Minnesota State affirms tuition freeze for colleges and universities

It's official: Students at the 37 Minnesota State colleges and universities will pay the same tuition rate this fall as last year.

The board of trustees on Wednesday approved the 2018-19 tuition rates, which will average $4,815 at two-year public colleges and $7,287 at its seven four-year universities. The Legislature had previously mandated a one-year tuition freeze across the system.

Mandatory fees, though, will inch up an average of $10 a year at the state colleges and $38 at the universities.

The tuition rate for community college students, which has fluctuated only slightly in recent years, is now the same as it was for the 2012-13 school year. But officials note that many students pay less than full price, thanks to state and federal grants.

The University of Minnesota, which is run separately, is raising tuition by 2 percent for Minnesota residents on its Twin Cities campus this fall, to $13,058 a year. There will be no increase at its campuses in Crookston, Duluth and Rochester, and a 1 percent increase in Morris.

Maura Lerner • 612-673-7384