We all pay a HEFTY fee for our tuition here at the University of Minnesota. A part of the money that we pay each semester goes to fund the many resources on campus that are open to students completely free of charge. Here’s the real catch though – there are some resources that basically nobody seems to know about that are actually really useful. Lucky for you, we took some time to list them all out for you!
Student Counseling Services
SCS provides free and confidential counseling services to students on campus. They offer services catered to career and academic counseling as well as counseling for mental health based reasons. Their offices is located in Appleby Hall!
Student Legal Services
Worried about that contract you have to sign for your new apartment lease? Never fear! The free and confidential help provided by Student Legal Services is here! These lawyers will help you with a wide range of issues from tenant rights through immigration status.
Center for Academic Planning and Exploration
If you’re not sure what you want to major in or maybe how your major might fit into your future career plans, CAPE is the perfect place to go. They have a team of peer and staff counselors to help talk through major options and narrow down what you might want to do with your academic career!
The Aurora Center
TAC offers free and confidential counseling for people who have experienced sexual violence, relationship violence and stalking. Concerned people can also access their resources.
Sexual Health Awareness and Disease Education
SHADE offers a ton of resources about sexual health. They can answer questions on anything from birth control to STIs and anything inbetween. Their office also has free contraceptives and barriers for anyone seeking them – no judgement and no questions asked.
Light Rail Passes
The University of Minnesota has a couple of light rail stops right on its campus and you can 100% stop by the front desk of Coffman Memorial Union to pick up a Campus Zone Pass to ride between any of the stops on campus! For an additional charge you can upgrade to a UPass which allows you to access the whole light rail system.
Center for Writing
Got a big paper coming up? Maybe you just don’t 100% trust your own editing skills? Another opinion always helps and the UMN writing center has professionals who will read over your paper and give you critiques and commentary for free.
When all is said and done, we pay a LOT for school, but these resources are included in our Student Service Fees and here to help us succeed. If we’re paying for them already, we might as well take advantage of them!