Minnesota Tuition Reciprocity

Effective September 1975, the states of Minnesota and North Dakota enacted a tuition reciprocity agreement. This means that legal residents of Minnesota and their dependents may attend North Dakota State University and pay a special tuition rate that is lower than the non-resident rate. The Minnesota Office of Higher Education determines if a student is eligible.

NOTE: All new students (e.g., incoming freshmen) from Minnesota must apply for reciprocity with the Minnesota Office of Higher Education to ensure they are noted in the MNAid system as being eligible for the MN reciprocity tuition rate. This application approval will be carried over automatically year to year if the student remains continuously enrolled (e.g., earns at least one credit) at NDSU.

Reciprocity Notes

  1. A student who was enrolled, received reciprocity, and earned credits during any term of the academic year will automatically have benefits renewed for the following term at the same institution.
  2. Any student who is enrolling and has taken a break in semesters or is a transfer student, must complete a new reciprocity participation application.
  3. Returning students who have previously filed for tuition reciprocity but have not enrolled in a course or earned credit at NDSU during the past academic year need to re-file for reciprocity through the state of Minnesota.

NOTE: Until reciprocity is granted, undergraduate students are required to pay the Contiguous tuition rate, and graduate students are required to pay the MSEP rate. Both the Contiguous and MSEP rates are higher than the MN Resident rate. The Minnesota Reciprocity tuition rate is granted only to students who have received prior approval from the Minnesota Office of Higher Education. If eligible, the MN reciprocity rate will be applied for the current term and concurrent future terms.

How to Apply

To be certified for Minnesota Reciprocity at NDSU, Minnesota students must complete the following:

  1. File an NDSU admission application (Office of Admission, Graduate School)
  2. File a reciprocity participation application with Minnesota:
    • Fall 2025 (and later) – Complete the Tuition Reciprocity Application located at MNAid.
      • Save the confirmation email received from aid@mnaid.minnesota.gov or mnaid@nelnet.net.
      • Review your student account in Campus Connection to confirm that your tuition rate was updated (allow approximately 3-4 weeks for processing).

Frequently Asked Questions

Yes! The deadlines are set by the Minnesota Office of Higher Education (not NDSU) and are as follows:

  • Fall = December 31st
  • Spring = May 31st
  • Summer = August 31st

Students wishing to change their residency status will log into Campus Connection and click on the "NDSU eForms" tile to access the Application for Resident Status. Click on "Resident Student Status Form" on the left side of the page. Students should monitor their NDSU email for any communication about the completion of the form.

Please note that updating your permanent/home/mailing address in Campus Connection does not result in a residency change; the eForm is required.

NDSU will not change previous term tuition rates. Adjustments in tuition rates will only be made for the current term; no previous terms will be adjusted.

We recommend that you verify your tuition rate at the beginning of each term so that any corrections can be made promptly. Log in to Campus Connection, select the Financial Account tile, click Account Summary, select your Institution and Account Term. Tuition Rate Type will display under Charges.

Contact the Minnesota Office of Higher Education at 651.642.0567 or 800.657.3866 or info.ohe@state.mn.us.

The summer term is treated as the last term of each academic year. For example, if you wanted reciprocity benefits for the 2024 summer term, you would complete the reciprocity application for the 2023-2024 academic year which started with the 2023 fall term and goes through the end of summer term 2024.

Questions may be directed to:

Minnesota Office of Higher Education
1450 Energy Park Drive, Suite 350
St. Paul, MN 55108-5227

1-800-657-3866 or 1-651-642-0567

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