About ½ of the students at universities in North Dakota are from Minnesota, and this is a problem, because this means that Minnesota's new law granting tuition-free education to state residents has them in a world of hurt.
It appears that North Dakota colleges will be losing a huge amount of revenue from out of state tuition as a result. so college presidents are pleading for the North Dakota legislature for North Dakota to match the Minnesota program:
Presidents from five of North Dakota’s 11 colleges and universities are making a plea for the state to respond in kind to Minnesota's new program offering free tuition for some families.
The presidents, all from institutions on the eastern side of the state nearest Minnesota, appeared at the State Board of Higher Education meeting in Valley City on Tuesday, June 27.
At a time of continued declining enrollment, college officials fear the North Star Promise program passed by the Minnesota Legislature this spring will lure even more students who might otherwise have planned to attend schools in North Dakota.
The program will provide free tuition to students from Minnesota families with annual incomes of less than $80,000, with applications starting in fall of 2024.
North Dakota State University President David Cook said 52% of NDSU students come from Minnesota.
“This has catastrophic implications. This is a very serious situation for us,” he told the board.
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The North Star Promise program is expected to cost the state of Minnesota $117 million over the next two years, according to House and Senate fiscal analysis. In subsequent years, it would cost nearly $50 million per year.
In addition, every student attending Minnesota schools will benefit from a tuition freeze for the next two years, expected to save each student from $150 to $300 each year.
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Rep. Bob Martinson, a Republican from Bismarck who sits on the Higher Education committee, said if a similar free tuition program like Minnesota’s were passed in North Dakota, he fears people would take advantage of it.
For example, a person or persons in a household making $87,000 annually might simply decide to work fewer hours to get under the $80,000 threshold and get free tuition, Martinson said.
Gee Mr. Representative, this does appear to be a tough nut to crack.
The solution appears to be ……… I dunno, that the good people of North Dakota stop voting for assholes like Bob Martinson?
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