University of Minnesota Legislative Network

Return to: U of M Home

	myU \| One Stop \| Directories \| Search U of M

Legislative Network Home

University Relations

Office of Government and Community Relations

Paying for a U education

Affordability is the single biggest higher-education concern for families today. We know that scholarships are one of the best ways to reduce the cost of attendance. The biggest need at this time is among Minnesota's middle-income families.

The proposed University of Minnesota Middle Income Scholarship Program, which would begin in 2009–2010, is where the U next hopes to expand its horizons of support. The program is designed to provide new University scholarship support to students who are Minnesota residents and mostly from middle-income families with incomes between $50,000 and $100,000.

Current grant and scholarship assistance

In 2008-09, federal and state grant and scholarship assistance for lower-income undergraduates will exceed $140 million, with more than $70 million of that from University resources. Fifteen thousand Minnesota undergraduates will receive at least $1,000. The president's Promise of Tomorrow initiative has raised more than $200 million in private support for endowed scholarships.

The University of Minnesota assists resident undergraduates from low-income families with the University of Minnesota Founders Free Tuition Program. The program helps 4,700 Minnesota residents who are eligible for Pell grants (about 12 percent of undergrads) attend the U without any tuition or required fees. A long-standing program, the Iron Range Scholarship, provides up to $3,000 per year for resident students who are in the top ten percent of their graduating class.

Tuition reforms

All students benefit from tuition reforms adopted by the Board of Regents in 2007, which included tuition banding and adjusting coordinate-campus tuition rates to reflect local-market costs, work together to save students money and help them graduate faster. In fact, if a student completes their undergraduate degree in four years, they could save up to $20,000 in tuition costs.

Federal student aid

Federal grants and federally backed student loans are an essential part of how U of M students finance their education. The U advocates for increased federal funding to help students pay for their education, with particular emphasis on the Pell Grant program for low-income students.

To address the needs of today's students, the U is working to fund the University of Minnesota Middle Income Scholarship Program.
The University is continuing to make strides to address cost-of-attendance issues. More than 20,000 undergraduate students receive scholarships from the University and many others receive federal and state need-based grants.
The State of Minnesota will play a crucial role in helping the University address attendance costs during challenging economic times.

A family comes to the U

2008-09 tuition fact sheet (PDF)

Cost of a college education at the U (PDF)

In partnership with:

©2004 - 2008 Regents of the University of Minnesota. All rights reserved.	Contact U of M \| Privacy
The University of Minnesota is an equal opportunity educator and employer.	Last modified on January 26, 2009.