North Dakota Lawmakers Dig Into Subsidizing Online College Classes For Out-of-State Students

Karla Mongeon-Stewart, vice president of finance and operations for the University of North Dakota .(Photo by Michael Achterling/North Dakota Monitor)

(North Dakota Monitor) –  Representatives of North Dakota colleges on Wednesday espoused the value of offering online classes, even to students who may never set foot in the state.

State lawmakers have been trying to assess the value of providing state funding to online programs serving students outside North Dakota and neighboring states.

“We are still highly subsidizing,” Sen. Ron Sorvaag, R-Fargo, chair of the Higher Education Funding Review Committee said of online classes. “We still need to understand, are we getting a bang for the buck?”

A University System presentation said the state is spending about $22 million on online courses for out-of-state students for the most recent two-year budget cycle. That doesn’t include online students from Minnesota, Montana or South Dakota.