Wisconsin and Minnesota's tuition reciprocity agreement will continue as it exists now, according to a decision made Wednesday by the higher education boards of both states.
As the agreement stands, Wisconsin residents attending a Minnesota college or university pay UW tuition. This amount, however, is lower than the University of Minnesota-Twin Cities' in-state tuition paid by Minnesota residents.
""Any new student starting in the fall of 2007 will be assured four years of school through the reciprocity program,"" according to a representative from the Minnesota Office of Higher Education who wished to remain unidentified.
State Rep. Spencer Black, D-Madison, said he saw this issue as more of a problem in Minnesota where residents are paying more to attend their home university than students from Wisconsin are paying.
""From Wisconsin's perspective, I think that we're comfortable with the current arrangement,"" he said.
Craig Swan, U of M's vice provost of undergraduate education, said he was in favor of a ""right and reasonable"" proposal where students from Wisconsin have to pay U of M resident tuition.
""I'm just sorry that, so far, discussions between the states have not been able to resolve this issue,"" Swan said.
He added that the U of M Board of Regents' independent action negotiations are not going the way it desires. This is not an action the U of M wants to take.
According to Swan, if discussions are not able to resolve the issue between the states by late spring or early summer, the Board would seriously consider taking action.
""Some people have said this would be the end of reciprocity,"" Swan said. ""That is a complete misconception.""
However, since September is quickly approaching, any change implemented would not take effect until at least fall 2008 to be fair to students who would potentially have to pay higher tuition, according to Swan.
Another element of the current agreement is Wisconsin's annual payment of $5 million to Minnesota to compensate for the tuition price difference. This amount is subject to change each year, depending on the number of students attending each school.
