5.11 Tuition and Fees

Board Policies
Chapter 5 - Administration

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Part 1. Policy objectives
The tuition and fees policy of Minnesota State Colleges and Universities seeks to balance five values:

  1. Affordable access to higher education: Minnesota State will champion a quality affordable higher education that all Minnesotans can access.
  2. Equity: Minnesota State students taking similar academic programs are charged similar rates across Minnesota State colleges and universities.
  3. Transparency: Minnesota State students will know what they are paying for and how their total tuition and fee charges are calculated.
  4. Institutional Financial Sustainability: Minnesota State seeks to provide the resources needed for colleges and universities to support quality higher education and long term financial viability.
  5. Flexibility for innovation and emerging markets: Minnesota State seeks to support the flexibility to be innovative, respond to the marketplace, and address emerging program and course development requirements.

Part 2. Authority
Minnesota Statutes §136F.06 Powers and Duties and §136F.70 Tuition; Fees; Activities Funds provide that the Board of Trustees shall set tuition, fees, and refunds for the colleges and universities it governs. All colleges and universities shall charge tuition and fees consistent with Minnesota Statutes, board policies, and system procedures. The board shall approve the tuition and fee structure for all colleges and universities.

The chancellor may establish limits on tuition and fee rate increases that are presented to the board as part of the annual operating budget. The chancellor or designee is authorized to make any necessary technical adjustments to the tuition rates and fees. Technical adjustments are defined as changes in tuition and fee rates that are deemed a correction or the addition of a program rate for a new program established in the interim.

Part 3. Tuition
Tuition shall be charged by all colleges and universities. The tuition categories are:

  1. Per credit
  2. Banded
  3. Differential course and program
  4. Market driven

Each tuition category may include resident, reciprocity, and nonresident rates. All tuition must be identified separately on a tuition and fee statement.

Colleges and universities have the option to create guaranteed tuition rates for undergraduate programs.

Part 4. Authorization and notice.

Subpart A. Authorization of required and campus discretionary fees.
The board authorizes four categories of fees to be charged to Minnesota State students. The amount of the fees and how they are charged are determined by each college and university, subject to Minnesota statutes and board policy.

  1. Required fees are in statute or established by board policy and are required to be charged by all colleges and universities.
  2. Campus discretionary fees are established by board policy and adopted at campus discretion.
  3. Personal property charges, service charges, and assessments are established by board policy and adopted at campus discretion.
  4. Revenue Fund fees are established in accordance with statutes, board policy, and bond indenture.

Subpart B. Notice required
All fees must be identified separately on a tuition and fee statement. On an annual basis, colleges and universities shall publish all fees that are charged to their students.

Part 5. Fees

Subpart A. Required fees
There are five required fees:

  1. Senior citizen fee in lieu of tuition
  2. Parking fee, permits, or charges
  3. Late fee
  4. Payment plan fee
  5. Statewide student association fee

All colleges and universities shall charge these fees consistent with Minnesota Statutes, board policies, and system procedures.

Subpart B. Campus discretionary fees
The board authorizes the campus discretionary fee categories and approves the fee maximums. The system office shall review, report, and make recommendations to the board regarding fee maximum levels at least once every five years.

The authorized campus discretionary fees are:

    1. Application fee
    2. Credit for prior learning assessment fee
    3. Student life/activity fee
    4. Athletics fee
    5. Health services fee
    6. Special events fee
    7. Residential learning community fee
    8. Technology fee
    9. New student orientation fee
    10. Sustainability fee

Colleges and universities may establish policies to charge campus discretionary fees. These fees are not to exceed the maximum amount approved by the board and published as an attachment to board policy. If an institution has multiple campuses or sites, they may choose to assess the fees on a campus by campus or site by site basis.

Subpart C. Personal property charges, service charges, and assessments
Colleges and universities may charge students the cost of property retained by the student and services received by the student. The allowable charge must be based on actual costs. Colleges and universities may also assess charges to discourage certain behaviors.

Subpart D. Revenue fund facility fees

Adequate fees must be charged for the use of revenue fund facilities to meet the requirements of Minn. Stat. §136F.93 and 136F.95 and the Master Indenture of Trust. The fees must be sufficient to cover debt, operating cost, all repair and replacement costs, and reserves.

There are two types of revenue fund fees:

  1. Revenue fund fees. Colleges and universities shall charge revenue fund fees for facilities that were constructed, renovated or acquired using revenue bonds or facilities that the board designated as part of the revenue fund. Revenue fund fees include but are not limited to:
    1. Room and board fees
    2. Student union facilities fees
    3. Wellness center and recreation facility fees
    4. Parking ramp and surface lot facility fees
    5. Other revenue fund fees for eligible projects as may be approved by the board
  2. Revenue fund fees charged for use of facilities. Colleges and universities shall charge fees for the use of revenue fund facilities, which must be reported to the board as part of the annual operating budget. On an annual basis, colleges and universities shall publish all fee schedules or explanation of fees that are charged to their students for revenue fund facilities. Revenue fund fees include but are not limited to event or facility usage fees, service charges, and equipment charges. The president of the college or university shall have final approval on all fees and subsequent rates for the use of revenue fund facilities.

Part 6. Student Consultation
All tuition and fees are subject to the student consultation requirements in Board Policy 2.3 Student Involvement in Decision-making and associated system procedures.


Related Documents:

To view any of the following related statutes, go to the Revisor's Office website. You can conduct a search from this site by typing in the statute number.
  • Minnesota Statutes §135A.04, Variable Tuition
  • Minnesota Statutes §135A.51 and 135A.52, Senior Citizens Higher Education Program
  • Minnesota Statutes §136F.06, Powers and Duties [of Board of Trustees]
  • Minnesota Statutes §136F.50, Cooperation or Promotion of a State College or University
  • Minnesota Statutes §136A.08 Reciprocal agreements relating to nonresident tuition and other states or provinces

Policy History:

Date of Adoption: 06/21/00
Date of Implementation: 08/15/07
Date of Last Review: 05/17/23

Date & Subject of Amendments:

5/17/23 – Reviewed as part of the 5-year review process. Part 1 amended to reorder policy objectives. Part 5, Subpart B aligns review of fee maximums with standard review cycle (at least every 5 years) and adds a sustainability fee under campus discretionary fees. Further amendments throughout for style, formatting, and clarity.

06/20/18 – Effective July 1, 2018. Added new Part 1 Policy Objectives. Additional amendments codify the chancellor’s authority to establish limits on tuition and fee increases, clarifies and provides further guidance on tuition types, establishes the ability for colleges and universities to create guaranteed tuition rates for undergraduate programs, clarifies definitions of ‘mandatory’ and ‘optional’ fees, clarifies assessments to discourage certain behaviors are permitted by policy, establishes a requirement for system office review and recommendations regarding board maximum rates for campus discretionary fees, establishes a new campus discretionary fee to support new student orientation, and requires an affirmative vote of the campus student association in order to implement this fee, clarifies that colleges and universities with multiple campuses or sites may assess fees on a campus by campus or site by site basis and modifies Revenue Fund fee language.

Additional HISTORY