EDITORIAL: Free tuition offers the promise of a better life for thousands of Minnesotans

Jul. 22—Have you heard about the "catastrophic" situation that is about to befall the state of North Dakota?

Legislators, higher education officials and even college athletic coaches there are publicly stating their fears that, starting in the fall of 2024, it will become much more difficult to lure Minnesotans across the border to attend North Dakota State University, the University of North Dakota and the North Dakota State College of Science. The potential annual loss of about 1,400 Minnesota students (and the tuition and fees they pay) is among the hottest topics right now for our neighbors to the northwest.

What has happened?

Well, while the Biden administration was fighting (unsuccessfully) to forgive existing student loan debt, the DFL-led Minnesota Legislature took a different approach. Starting in the fall of 2024,

the North Star Promise program will make Minnesota's public universities, colleges and community colleges tuition-free

for students whose family income is below $80,000.

Naturally, there is some fine print. Students must apply for federal financial aid, and any Pell grants and scholarships they receive must be applied to tuition before North Star Promise kicks in. Students also must meet admission requirements for whatever school they choose to attend, and room and board will be on their own nickel.

Estimates are that at least 15,000 students, perhaps up to 20,000, will qualify for the program each year. Because of the income limits, nearly all of these students will receive federal aid, so the state won't be picking up the entire tuition bill. On average, the North Star Promise grant will be about $3,100 per student per year. That adds up to an annual state cost of about $50 million once the program is up and running.

We'd be hard-pressed to come up with a better long-term investment. In fact, this would have been a great idea even if Minnesota's coffers hadn't been flush with a $17 billion surplus.

North Star Promise could have a generational impact. This program will allow some students to become the first in their families to attend college, perhaps breaking a decades-long cycle of poverty. Some — including "non-traditional" students — will no longer have to work full-time jobs while going to school. Others will have their college options greatly expanded, rather than having to live at home while attending whatever state school is nearby.

And when they graduate (or even if they don't), they will leave school with less debt. That means some of them will buy homes sooner than they would have without North Star Promise. Some will start families. Some will attend graduate school or start businesses — probably right here in Minnesota.

Indeed, some of the fear being expressed in North Dakota points to the long-term value of North Star Promise. North Dakota knows that Minnesotans who cross the border to attend college are quite likely to stay, work and live in North Dakota after they graduate — but North Star Promise could keep Minnesotans out of North Dakota and in Minnesota for the long term.

If North Dakota's fears come true, that means Minnesota could see an annual influx of an additional 1,400 potential teachers, doctors, engineers, nurses, CPAs, programmers — well, you get the idea. And that's just the kids who otherwise would go to North Dakota.

Keeping smart young people here would be a huge win for Minnesota and its workforce. Just as U of M football coach P.J. Fleck can't afford to lose local blue-chip athletes to the Badgers or Hawkeyes, Minnesota can't afford to lose motivated, talented people to neighboring states simply because they charge less for a college degree. While we need a certain amount of out-of-state talent, we're convinced that the backbone of our economy is and will remain home-grown.

Furthermore, we'd also argue that Minnesota should have no regrets about whatever impact this program will have in North Dakota. In fact, we might be doing North Dakota's young people a big favor. Pressure is mounting on its Republican-controlled Legislature to respond to Minnesota's new program, and its legislators already implemented a two-year freeze on tuition. A Democratic state senator has introduced a bill very similar to North Star Promise, and for just $17 million, North Dakota could pay all tuition and fees for state residents who qualify for Pell grants.

Other states already have taken similar steps (Minnesota didn't invent this concept), and in the not-too-distant future, we anticipate that bright young people across the nation will be able to earn college degrees at public schools without mortgaging their futures.

That's a lot better than borrowing $40,000 and hoping that sometime down the road, the government will wipe the ledger clean.