Free College Tuition Proposal Gains Steam At Minnesota Legislature

ST. PAUL, MN — Key Democrats from the Minnesota House and Senate higher education committees on Monday agreed on a plan to create a free college tuition program for residents from families making less than $80,000 a year.

The deal still needs to pass the full House and Senate. If it does, the state would spend $117 million to start up the "North Star Promise" program in the coming fiscal year. After that, it would cost $50 million annually, according to the latest committee report.

The program would cover 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

"As the chair of Higher Education in the Senate, tuition-free college was my number one priority," said Sen. Omar Fateh in a statement.

"I’m proud to make it a reality for tens of thousands of working class families, along with historic investment in student support!"

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.

But Fateh and his counterpart in the House — Rep. Gene Pelowski — will need to get almost all state Democrats on board. No Republicans are expected to support the measure.

"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.