ST. PAUL, MN – Yesterday afternoon, the Minnesota House of Representatives passed a Higher Education budget bill by a vote of 76-56. It now heads to Governor Dayton’s desk to be signed into law.
The bill freezes tuition at both the University of Minnesota (U of M) and the Minnesota State Colleges and Universities system (MnSCU) over the next two years following a decade of cuts to the state’s higher education budget. It also includes substantial funding increases for the State Grant Program, which provides education funding for low-income students.
“The tuition hikes we’ve seen over the past decade are outrageous,” said Rep. Phyllis Kahn (DFL—Minneapolis), whose district is home to the University of Minnesota’s largest campus. “The bill we passed gets those costs under control for students who are taking on record levels of debt to obtain a post-secondary degree. They won’t pay one penny over current tuition levels for the next two years. That’s a positive step forward for young adults throughout Minnesota compared to the tuition hikes over the past decade.”
The bill invests an additional $250 million in higher education, using half of those resources to freeze in-state resident tuition over the next two years. It allocates $35 million to the MnDrive research program at the University of Minnesota and over $75 million allocated to the Office of Higher Education to increase grants for access, choice, and debt reduction.
Part of the increased funding for grants will have a major positive impact on part-time students who work low-wage jobs to support themselves or their families while they are enrolled at a public college or university. The bill requires that the Assigned Family Responsibility for part-time students be calculated so that the AFR is prorated by the percent of full-time students when the student is enrolled.
The reform stands to greatly increase student aid and access to higher education opportunities for part-time students.
Another component of the bill includes new reforms to expand the oversight function of the legislature. The reforms are designed to better hold the U of M and MnSCU accountable for budgeting practices that have come under fire for high administrative costs and excessive compensation for top administrators.
The bill also enacts the Minnesota DREAM Act, allowing undocumented youth who meet certain criteria to become eligible for state financial aid and in-state tuition rates.
Under the Minnesota DREAM Act, eligible students must meet the following criteria:
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Have attended a Minnesota high school for at least three years and graduated or obtained a GED in Minnesota.
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File an affidavit with the respective college/university saying they will apply to change their immigration status as soon as they are able.
A broad range of stakeholders support the Minnesota DREAM Act, including the Minnesota Chamber of Commerce, Education MN, MnSCU, private colleges, the University of Minnesota, ISAIAH faith communities, and labor unions.
12 other states, including Texas, have already enacted laws and policies that provide access to post-secondary to all immigrant students, regardless of their immigration status.