Free or reduce tuition is now expending to all university of Minnesota campuses

The University of Minnesota will offer free or reduced tuition to many Native American students attending its five campuses starting next fall. The extended campuses will included Duluth, Rochester, Crookston and the Twin Cities. The program is called The University of Minnesota Native American Promise Tuition which will was already established on the University’s Morris campus. It was a “very unique to the programs because it was previously a boarding school. When it was closed, it was given to the University of Minnesota with the condition that they offer tuition waiver for Native American students. That includes enrolled citizens and descendants”, said Karen Diver, the University’s senior advisor to the President for Native American affairs.

This opportunity will be a huge relief for some, if not many families in the Native American community. "It really removes at least one barrier, financial for low to moderate income Native American learners. And, in addition to the freshman in 2022, it’ll also be offered to tribal college transfers. So the hope is that we are creating that pipeline to take two year degrees and umm remove some of those barriers into getting a four year degrees" Mrs. Diver told us.

According to The University of Minnesota’s website, The University of Minnesota President, Joan Gabel says the University has focused on improving this program for 170 years. "We have been very honest from my first days as president that we need to better serve citizens of our Tribal Nations and their communities." Gabel says the "program is a meaningful step to increasing access and continuing to improve retention and graduation rates while closing opportunity gaps…"

Qualifying students with an annual family income under $75,000 can attend tuition-free. Those whose families earn up to $125,000 a year, will be eligible for tuition discounts of up to 80% to 90%.