by: Mike Moen
ST. PAUL, Minn. (Prairie News Service) – The first semester for Minnesota college students is winding down.
Supporters of the state’s new free tuition program – which assists low-income households – say for those who haven’t taken advantage, now’s a good time to consider eligibility going into 2025.
Preliminary data from the state show this new program, which covers full tuition expenses for households earning less than $80,000 a year, awarded roughly 17,000 scholarships this fall.
Mike Dean, executive director of the group North Star Prosperity, said he feels those numbers are a “game changer” in removing accessibility barriers when it comes to higher education.
“We know that getting that post-secondary education or credential,” said Dean, “is really the surest path to joining the middle class right now. “
Eligible households still have to fill out the Free Application for Federal Student Aid, known as the FAFSA, as part of the process.
The latest application round, which usually begins in early October for the next academic year, began taking shape in late November.
Federal officials pushed things back after a tumultuous rollout of a streamlined system last winter that resulted in delays.
Minnesota’s program covers the tuition tab for eligible students after they’ve exhausted any other state and federal grants and scholarships.
States such as Minnesota have seen enrollment gradually decline for undergrad students, and Dean said opening up the doors to more people – who otherwise wouldn’t have been able to finish or pursue a higher-ed path – helps address workforce shortages.
“Research shows that by 2031,” said Dean, “72% of all jobs will require some sort of education or training beyond high school.”
He was referring to a recent study from Georgetown University’s Center on Education and the Workforce.
Program supporters stress that the Minnesota initiative can also help those interested in technical schools and gain valuable training for jobs some employers are having a hard time filling.
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