ST. PAUL, Minn. – A joint Senate-House committee has agreed to free tuition at state colleges for residents whose families earn less than $80,000 a year. The plan, called “North Star Promise,” will need approval from both houses as part of the state higher-ed budget. The program is estimated to cost $117 million to get going and then $49 million a year. The plan is an initiative from Democrats who controlled the joint committee and also control both the Senate and House Republicans were displeased. Representative Marion O’Neill, a Republican elected from Maple Lake a member of the joint conference committee, said she was “completely frozen out of all discussions.” An estimated 15,000 students would be eligible. The program would be in place for Fall 2024 classes.
North Star profile
The program would cover tuition beyond state and federal grants and institutional scholarships. Covered would be two-year and four-year programs in the University of Minnesota or MinnState systems or a tribal college. Private colleges would not be covered. Anyone already with a bachelor’s degree wouldn’t be eligible.
National trend
About half of U.S. states offer free tuition, most to community colleges but some to four-year programs. One goal has been to encourage students into college who otherwise might have been leery about the long-term burden of student loans. The programs have helped state colleges stabilize enrollment, which has been declining for 10 to 12 years.
Verbatim
Omar Fateh, a Minneapolis Democrat who chairs the Senate Higher Education Committee: “We’ve been seeing declining enrollment on all campuses. Chair. “If we don’t do something quick, we’re at risk of shutting down some campuses. I see this bill as an enrollment driver.”