New North Dakota State University students are greeted by a long line of faculty, staff, students and administration as they walk through the gates during Welcome Week on Aug. 26, 2024. (Photo provided by NDSU)
North Dakota public colleges and universities are reporting a 10% increase in first-year students from Minnesota, despite competing with Minnesota’s free tuition program.
Overall enrollment within the North Dakota University System is 45,806 students, up about 4% compared to the fall of 2023.
“Almost every institution has seen increases in almost every demographic,” Jen Weber, the University System’s director of institutional research and analytics and chief data analyst, said during Tuesday’s State Board of Higher Education meeting.
All North Dakota University System campuses near the Minnesota border saw increased or steady headcounts this fall.
Chancellor Mark Hagerott said each campus had an enrollment strategy in response to the North Star Promise, which offers free college tuition to Minnesota families who make $80,000 or less.
At North Dakota State University, for example, “generous alumni” helped the college offer a similar free tuition program, Hagerott said. NDSU enrollment stayed identical to last year at 11,952 students, though its full-time equivalent enrollment dropped 1%.
The North Dakota State College of Science in Wahpeton, which reported an enrollment increase of 7%, worked to better promote existing scholarships and tuition assistance programs available to Minnesota students, President Rod Flanigan said.
“Frankly, 71% of our Minnesota students come to us tuition-free as it is,” Flanigan said during the meeting at the University of North Dakota. “But it’s really hard to campaign on, ‘We’re almost tuition-free.’”
UND President Andrew Armacost said campus leaders made a deliberate decision to watch the trends before trying to match Minnesota’s program.
“We felt there’d be a very large expense in matching the Minnesota promise for potentially a minimal increase in enrollment, so we held and we said let’s observe the data for a year and see what we learn,” Armacost said.
UND enrollment grew to 15,019 students, up roughly 6% from fall 2023.
“Our on-campus growth has been extraordinary,” Armacost told the board. “Our freshman class in particular has grown by just over 23%. We see this in parking permit requests and housing requests.”
Campus leaders said they remain cautious about potential future impacts of Minnesota’s tuition program. Board members indicated they may ask the Legislature for increased marketing dollars.
“I think we can’t take our eye off the ball,” said board member Jeffry Volk. “The first tranche maybe wasn’t a big hit. I’m fully convinced Minnesota is going to double down, triple down.”
In western North Dakota, Williston State College reported the highest jump in enrollment, growing to 1,058 students from 912 last fall. That’s an increase of about 16%.
Dickinson State University, which saw its president abruptly resign over the summer, was the only campus to report a decrease in enrollment. It reported 1,410 students this fall, compared to 1,453 in fall 2023. However, the college has roughly the same number of full-time students compared to last year.
Weber noted that full-time enrollments and scheduled credit hours grew at a higher rate than the headcount, indicating that North Dakota University System students are taking more courses this year compared to fall 2023.
The University System is required to report enrollment data on the 20th day of every fall and spring semester. The data provide a snapshot of the degree-seeking student enrollment.
Weber said the University System is working on compiling its enrollment report, which should be available in a couple of weeks.
This story originally appeared in North Dakota Monitor, a sibling site of the Minnesota Reformer and part of the States Newsroom nonprofit news network.