Riverland Community College

• Fill out the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) at https://studentaid.gov/h/apply-for-aid/fafsa . You will need the following for you and your parents (if you are a dependent student):
  • social security numbers,
  • 2023 Federal Income tax return for the 2025-2026 academic year (Fall 2025, Spring 2026, Summer 2026)
  • current bank and brokerage statements,
  •  FSA Account IDs. If you do not have an FSA Account ID, you need to create before you start the FAFSA.  You will need to allow 3-5 business days for FSA to verify your information with the Social Security Administration.  Sign up for one by clicking here. If you are a dependent student, your parent will also need an FSA Account ID.
• When you start the 2025 - 2026  FAFSA, you will need to give consent for your tax information to be transferred from the IRS by the Direct Data Exchange (DDX).  If you, or your parent if a dependent student, do not give consent, you will not be eligible for federal student aid. 
• Your FAFSA Submission Summary (FSS) will be available on your studentaid.gov Dashboard once your FAFSA has been processed.  Review the information on the FSS to make sure that it is correct. If you find an error, log back into your FAFSA and submit corrections.
• Once your FAFSA application is processed, the information will be sent to all the colleges you listed on the FAFSA.
• If you have already applied to Riverland, you can log in to your e-Services account using your StarID and password to review the status of your financial aid application.  Click on “Financial Aid” on the left side, then “Aid Application Status”. Here you will be able to see if you are required to submit additional information to the Financial Aid office. You may be chosen for a process called "Verification". There are a number of students randomly selected for verification each academic year. This means Riverland is required to document the information submitted on your FAFSA was correct.  If you are chosen for verification, we will not be able to continue processing your financial aid until we receive all the information required.  If your status says “Ready for Payment”, you will be able to see your award letter.
• While in your e-Services account, click 'Financial Aid' on the left side menu, to see your financial aid package. Be sure to read the letter carefully because it contains important information regarding financial aid. The “Award Letter” will state your eligibility for Federal Pell Grants, SEOG grants (if eligible and funding is available), MN State grant, and Federal Direct Subsidized and Unsubsidized loans. If you have applied for other grants and/or scholarships, they may not appear initially on your award letter. Examples of these types of aid would be the Postsecondary Child Care grant, MN GI Bill, MN Indian Scholarship, Veterans funding, and Riverland Foundation Scholarships.  Grants are aid that does not need to be repaid. loans need to be repaid plus interest.
• The amount of aid you are able to use from the eligible amounts listed in your "Award Letter" may depend upon how many credits you are enrolled in, to receive full aid you will have to be enrolled full-time, which is 12 credits, (15 credits for MN State Grant) or more.  We recommend you view your ‘Awards by Credit Level’ in your e-Services, under Financial Aid, to view the amount of your awards for the number of credits you are enrolled in.  Once you are enrolled in classes the grant amounts you can receive will apply directly to your tuition and fees after the 10th day of the semester.  Federal Direct Loans have additional steps.

After enrolling:
As stated above, grants will automatically be applied to your tuition and fees after the 10th day of the semester.  Loans and Work Study funds require additional paperwork if you choose to accept these awards. 
Work Study funds are awarded on a first come, first served basis. If Riverland runs out of funds, we will start a waiting list. Please speak to an Academic Advisor if you are interested in being added to this list. If you are awarded Work Study, you can find the list of available positions on our website by clicking here. Once you have been hired for a position, there is additional paperwork that will need to be filled out with your supervisor.

• If you choose to take out student loans, you will have another process to complete in order to receive those loans.  Log in to e-Services, go to Financial Aid from the left side menu, (verify you are viewing the correct semester, change if needed), click “Loans” to start the process.
• The Pre-Requirements page will indicate whether we have received your Loan Entrance Counseling and Master Promissory Note (MPN).  If we have not, click on the link to www.Studentaid.gov, hover over Loans and Grants, select Loan Entrance Counseling and a Master Promissory Note (MPN), to complete each.  Your loans cannot be applied to your account without completing these and being enrolled in at least six credits per term.
• On the Loan Application page, the amount of the loan request defaults to the full amount available.  If you would like a lesser amount, select the radio button for ‘Reduced loan amount for the loan period’ and enter the amount in the box.  NOTE:  the amount you request on this screen will automatically be split equally between Fall and Spring terms if you are enrolled in both.  Contact us at financialaid@riverland.edu to have the amount or terms changed.
• On the Loan Status page, you can check to see if your loans are still being processed or if they are certified.
• View the ‘Loan Request’ tutorial.

Once the loan process is complete, you will see the red lights on each tab have turned green. The loans will also say “Certified” rather than “Estimated” or “Accepted” under the “Awards” section of e-Services. Your loans will not be available to use for tuition, books, fees, or other charges until all these steps are complete.
Upon enrolling for classes, you will receive instructions on how to select a refund preference through BankMobile Disbursements/BMTX. Riverland Community College delivers your refund with via BankMobile Disbursements, a technology solution, powered by BMTX, Inc. Visit this link for more information: https://bankmobiledisbursements.com/refundchoices/.
All students can charge up to $800.00 of required books and school supplies at the Riverland Bookstore. If the cost of your books exceeds $800.00 you may be able to use your financial aid to charge your books to your student account. Contact the Financial Aid Department to obtain an authorization for the bookstore.  Charging books against your financial aid is only available for a limited time. You can find the dates that you are able to charge books here or on the bookstore's page http://bookstore.riverland.edu/AUSTIN/Home.aspx .
After the 10th day of the semester, any credits that you are registered for are considered for your enrollment level for financial aid purposes. Financial aid awards will be posted to your account and then disbursed with BankMobile Disbursements on the 11th day of the semester.