Minnesota undergraduate enrollment rises 7.4% in 2024; lawmakers hear administrators and students credit North Star Promise

Minnesota undergraduate enrollment increased 7.4% from 238,000 to about 256,000 in 2024, producing a net gain of roughly 18,000 students, the Senate Higher Education Committee heard at a Tuesday hearing.

"Across all institution types, Minnesota undergraduate enrollment has surged in 2024," Chair Firtay, chair of the Senate Higher Education Committee, said as the hearing opened, citing statistics published by the National Student Clearinghouse Research Center in January.

Why it matters: Committee members heard that the statewide gain—higher than the national average and the leading growth rate in the Midwest—moves the state closer to its 2025 postsecondary attainment goal and helps address workforce shortages. Campus leaders described varied recoveries across the University of Minnesota system, Minnesota State institutions, private nonprofits and community colleges; students and system officials credited state programs, especially the North Star Promise scholarship, with reducing financial barriers and supporting persistence.

University of Minnesota system leaders described a systemwide turnaround after pandemic-era declines. "The University of Minnesota offers an exceptional academic experience," Melissa Lopez Franzen, executive director of government and community relations for the University of Minnesota, said, summarizing the system's message that research opportunities, diverse campus identities and targeted programs have helped bring students back.

Campus-level details provided at the hearing included: - Crookston: Chancellor Mary Holtz Clause said total campus enrollment is about 2,600, with…