ND lawmakers review tuition pay plan

In response to Minnesota’s free tuition program North Dakota Democratic State Senator Tim Mathern has pitched a $17 million Dakota Promise forgivable student loan program.

Mathern says the plan would target high school graduates of North Dakota and be available to those in neighboring states.

The senator’s proposal would cover undergraduate tuition and fees at North Dakota’s 11 public colleges and universities as well as the five tribal colleges. Mathern says the proposal would have the same income limits as Minnesota’s North Star Promise.  A rough guess puts the cost of the program at $8 million dollars for the first year and $7 million in the second year.

Mathern told members of an interim legislative committee this week that the plan also includes an income tax credit for employers who pay for an employee’s tuition.

It’s estimated about 1,400 Minnesota students at five eastern North Dakota schools could be eligible for North Star Promise.