The Higher Education omnibus bill (HF 4252) included key funding and policies to protect students and student aid funding.
Fostering Independence Higher Education Grants: The Higher Education omnibus bill included $2,070,000 for the Fostering Independence Higher Education Grant (FIG) program. This “last dollar” financial aid program provides grants to students who were in the Minnesota foster care system to ensure they can complete their postsecondary degrees. Enrollment in postsecondary institutions continues to increase across the state (due in part to Senate DFL investments in higher education since 2023) and we see that trend among FIG-eligible students as well. While the FIG program faces a $2.3 million shortfall, funding included in the Higher Education bill will decrease the impact of that shortfall on students.
Fraud Prevention: The Higher Education omnibus bill also included $3 million in funding for the Minnesota State Colleges and Universities to bolster their fraud detection capabilities. This funding will be used for new identity verification software that will identify “ghost students” and ensure state financial aid resources are delivered to students across Minnesota. The bill also included a provision that allows the Office of Higher Education to deny financial aid or grant funding to individuals who submit fraudulent information or who have committed fraud.
Protections for Pregnant and Parenting Students: This bill strengthened protections for pregnant and parenting students by requiring institutions to give these students priority registration opportunities. It also clarified existing protections to better help institutions implement these policies.
Did NOT pass
State Grant Program Funding: The Senate DFL prioritized funding the State Grant Program, passing an additional $52 million in the Senate’s Supplemental Budget bill. This program is critical for students across the state and faces a $131 million shortfall in the coming year. The House, however, included no additional funding for the State Grant in their Higher Education omnibus bill and the Senate’s funding was not included in the final conference committee report.
Changes to North Star Promise: Sen. Fateh’s SF 3754 increased the family adjusted gross income cap for North Star Promise eligibility from $80,000 to $100,000. The bill received a hearing in the Higher Education committee but was not included in the final omnibus bill. This change would have increased the number of students eligible to receive North Star Promise scholarships by 5,520 students. Sen. Oumou Verbeten introduced a similar bill, SF 4692, which removed the family adjusted gross income cap for those students attending state or Tribal colleges. This change to the program would have increased the number of students eligible for North Star Promise scholarships by an estimated 9,200 students. SF 4692 also received a hearing in the Higher Education committee, but did not ultimately pass.
Following other anti-immigrant efforts, the GOP sought to deny North Star Promise funds from undocumented students. Numerous GOP bills also sought to add work requirements to the program, limit the program to certain fields of study, and eliminate the program all together. The North Star Promise program remains intact and Senate DFLers are committed to protecting and expanding the program in the future.
Educational Attainment Goal: Previously called the Higher Education Attainment Goal, this goal expired in 2025. Senate DFLers, with the support of the Office of Higher Education, updated the goal and included provisions to increase cross-agency collaboration. The House GOP was not supportive of these changes.
For-profit Entities and the University of Minnesota Medical School: The Senate passed a prohibition on for-profit entities developing, managing or controlling curriculum taught at the University of Minnesota Medical School. Again, the House GOP would not accept the Senate language when the bill went to conference committee.