The North Dakota Board of Higher Education has rejected a proposal from North Dakota State University that all college presidents be given flexibility to allow out of state students to pay in-state tuition.
The proposal came after the South Dakota Board of Regents approved a plan for that state’s universities to allow students from six states – North Dakota, Montana, Nebraska, Iowa, Wyoming and Colorado – to pay in-state tuition rates.
The North Dakota Board agreed to allow NDSU and the state College of Science in Wahpeton to charge in-state tuition rates for students from those states, including South Dakota.
"This response is specifically tailored to the states targeted by South Dakota and their campuses," said Board member Daniel Traynor, who made the motion for the tuition exception. "There's no requirement that NDSU apply the 100 percent tuition rate for these out of state students. It leaves it in their discretion."
Board members said they didn’t want to change existing policy on tuition, preferring to grant the two schools an exception.
Traynor’s motion also said the two schools will also have to provide some financial data on how the tuition change affects the campus finances.
"If some flexibility is requested, I think a certain amount of accountability is required," Traynor said.
NDSU President Dean Bresciani wasn’t totally in agreement with Traynor’s motion.
"It seems interesting to single out one campus of 11 with very different rules," Bresciani told the Board. "But I defer to the authority of the Board."
NDSCS was also allowed to charge in-state tuition rates for students from Manitoba and Saskatchewan.
The exception will be in place for two years.