STATE OF MISSOURI FINANCIAL AID PROGRAMS

For more detailed information on state financial aid programs contact:

Missouri Department of Higher Education

3515 Amazonas Drive

Jefferson City, MO 65109-5717

Phone: 573-751-2361

Fax: 573-751-6635

MOSTARS Information Center: (800) 473-6757

http://www.mo.gov/education/financial-aid-for-college/

YOU MUST GO TO THE WEBSITE FOR ALL AVAILABE INFORMATION ON EACH OF THE PROGRAMS

The following are financial aid programs available to students who are residents of the state of Missouri.

Access Missouri Financial Assistance Program

This is a need-based program designed to be simple to understand, provide predictable, portable awards, and increase access to your school of choice. Your financial eligibility is determined by your Expected Family Contribution (EFC) as calculated through the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA).

A+ Scholarship Program

Effective August 28, 2010, the Missouri Department of Higher Education (MDHE) began administering the postsecondary scholarship component of the A+ program. Further details regarding the transition and other program changes will be available on this web page as they become available. Check back often for the most current information.

If you have specific questions about the A+ program, there are two ways to get answers:

• If your question is about the scholarship component, please contact the Missouri Department of Higher Education at (800) 473-6757, option 4.
• If your question is about the school improvement component for high schools, you should contact the Department of Elementary and Secondary Education at (573) 751-1394.

Bright Flight Program

The Missouri Higher Education Academic Scholarship Program is a merit-based program that encourages top-ranked high school seniors to attend approved Missouri postsecondary schools.

Kids’ Chance Scholarship Program

This scholarship is available to children of workers who were seriously injured or died in a work-related accident covered and compensated by workers’ compensation. A serious injury is one that led to a paid settlement or judicial award and is verified with information from the Missouri Division of Workers’ Compensation.

The MDHE partners with Kids’ Chance, Inc. of Missouri, an organization that offers a similar, private scholarship, to identify eligible students. If you do not receive the state Kids’ Chance scholarship, you may be able to receive the private Kids’ Chance scholarship. The information below pertains only to the state scholarship. For information about the private scholarship visit www.mokidschance.org.

Marguerite Ross Barnett Memorial Scholarship

This need-based scholarship was established for students who are employed while attending school part-time.

Minority Teaching Scholarship

This is a program designed to attract academically talented minority individuals into the teaching profession. Through this program, students enrolled in approved teacher education programs receive loans to assist with educational expenses. For students who meet all of the program’s obligations, the loans are forgiven through conversion to a scholarship (gift aid).

Minority and Underrepresented Environmental Literacy Program

This is a scholarship designed to assist academically talented minority and underrepresented individuals pursuing a bachelor’s or master’s degree in an environmental course of study. Previously administered by the Missouri Department of Natural Resources (DNR), the Missouri Department of Higher Education (MDHE) became responsible for this scholarship in July 2009.

Public Service Officer or Employee’s Child Survivor Grant Program

This program provides tuition assistance to certain public employees and their families if the employee is killed or permanently and totally disabled in the line of duty.

Vietnam Veteran Survivor Grant Program

Up to 12 grants are available annually to children and spouses of Vietnam veterans who served between 1961 and 1972 and whose deaths were attributed to, or caused by, exposure to toxic chemicals during the Vietnam conflict. The veteran must have been a Missouri resident when first entering the military service and at the time of death.

Wartime Veteran’s Survivors Grant Program

These grants are available annually to children and spouses of Veterans whose deaths or injuries were: a result of combat action or were attributed to an illness that was contracted while serving in combat action, or who became 80% disabled as a result of injuries or accidents sustained in combat action since September 11, 2001. The total number of veterans that may receive a grant in any year is limited by statute to 25. The veteran must have been a Missouri resident when first entering the military service or at the time of death or injury. The Missouri Veteran’s Commission determines whether the veteran meets the program’s requirements.