Higher education meets students' varied needs

About 370,000 Minnesotans are enrolled in some form of college education, earning everything from technical degrees to baccalaureates to doctorates. They attend three main types of institutions:

• Private nonprofits — the 17 members of the Minnesota Private College Council (MPCC) make up most of this group and award about one-third of the bachelor's degrees in the state;
• Publics (e.g., the University of Minnesota and the Minnesota State Colleges and Universities (MnSCU) system); and
• Private for-profits (both local and national).

It takes the sum of all the parts of our higher education options to address the diverse needs of prospective students. Great research universities and community colleges, technical schools and liberal arts institutions, small campuses and large, urban and rural — all are needed to meet Minnesotans' varied educational needs.

Higher education relies on state-funded need-based aid

Minnesota's State Grant program provides critical support, helping make higher education possible for one out of three Minnesota college students from low- and middle-income families. The state invested $120 million in aid in the most recent academic year, helping more than 88,000 students — most of whom attend public institutions. However, funding for the State Grant has not been keeping up with student needs. To reach the state's full potential, we need to give more students the opportunity to choose the institutions that are best for them and pursue a post-secondary education.