450 students from Minnesota state colleges and universities marched from Saint Paul College to the Minnesota Capitol today to hold a rally to draw attention to the fact that Student Tuition is OverPriced in Minnesota.

The Minnesota State College Student Association (MSCSA) and Minnesota State University Student Association (MSUSA) rallied to request the legislature take action to limit further tuition increases while maintaining the quality of higher education at Minnesota’s state colleges and universities.

Past budget deficits have hit public higher education hard, and students have been forced to pay for these cuts in the form of dramatically increased tuition rates. “Over the last ten years, tuition at public Minnesota State Colleges and Universities has increased by over 100 percent and we need to do something to limit these increases,” said Minnesota State College Student Association (MSCSA) President and Lake Superior College student Travis Johnson.

Increased tuition has led to increased debt loads for students. For the first time ever, student debt in this country now exceeds credit card debt. “According to the Office of Higher Education, the average student in Minnesota is graduating with $26,000 in debt.  It is incredibly difficult for our graduates to contribute to the economy when they are shouldered with that kind of debt,” said Minnesota State University Student Association (MSUSA) State Chair and Bemidji State University student Andrew Spaeth.

Student leaders from MSUSA and MSCSA, as well as, lawmakers including Rep. King Banaian (R-St. Cloud), Sen. John Carlson (R-Bemidji), Rep. Kerry Gauthier (DFL-Duluth) and Rep. Terry Morrow (DFL-St. Peter), spoke at the rally.

 
The Minnesota State College Student Association (MSCSA) represents over 100,000 students attending the two-year public community and technical colleges throughout 47 communities in Minnesota. The Minnesota State University Student Association (MSUSA) represents 70,000 students attending state universities in Bemidji, Mankato, Marshall (Southwest) Moorhead, St. Cloud, St. Paul/Minneapolis (Metropolitan) and Winona. More information is available at www.mscsa.org, www.msusa.org and our joint website www.mnstudentsmatter.org.