OHE News Update





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*June/July 2025*






In this Issue:

* Introducing the New OHE Suite of Websites [ #link_2 ]
* OHE Celebrates Juneteenth Across Minnesota [ #link_3 ]
* 80 Minnesota Businesses Awarded Funds to Support Employee Training [ #link_4 ]
* OHE Awards Over $550,000 to Support Inclusive Higher Education in Minnesota [ #link_5 ]
* 2026-27 FAFSA Updates Have Been Announced [ #link_1 ]
* Labor and Industry Announces 2025 Youth Skills Training Grant Recipients [ #link_6 ]





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Introducing the New OHE Suite of Websites
Screen shot of the new OHE website on a laptop screen.

The Office of Higher Education (OHE) is excited to announce the launch of a completely redesigned OHE website. This new site comes with many upgrades in an effort to provide students, educators and professionals easy to find and up-to-date information. A few of the highlights of this new site include mobile responsiveness, robust search functionality and user-friendly design. In addition to the primary OHE site being updated other OHE sites and partner sites have been updated:


* Get Ready Minnesota [ [link removed] ]
* Minnesota Goes To College [ [link removed] ]
* MNP20 [ [link removed] ]
* SELF Loan [ [link removed] ]

Update Your Bookmarks

If you have any OHE pages bookmarked, it is time to update those links. Along with a fresh new look, the URL has also been updated to align with other state agencies. Old bookmarks will continue to work through redirects but these redirects are temporary. 

*Explore the New Website → * [ [link removed] ]


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OHE Celebrates Juneteenth Across Minnesota
Three images combined into one, showcasing people working at the different booths.

This June, the Office of Higher Education proudly participated in two vibrant Juneteenth celebrations: The 5th Annual Juneteenth Celebration in Winona, presented by “Our Voices” with Theatre Du Mississippi and R.O.A.R., and a Juneteenth Celebration - Career & Resource Fair hosted by the Anika Foundation at the Minnesota State Capitol. Together, these events welcomed several community members to the OHE booths, where visitors explored OHE’s wide range of programs and financial aid—including the North Star Promise—and shared excitement about potential career opportunities with the agency. We were honored to join in commemorating freedom and promoting access to higher education for all.

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80 Minnesota Businesses Awarded Funds to Support Employee Training

$5 Million award in the Dual Training Grant

Monday, the Minnesota Office of Higher Education (OHE) announced the 2025 recipients of the Dual Training Grant. In total, $5.044 million was awarded to 80 Minnesota businesses. The funds will allow companies in high-demand industries to fund dual training programs for 902 employees.

OHE’s Dual Training Grant program partners with *Minnesota Dual-Training Pipeline* [ [link removed] ] at the Minnesota Department of Labor and Industry (DLI) to help employers meet their workforce needs by creating earn-and-learn programs for employees.



*Read the Full Release → * [ [link removed] ]


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OHE Awards Over $550,000 to Support Inclusive Higher Education in Minnesota

Over $550,000 awarded to Support Inclusive Higher Education in Minnesota

To enable more colleges and universities in Minnesota to develop or enhance existing inclusive higher education pathways, the Office of Higher Education (OHE) has awarded three campuses with Inclusive Higher Education grants, totaling over $550,000.

“Breaking down barriers to higher education requires increasing accessibility,” OHE Commissioner Dennis Olson said.  “I want to thank Lake Superior College, Central Lakes College, and Normandale College for their commitment to supporting students with intellectual and developmental disabilities. I look forward to seeing their work to make their campuses a place where all Minnesotans can thrive.”



*Read the Full Release →* [ [link removed] ]


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Financial Literacy: An Essential Life Skill That Helps You Through College and Beyond

Hands holding a piggy bank.

College might be the first time you’re managing money on your own. Whether it’s paying for books, handling rent, or deciding how much to borrow in student loans, your financial choices now can shape your future.

Understanding money management is one of the most essential skills you will ever learn to make your money count instead of pinching pennies. And you don’t need a finance degree to build strong financial habits.



*Read the Full Blog →* [ [link removed] ]


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2026-27 FAFSA Updates Have Been Announced

Federal Student Aid (FSA) recently announced updates related to the roll-out of the 2026-27 FAFSA. First, beginning in August, all new users who create a StudentAid.gov account with a Social Security number will have their account verified immediately. This is a huge improvement from the former verification process, which could take 1-3 days and would prevent a student from easily moving through the entire submissions process in one sitting.

Second, students who need to invite a parent or spouse as a contributor will be able to do so using an email address instead of asking for personally identifiable information for their contributor. The email will generate a unique, non-case sensitive code that the contributor will use to accept their invitation. Email invitation will simplify the invite process and allow students to invite their contributors without needing to know information such as a parent Social Security number or date of birth. Visit the FSA Knowledge Center [ [link removed] ] for more information about these two updates.

Finally, FSA has announced the timeline for beta testing for the 2026-27 form. Beta 1 will begin on August 4, with a limited group of partners across the country. Beta 2 is set to begin in late August or early September. Starting with beta 2, any student or parent will be able to request participation in beta testing via the StudentAid.gov website. The regular application window for the 2026-27 FAFSA is set to open by October 1st, at which time any student can apply.

Federal Student Aid’s Knowledge Center [ [link removed] ] has regular updates and important information about FAFSA, and anyone can subscribe [ [link removed] ] to receive their updates via email.  

*Learn More →* [ [link removed] ]


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Labor and Industry Announces 2025 Youth Skills Training Grant Recipients

Seventeen partnerships across Minnesota will receive funding to develop and expand programs to offer meaningful career exposure and paid work experience for students 16 years of age and older.

The grants are part of the Minnesota Department of Labor and Industry’s (DLI) Youth Skills Training (YST) program [ [link removed] ] that was signed into law in 2017 with bipartisan support to create and provide employment training for student learners ages 16 and older in high-growth, high-demand occupations.

*Read the Full DLI Release →* [ [link removed] ]


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Find Your Way With Our College Search Tool, image with MyHigherEd logo and sample college profiles [ [link removed] ]




OHE in the News

* State Grants Help Local Businesses Through Dual Training Program [ [link removed] ]
* Minnesota awards $5M in grants to 80 businesses to boost local workforce training [ [link removed] ]
* Legislature meets deadline to pass $66 billion two-year budget [ [link removed] ]
* WDC among 245 high schools participating in direct admissions this fall [ [link removed] ]
* Schools throughout the area participating in MN's Direct Admission program [ [link removed] ]
* Local high school students eligible for automatic college acceptance [ [link removed] ]







 

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Questions? Contact us [ [link removed] ]

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