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To determine how much financial aid you are eligible for, start with the Free Application for Federal Student Aid. The FAFSA is the form you will use whether you are applying for federal loans, work-study, grants or a combination of these.

Create your StudentAid.gov account. Students and any contributors will need their own accounts.

Fill out the . ������Ƶ's school code is 003471. Be sure to use your name exactly as it appears on your Social Security Card, or your application may be rejected. Go through ; and complete your at if you plan to use any of the loan funding offered through the FAFSA. If this is not finished, you will not receive the loan.

The FAFSA priority date at South Dakota State University is March 1, 2025 for the 2025-2026 school year. Students can still complete the FAFSA after this date however, students with completed FAFSAs before this date could be eligible for additional priority funding.

Keep in mind that if the information on your financial aid application does not accurately show your family's circumstances, or if your financial status has changed significantly, you should contact our office to discuss with a counselor if changes should be made.

See the videos below for help on each section of the FAFSA.

Starting the FAFSA

Personal Circumstances and Demographics

Financials

Select your Schools

Review, Sign and Submit

Verification Requirements

Students may be selected for verification. To see if you have any verification requirements, please log into your financial aid self service. To access the portal, log into and click on the Dashboard tab then locate the Financial Aid Self Service item on your Dashboard. Follow the instructions to access Financial Aid Self Service. If you have not previously logged into your MyState account, please go to . In the upper right-hand corner click the "Sign In" button and follow the directions under "MyState First Time Login" on the right. 

General Eligibility Requirements

To receive federal financial aid, students must meet the following :

Have a high school diploma or GED. Be admitted to ������Ƶ as a degree seeking student (with enough credits to be at least a half-time student).

If you meet these requirements, to determine exactly what kind of offer you may receive.

• Have a valid Social Security Number.
• Be a U.S. citizen or permanent resident. Students here on a student visa (F1 or F2) or an exchange visitor visa (J1 or J2) are classified as non-eligible non-citizens and do not qualify for federal financial aid. The International Student Affairs Office can provide further information regarding financial assistance.
• Maintain satisfactory academic progress.

You can access your financial aid offer on our student portal. To access the portal, log into and click on the Dashboard tab then locate the Financial Aid Self Service item on your Dashboard. Follow the instructions to access Financial Aid Self Service. If you have not previously logged into your MyState account, please go to . In the upper right-hand corner click the "Sign In" button and follow the directions under "MyState First Time Login" on the right. 

To accept or decline your financial aid offer once you are logged into your Financial Aid Self Service: 

• View the upper right side of the page and ensure you see South Dakota State and the 2024-2025 Award Year 
• Select View Questions in the red box under “Responses Required” and answer the questions (you can omit this step if you previously answered these questions). 
• Select the Award Offer tab
• Use the Take Action dropdown box to accept and decline individual awards 
• Select Submit at the bottom of the page 

If you accept federal loan funding you will need to complete the following two items before you can receive your loans

The MPN and ELC are available to complete anytime; however, they will not show up as completed in your Financial Aid Self Service until May.

This can be done at StudentAid.gov. You will need to log in with your student FSA ID.

This can be done at StudentAid.gov. You will need to log in with your student FSA ID.

Your bill can be viewed before the start of the semester by going to SDePay. You can look at your total bill and subtract the amount of financial aid that you will receive to determine your "out of pocket" costs. To cover your remaining balance, you can set up a payment plan with the cashiers office, have your parents apply for a Parent PLUS loan at StudentAid.gov or take out a loan with a private lender.

     Alternative and Private Loans