and certain other state aid. Many grants and scholarships require the FAFSA as part of their application too.

Review our tutorials for help creating your FSA account and completing the FAFSA. If you need more help, see our information page to email the financial aid department or request an appointment.

Good to know:

Other information needed for the 2026 to 2027 FAFSA:

Along with the SSN and email address above, you will need:

  • Access to your 2024 federal income tax return, for information that does not transfer automatically from the IRS.
  • Balance information for your checking, savings, and non-retirement investment accounts.

Once you start the FAFSA, you will be asked to give permission for your tax data to be transferred from the IRS. This permission is required to be eligible for federal financial aid.

The MN Dream Act lets students who are Minnesota residents, but do not meet the citizenship requirements for the FAFSA, apply for Minnesota's state financial aid programs.

If you complete the MN Dream Act application, you are reviewed for state aid, including the MN State Grant and the North Star Promise Scholarship.

Review eligibility and application details on the MN Office of Higher Education website. If you need help applying for the MN Dream Act, email financialaid@riverland.edu.

Scholarships are a form of financial aid you do not pay back. Riverland students can apply for over 500 scholarships with one general application, plus state and outside scholarships.

See all scholarships