Minnesota's "Free Tuition" Plan Demands Long-Needed Evaluation Of Higher Ed Policy

For years, conservatives have questioned the practice of using North Dakota tax dollars to subsidize out-of-state students.

There is an old saying that “the North Dakota University System is the best economic development program the State of Minnesota ever had, and they don’t even have to pay for it.”

In their recent legislative session, the state of Minnesota created a free college tuition program for households with income under $80,000.

As expected, North Dakota university presidents and officials are in full freak-out mode.

The Bismarck Tribune reports that:

North Dakota State University President David Cook said 52% of NDSU students come from Minnesota. “This has catastrophic implications. This is a very serious situation for us,” he told the board.

The overall implication of the discussion seems to be that North Dakota will have to get into an arms-race to keep up with Minnesota to maintain enrollment.

Rep. Bob Martinson, a Republican from Bismarck who sits on the Higher Education committee, said if a similar free tuition program like Minnesota’s were passed in North Dakota, he fears people would ta…