16K MN Students Qualify For Free Tuition Under 'North Star Promise'

ST. PAUL, MN — More than 16,000 Minnesota college students recently learned their tuition and fees will be covered under the newly implemented North Star Promise program.

The program provides a tuition and fee-free pathway for Minnesota residents with a family Adjusted Gross Income below $80,000.

The Democratically-controlled state legislature passed the measure last year, and Gov. Tim Walz signed it into law.

The North Star Promise program is expected to cost $117 million in the first year. After that, it would cost $50 million annually, according to a conference committee report.

The program covers all tuition costs once state and federal financial aid has been applied.
In order to qualify for the free tuition, a student must:

• Be a Minnesota resident with an adjusted gross family income below $80,000
• Be enrolled in at least one credit per semester
• Be in good academic standing
• Not have already earned a bachelor’s degree
• Attend one of the two- or four-year state schools in Minnesota

Advocates say the tuition program is needed to alleviate the state's labor shortage and stymie falling enrollment at schools in the Minnesota university system.

Opponents say the measure is a boondoggle for the state.

"If a family earns between $80,000 and $90,000 a year with a student in college, there will be a big financial incentive to stop working," tweeted Rep. Pat Garofalo.

"If you want to make college more affordable, cut administrative staff and boost the existing state grant program. Don’t setup a financial aid cliff that makes some parents stop working."

Learn more about the program here.