Minnesota Public Safety Officer's Survivor Grant

About this scholarship

Minnesota's Public Safety Officer's Survivor Grant provides education benefits to surviving spouses and qualifying dependent children of public safety officers killed in the line of duty on or after January 1, 1973. Eligible students may pursue an undergraduate or graduate degree or a certificate at a Minnesota institution participating in the State Grant Program. For 2026–2027, the full-time maximum is $18,071 for a four-year or graduate program and $7,393 for a two-year program. The actual award is the lower of the institution's average full-time tuition and mandatory fees or the statutory program maximum, then is prorated for the student's credits and may be reduced if funding is insufficient. The official two-page application is live, with an August 31, 2026 priority deadline; later complete applications may be considered or waitlisted as funds permit. New applicants first obtain the Public Safety Officer's Benefit Fund Certificate from the Minnesota Commissioner of Public Safety. The student gives the signed student section and certificate to the campus financial-aid office, which completes the institution section and submits the package to the Office of Higher Education. Returning recipients must reapply annually.

Eligibility

• Be the surviving spouse or a dependent child of a public safety officer killed in the line of duty on or after January 1, 1973
• If applying as a dependent child, be under age 23 before the first enrolled term, or under age 30 after at least 181 consecutive days of active duty and honorable discharge or release
• Enroll in an undergraduate degree, graduate degree, or certificate program at an eligible Minnesota institution participating in the State Grant Program
• Obtain a Public Safety Officer's Benefit Fund Certificate from the Minnesota Commissioner of Public Safety
• Have received the benefit for fewer than ten full-time semesters or fifteen full-time quarters, subject to stated military and medical exceptions
• Complete and sign the student section and give it with the eligibility certificate to the campus financial-aid office
• Have the institution complete and submit its section to the Minnesota Office of Higher Education
• Reapply each academic year if seeking a renewal award