Minnesota promises free tuition for some students

Minnesota promises free tuition for some students

Local news, sports, weather presented by the WDIO News Team

Since the start of the Fall 2024 semester, Minnesota has “promising” to help eligible students pay for higher education.

The North Star Promise is a last dollar scholarship available to all Minnesota residents with an income of below $80,000. Students simply apply for financial aid like normal, and the state picks up the tab for whatever tuition and fee costs aren’t covered by other aid, like scholarships and grants.

The program covers all Minnesotans who meet the income limit, so long as they haven’t yet earned a four-year degree and are attending a public school – this includes the University of Minnesota system, Tribal Colleges, and the Minnesota State system – which includes Duluth’s Lake Superior College (LSC).

“We had 867 students who received about $1.35 million of state money for this North Star Promise program.” Explained David Kline, LSC’s VP of Advancement and External Relations, “As we’ve been distributing it in this first year, we’re dealing with a lot of happy students that have those funds.”

LSC isn’t alone in its success. Across it’s 33 colleges and universities, the Minnesota State system saw over 40,000 students take advantage of the promise. In that semester, they also saw around an 8% increase in enrollment. While he can’t say for sure if this is the result of the promise, Paul Shepard, Associate Vice Chancellor for Student Affairs and Enrollment Management at Minnesota State, says it at least raises the possibility of people attending higher ed.

“We do think that the North Star Promise played a direct role in raising that awareness among prospective students, and maybe giving individuals a second thought about ‘maybe attending a college or a university in Minnesota State is more accessible than we thought.’” Shepard said.

For Kline, it’s a promise he hopes students utilize.

“This is an excellent time to pursue higher education. It’s never been more affordable. And there’s a lot of programs out there, scholarships and grants that are here to help. A lot of people that are behind you and want to see you succeed. So, my message to students is go for it.”