U of M Board of Regents to discuss tuition changes during Thursday meeting

Krystal Frasier KSTP
University of Minnesota
FILE - A sign stands outside the University of Minnesota's Twin Cities campus in Minneapolis. (KSTP/file)

The University of Minnesota Board of Regents will be meeting Thursday and Friday, and one of the items included on the two-day agenda is tuition changes.

Changes will be discussed Thursday, and strategies up for discussion include maintaining many existing practices – such as different pricing for in-state and out-of-state students, honoring tuition reciprocity agreements and only charging for up to 13 credits per semester.

In addition, the Crookston campus is considering new tuition models for fully online undergraduate programs, while the Duluth campus has a proposal to lower tuition for students coming from other states in the Midwest.

Meanwhile, the Morris campus’ Summer Scholarship program would give aid for qualifying students who enroll in up to six credits of in-person or online courses taken during the summer.

Other items to be discussed during the meetings include:

  • Review the recommended capital improvement budget for the 2023 fiscal year
  • Get an update on the 2023 legislative session at the Minnesota capitol
  • Look at proposed amendments to Board of Regents Policy, specifically the endowment fund

At the Minnesota Capitol on Wednesday, state senators passed a biennial higher education budget, which could allow public college tuition to be free for some families. As previously reported by 5 EYEWITNESS NEWS, the two-year budget includes $776 million for the Office of Higher Education, $1.9 billion for Minnesota State Colleges and Universities, $1.5 billion for the University of Minnesota system and $3.6 million for Mayo Clinic. Highlighted in the budget is a two-year tuition freeze for students in the Minnesota State system and free tuition for Minnesota students whose parents earn $80,000 or less, a program called the “North Star Promise.”

The University of Minnesota will also get $10 million over the next two years for campus security upgrades.

CLICK HERE to read the full bill, which is now waiting for Walz’s signature.

You can watch Thursday’s meeting – which starts at 8 a.m. – by CLICKING HERE.