Plain English Breakdown
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SF4638 • 2026
Omnibus Higher Education supplemental appropriations
Omnibus Higher Education supplemental appropriations
Budget
Education
Passed Legislature
This bill passed both chambers and reached final enrollment, even if later executive action is not shown here.
Bill History
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2026-04-14
House
Comm report: To pass as amended and re-refer to Finance
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2026-03-23
House
Introduction and first reading
Official Summary Text
Omnibus Higher Education supplemental appropriations
Current Bill Text
Read the full stored bill text
A bill for an act relating to higher education and civil law; providing funding for the Office of Higher Education and the University of Minnesota; extending the Farmer-Lender Mediation Act; requiring public high schools to participate in the direct admissions program by default; establishing a student persistence grant program; requiring a report; appropriating money; amending Minnesota Statutes 2024, section 583.215; proposing coding for new law in Minnesota Statutes, chapter 120B. BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF MINNESOTA: ARTICLE 1 HIGHER EDUCATION APPROPRIATIONS Section 1. new text begin OFFICE OF HIGHER EDUCATION. new text end new text begin Subdivision 1. new text end new text begin State grant program. new text end new text begin $131,000,000 in fiscal year 2027 is appropriated from the general fund to the commissioner of the Office of Higher Education for the state grant program. This appropriation is in addition to the appropriation in Laws 2025, First Special Session chapter 5, article 1, section 2, subdivision 2. This is a onetime appropriation. new text end new text begin Subd. 2. new text end new text begin Minitex. new text end new text begin $1,500,000 in fiscal year 2027 is appropriated from the general fund to the commissioner of the Office of Higher Education for the Minitex program. This appropriation is in addition to the appropriation in Laws 2025, First Special Session chapter 5, article 1, section 2, subdivision 15. new text end new text begin Subd. 3. new text end new text begin Direct admissions program. new text end new text begin $253,000 in fiscal year 2027 is appropriated from the general fund to the commissioner of the Office of Higher Education for the direct admissions program. This appropriation is in addition to the appropriation in Laws 2025, First Special Session chapter 5, article 1, section 2, subdivision 29. new text end new text begin Subd. 4. new text end new text begin Minnesota P-20 Education Partnership. new text end new text begin $1,060,000 in fiscal year 2027 is appropriated from the general fund to the commissioner of the Office of Higher Education for the Minnesota P-20 Education Partnership under Minnesota Statutes, section 127A.70. new text end new text begin Subd. 5. new text end new text begin Student persistence grant program. new text end new text begin $900,000 in fiscal year 2027 is appropriated from the general fund to the commissioner of the Office of Higher Education for a student persistence grant program. This is a onetime appropriation. new text end Sec. 2. new text begin UNIVERSITY OF MINNESOTA. new text end new text begin $150,000 in fiscal year 2027 is appropriated from the general fund to the Board of Regents of the University of Minnesota for a new University of Minnesota Extension full-time equivalent staff position to support farmer-lender mediation under Minnesota Statutes, chapter 583. This is a onetime appropriation. new text end ARTICLE 2 HIGHER EDUCATION POLICY Section 1. new text begin [120B.1251] PARTICIPATION IN DIRECT ADMISSIONS PROGRAM. new text end new text begin Starting in the 2029-2030 school year, a district or charter school high school must participate in the direct admissions program under section 136A.84, unless the school board has adopted a written resolution exempting one or more high schools from participating in the program. new text end new text begin EFFECTIVE DATE. new text end new text begin This section is effective July 1, 2026. new text end Sec. 2. Minnesota Statutes 2024, section 583.215, is amended to read: 583.215 EXPIRATION. Sections 336.9-601 , subsections (h) and (i); 550.365 ; 559.209 ; 582.039 ; and 583.20 to 583.32 , expire June 30, deleted text begin 2027 deleted text end new text begin 2032 new text end . Sec. 3. new text begin STUDENT PERSISTENCE GRANT PROGRAM. new text end new text begin Subdivision 1. new text end new text begin Establishment. new text end new text begin The commissioner of the Office of Higher Education shall establish a competitive grant program to support students enrolled in Minnesota public postsecondary institutions that elect to participate in the program. new text end new text begin Subd. 2. new text end new text begin Program requirements. new text end new text begin The grant program must: new text end new text begin (1) serve an initial cohort of at least 1,000 students; new text end new text begin (2) prioritize students who demonstrate strong potential for degree completion but are at risk of noncompletion due to academic, financial, or systemic barriers, including students commonly described as in the academic middle, such as those with high school grade point averages of approximately 2.5 or higher; new text end new text begin (3) improve student persistence and completion outcomes through proactive, individualized coaching and coordinated academic and financial aid support; and new text end new text begin (4) require grantees to implement a structured support model that includes: new text end new text begin (i) assessment of student persistence risk across academic, financial, and social-emotional domains; new text end new text begin (ii) tiered intervention strategies to prioritize support for students facing the greatest barriers to degree completion; new text end new text begin (iii) targeted supports addressing academic progress, financial aid stability, and student engagement; and new text end new text begin (iv) coordination with institutional partners to align supports with existing campus-based services. new text end new text begin Subd. 3. new text end new text begin Eligible applicants. new text end new text begin Eligible applicants include nonprofit organizations or other organizations with demonstrated experience supporting student persistence and degree completion for low-income students in Minnesota, including experience serving students in the academic middle. new text end new text begin Subd. 4. new text end new text begin Contracted partner qualifications. new text end new text begin A grantee under this section must demonstrate the capacity to implement the program described in subdivision 2 and must: new text end new text begin (1) provide a near-peer, one-to-one, or similarly individualized persistence coaching model; new text end new text begin (2) demonstrate a successful history of operating student persistence or college completion programs serving low-income students; new text end new text begin (3) demonstrate experience working across multiple Minnesota public postsecondary systems, including institutions within the Minnesota State Colleges and Universities system and the University of Minnesota system; new text end new text begin (4) demonstrate the administrative and operational capacity to serve a cohort of at least 1,000 students annually; new text end new text begin (5) demonstrate a proven track record of supporting students from families with incomes at or below 275 percent of the federal poverty guidelines toward degree completion; new text end new text begin (6) demonstrate experience supporting students commonly described as in the academic middle; new text end new text begin (7) maintain data systems capable of tracking student persistence, completion outcomes, and key performance indicators required under subdivision 5; and new text end new text begin (8) utilize student engagement tools and practices designed to support proactive, individualized interventions. new text end new text begin Subd. 5. new text end new text begin Reporting and evaluation. new text end new text begin (a) The commissioner must annually submit a report to the chairs and ranking minority members of the legislative committees with jurisdiction over higher education finance and policy until all grant money has been expended and all terms in the grant agreement have been met. new text end new text begin (b) The report must include: new text end new text begin (1) participant persistence and completion outcomes, including retention rates and credential attainment; new text end new text begin (2) financial aid renewal rates and credit accumulation trends; new text end new text begin (3) a comparison of outcomes to a demographically similar cohort who did not participate in the program; and new text end new text begin (4) recommendations regarding program sustainability and potential statewide expansion. new text end