Minnesota Provided Free College for Eligible Students. Now, Enrollment Is Increasing.
Credit: Star Tribune / Star Tribune / Getty Images- Launched this fall, the North Star Promise provides funds for tuition, fees, and room and board for Minnesota families earning less than $80,000 a year.
- This “last-dollar” program covers remaining need after all other sources of aid have been applied.
- Public higher education institutions across the state attribute the program to a recent increase in enrollment following years of declines.
Thousands of students are attending college in Minnesota for free this fall thanks to a newly launched program, and state institutions appear to be reaping the enrollment benefits.
At Minnesota State‘s 33 colleges and universities, systemwide enrollment increased in fall 2024 by 7.7%, continuing the reversal of a decade-long slump. This follows an increase of 2.3% for the system as a whole in 2023.
In fall 2024, the system’s colleges experienced the largest surge in enrollment, increasing 9.3% compared to the previous year, while Minnesota State universities saw a 4.5% increase in enrollment compared to the previous year.
The state’s public higher education system credits the rise to multiple factors, such as students returning to school after the COVID-19 pandemic and choosing more affordable state institutions over pricier higher education institutions.
But the system’s leaders also highlighted the newly launched North Star Promise program, signed into law in 2023 by Gov. Tim Walz, now the Democratic candidate for vice president, as an important driver of enrollment gains.
The program covers tuition, fees, and room and board for students from families earning less than $80,000 annually.
“The North Star Promise program is a game-changer,” Mike Dean, executive director of North Star Prosperity, the organization that lobbied for the program, said in a press release.
“We know that higher education is the most reliable path toward the middle class, and yet for more than two decades, the cost of college has been out of reach for too many students. When we make education affordable and accessible, it’s an investment in the future of Minnesota’s workforce. Giving Minnesotans the tools to succeed in today’s economy is not only the right thing to do; it’s good business.”
Here’s How the North Star Promise Works
To qualify for the North Star Promise program, students must be state residents and complete either the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) or Minnesota Dream Act Application. Recipients cannot be in default on a student loan, cannot have earned a bachelor’s degree, and must maintain satisfactory academic progress.
Recipients also must attend a public college or university in the state. This includes all University of Minnesota campuses, Minnesota State Colleges and Universities, and tribal colleges.
However, the program doesn’t set age restrictions for recipients or consider family or household size when determining eligibility, nor does it establish a yearly or lifetime dollar limit.
Keith Hovis, director of communications for Minnesota’s Office of Higher Education, told BestColleges in an email that this fall’s initial cohort of recipients includes 16,711 students — 12,990 within the Minnesota State system and 3,721 across the University of Minnesota’s five campuses.
The state allocated more than $117 million for the program through the 2026-27 biennium and will allocate $49.5 million per year afterward.
As a “last-dollar” program, the North Star Promise covers the remaining financial need after all other sources of aid, including Pell Grants, have been applied.
Pell recipients, though, can qualify for the North Star Promise Plus program, which this year provides an additional 15% in matching funds.
A former high school teacher, Walz has fought to increase access to higher education.
Minnesota’s 2024-25 state budget includes $650 million for higher ed, covering not only the North Star Promise but also the American Indian Scholars Program, for members of a federally recognized tribe or Canadian First Nation, and the Next Gen Nursing Assistant initiative, which provides free nursing assistant training.