MINNEAPOLIS — It will be more expensive to attend the University of Minnesota next fall.
During Thursday’s Board of Regents meeting, the U of M administration approved a 4.5% tuition increase for students attending the school’s Twin Cities campus. The increase is part of establishing and approving a $5 billion budget.
Several board members expressed concerns about the tuition increase during Thursday’s meeting.
“No one likes to see tuition increase, and for me that conversation goes hand-in-hand with maintaining quality,” board member Mary Davenport said during Thursday’s meeting.
“This is probably the most difficult budget I have had to look at in my time here on the board. My biggest challenge is putting the burden on the shoulders of the students,” said board member Bo Thao-Urabe. “I want to support what is being presented, but I am really struggling with what feels like a significant increase to students.”
This puts next year’s tuition at U of M ($17,190 in-state/$37,802 out-of-state) well above other flagship Midwest schools such as Purdue ($9,992/$28,794), Nebraska ($10,108/$27,748), Iowa ($10,964 /$32,927) and Wisconsin ($11,606/$42,104).
“It will definitely be difficult, I will definitely have to take out more loans,” said U of M student Kamal Bhakta.
“I just don’t think it’s fair to students. I know our loans are already incredibly expensive,” said U of M student Anika Hammill.
The regents say they hope programs like the North Star Promise, which covers tuition for those whose families make less than $80,000 a year, can help all students pay for their tuition.
Adam Duxter
