ST. PAUL, MN – Today, The House of Representatives passed the Higher Education Conference Committee Report. The bill will directly benefit students by freezing tuition at both the University of Minnesota (U of M) and the Minnesota State Colleges and University system (MnSCU). The bill also includes new funding for the State Grant Program to aid low income and part-time students.
“We worked tirelessly to advocate for students, and as a member of the conference committee, I can say I am truly excited about the work we did” said House conferee and Higher Education vice-Chair Zachary Dorholt (DFL-St. Cloud). “I think that our final bill goes a long way to help college students and their families afford a college education.”
Tuition has nearly doubled at state colleges and universities over the past decade and this legislation focuses largely on holding down tuition and reducing student debt. The bill also allocates funds to the MnDrive research program at the University of Minnesota and the Office of Higher Education to increase grants for access, choice, and debt reduction.
"Tuition is nearly double what it was when I attended SCSU,” said Dorholt. “We decided as a committee that freezing tuition and keeping costs from rising was the best way to help students who are trying to pay for school.”
The bill includes the Minnesota Prosperity Act, or the ‘Dream Act’, which will allow some undocumented youth to be eligible for state financial aid and in-state tuition rates. To be eligible, students must have attended and graduated from a Minnesota high school for three years and must also file an affidavit with the respective college/university saying they will apply to change their immigration status as soon as they are able. This is supported by the Minnesota Chamber of Commerce, Education MN, MnSCU, private colleges, the University of Minnesota, and many other key stakeholders.
The Higher Education bill also includes reforms to better hold the U of M and MnSCU accountable for budgeting practices that have come under fire due to rising administrative costs and excessive compensation for top administrators.
“We want to make sure the appropriations that the state gives to our colleges and universities are directly helping the students, improving the quality of education, and maintaining and updating campus facilities,” said Dorholt. “These oversight reforms will ensure that taxpayer dollars are being spent with care.”
The House Higher Education Committee held fourteen hearings this session to examine the dramatic increase in student tuition, fees, and debt over the past six years, including student-to-faculty ratios, and administrative costs and trends over the past decade. The resulting reforms were drafted in consultation with the Office of the Legislative Auditor to expand oversight to better hold the U of M and MnSCU financially accountable and reduce debt.
Rep. Dorholt can be reached by phone at (651) 296-6612 or by email at rep.zachary.dorholt@house.mn.
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