The chairman of the state Board of Higher Education believes campus presidents should have more flexibility in setting tuition rates for out of state students.
"Out-of-state students are not an expense," said Don Morton. "Out-of-state students are an investment."
Morton said out-of-state students help pay for the fixed – and variable – costs of the institutions, especially the colleges close to the state’s borders.
"The campuses are doing a good job of attracting out of state students," Morton said. "But it could be better."
Some Legislators have questioned whether the state is subsidizing out of state students.
"I'll take the hist from some of our conservative legislators who feel that those students are an expense," Morton said. "I'll gladly have that discussion."
Minnesota students pay 1.12 times the amount in-state students pay. Other out of state students, as well as students from Manitoba and Saskatchewan, pay no less than 1.2 times the state rate. And other international students are charged no lower than 1.75 times the state rate.
