SF 2330
1st Engrossment - 94th Legislature (2025 - 2026)
Posted on 03/27/2026 09:18 a.m.
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A bill for an act
relating to higher education; establishing a student persistence grant program;
appropriating money; requiring a report.
BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF MINNESOTA:
Section 1. new text begin APPROPRIATION; STUDENT PERSISTENCE GRANT PROGRAM.
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new text begin Subdivision 1. new text end
new text begin Establishment. new text end
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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.
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new text begin Subd. 2. new text end
new text begin Program requirements. new text end
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The grant program must:
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(1) serve an initial cohort of at least 1,000 students;
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(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;
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(3) improve student persistence and completion outcomes through proactive,
individualized coaching and coordinated academic and financial aid support; and
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(4) require grantees to implement a structured support model that includes:
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(i) assessment of student persistence risk across academic, financial, and social-emotional
domains;
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(ii) tiered intervention strategies to prioritize support for students facing the greatest
barriers to degree completion;
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(iii) targeted supports addressing academic progress, financial aid stability, and student
engagement; and
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(iv) coordination with institutional partners to align supports with existing campus-based
services.
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new text begin Subd. 3. new text end
new text begin Eligible applicants. new text end
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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.
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new text begin Subd. 4. new text end
new text begin Contracted partner qualifications. new text end
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A grantee under this section must
demonstrate the capacity to implement the program described in subdivision 2 and must:
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(1) provide a near-peer, one-to-one, or similarly individualized persistence coaching
model;
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(2) demonstrate a successful history of operating student persistence or college completion
programs serving low-income students;
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(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;
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(4) demonstrate the administrative and operational capacity to serve a cohort of at least
1,000 students annually;
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(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;
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(6) demonstrate experience supporting students commonly described as in the academic
middle;
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(7) maintain data systems capable of tracking student persistence, completion outcomes,
and key performance indicators required under subdivision 5; and
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(8) utilize student engagement tools and practices designed to support proactive,
individualized interventions.
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new text begin Subd. 5. new text end
new text begin Reporting and evaluation. new text end
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(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 funds have been expended
and all terms in the grant agreement have been met.
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(b) The report must include:
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(1) participant persistence and completion outcomes, including retention rates and
credential attainment;
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(2) financial aid renewal rates and credit accumulation trends;
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(3) a comparison of outcomes to a demographically similar cohort who did not participate
in the program; and
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(4) recommendations regarding program sustainability and potential statewide expansion.
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new text begin Subd. 6. new text end
new text begin Appropriation. new text end
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$900,000 in fiscal year 2027 is appropriated from the general
fund to the commissioner of the Office of Higher Education to award grants under this
section. This is a onetime appropriation.
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