Save Money on Michigan Tuition: Michigan Financial Aid

Get Michigan In-State Tuition

One of the more affordable ways to get a bachelor’s degree typically is to attend an in-State public school. Institutions have some discretion in how they determine if a student is a Michigan resident or not. Here is the guidance from the University of Michigan – Ann Arbor: https://ro.umich.edu/tuition-residency/residency. Here is the guidance from Michigan State University: https://reg.msu.edu/roinfo/notices/residency.aspx.

While in-State tuition for a public institution is not financial aid, it is subsidized. The cost of attending an in-State public institution should be compared against the cost of other institutions after financial aid awards are offered. Families often do not pay the sticker price.

Get a Michigan Grant to Go to a Private School

The Michigan Tuition Grant Program provides grant aid for Michigan residents to attend private schools. Eligible students must demonstrate financial need to be eligible for a grant under this program and enroll at least half-time. Students complete the Free Application for Federal Student Aid or FAFSA to apply for a grant under this program. Information about the Michigan Tuition Grant Program is available at: https://www.michigan.gov/mistudentaid/programs/michigan-tuition-grant.

The maximum size of a grant is $3,000 per year. Since in-State tuition for Michigan public schools is subsidized by the State, these grants help to “level the playing field” by providing a subsidy for Michigan residents to attend private schools in Michigan.

Michigan Need-Based Grants

The Michigan Achievement Scholarship provides need-based financial aid. Information about the program can be found at: https://www.michigan.gov/mistudentaid/programs/michigan-achievement-scholarship.

Students complete the FAFSA to apply for a grant under this program. Students must have very limited financial means to be eligible for these need-based awards. The students must have an Expected Family Contribution (EFC, this will soon be replaced by the Student Aid Index or SAI) of $25,000 or less to be eligible. The awards may be as large as $5,500 per year at a public university or $4,000 per year at a private university.

Other Michigan Grants and Scholarships

Michigan financial programs are more narrowly targeted to certain groups of students, which are included on this website: https://www.michigan.gov/mistudentaid/programs. These programs target aid to students who are: pursuing a teaching career, military-connected, dual enrolled, foster children, or children of deceased first responders.

Michigan Merit-Based Financial Aid

The Michigan Competitive Scholarship offers financial aid based on a combination of merit and need. Eligible students must have an SAT score of at least 1200, reside in Michigan, enroll at least half-time at a participating Michigan college, and demonstrate financial need. Students complete the FAFSA to apply for a grant under this program. The maximum size of these awards is $1,500 per year.

Perhaps more importantly, individual institutions distribute merit-based aid. Typically, the application for admission to the institution functions as the application for the scholarship. In addition, less selective institutions are typically more likely to provide merit-based financial aid than highly selective institutions.