The chairman of the Legislature’s interim Higher Education Committee says his panel will be looking at anew Minnesota program to provide free college tuition to some Minnesota students.
It's called "North Star Promise." That program will provide free tuition to students from Minnesota families that have annual incomes of $80,000 or less, beginning in 2024. And that would likely affect North Dakota colleges that have a high percentage of Minnesota students.
NDSU has said more than 50 percent of its student body comes from Minnesota. UND said that number is around 45 percent. And other colleges — such as the state College of Science in Wahpeton and Mayville State University — say they also have a significant percentage of Minnesota students.
The chairman of the Legislature's Interim Higher Education Committee said these concerns will be on the Committee's first agenda. But Rep. Mark Sanford (R-Grand Forks) said this is part of a larger, nationwide issue.
"The traditional age cohort for college is going to be somewhere between 20 and 30 percent less in the next decade than we traditionally have had," Sanford said. "So we have a shrinking base there, we have cost issues, we have delivery models, and we have changing requirements for degrees or credits."
The 2023 North Dakota Legislature enacted a tuition freeze for the upcoming two year period.
Some in higher-ed have suggested the possibility of a special session to deal with the issue. But House Majority Leader Mike Lefor (R-Dickinson) said he’s not there yet.
"Again, at the end of the day, I think it's important that we make a thoughtful decision, that's sustainable and something we can afford," Lefor said. He also said any proposal should help all the colleges.
