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 (AP) - The University of Minnesota is threatening to
end a longstanding tuition pact with Wisconsin unless students from
that state agree to pay more to attend the Minnesota school.

      The reciprocity agreement between the two states has helped keep
college affordable for students in both states for decades. But the
deal as it's now constituted costs the University of Minnesota
millions of dollars in lost tuition.

      Without the agreement, tuition would likely soar for students
who cross the Minnesota-Wisconsin border for college.

      Officials from both states involved in an upcoming negotiation
on the agreement said they don't want it to come to that. But
Minnesota is pushing for changes that would cost Wisconsin students
thousands of dollars more per year - and Wisconsin officials are
saying they don't want their students to pay more.

      "We are very serious about this issue," said Craig Swan, vice
provost for undergraduate education at the University of Minnesota.
Pulling out of the pact "would be a very serious step - one that
we are not prepared to do today. But we have to give consideration
to a full range of options."

      The reciprocity deal dates to 1968, allowing Wisconsin students
who attend Minnesota public colleges to pay the same tuition they
would at a comparable Wisconsin school, and vice versa. Last year
about 12,000 Wisconsinites came to Minnesota for college, while
about 14,000 Minnesotans headed east.

      The arrangement stayed roughly in balance for more than three
decades, but then six years of steep tuition hikes at the
University of Minnesota threw things out of whack. The result is
that Wisconsin students at the University of Minnesota's Twin
Cities campus now pay $1,200 a year less in tuition than
Minnesotans.

      The states compensate each other for costs connected to the
deal, with Wisconsin making a $6.5 million payment to Minnesota
last year. But that money goes to the state's general fund, not
directly to the university.

      Wisconsin officials said it's not their fault that tuition
skyrocketed in Minnesota while Wisconsin rates stayed in check. But
University of Minnesota officials said the bottom line is the
current deal now costs them more than $6 million a year in lost
tuition.

      Swan said Minnesota officials still support the concept of
reciprocity. "What we're looking for is an adjustment of the
current agreement that we think is really quite equitable and
fair," he said.

      Wisconsin officials have indicated they're willing to talk, but
have also made it clear they are focused on keeping tuition
affordable for Wisconsin students. 

"We are happy with the
agreement the way it is," said Connie Hutchison of the Wisconsin
Higher Educational Aids Board.

      Officials from both sides hope to meet between now and the end
of February. Susan Heergard, an aide to Gov. Tim Pawlenty on
higher-education policy, said no one wants to see the deal
scrapped.

      "For generations, people have valued this agreement," Heergard
said. "We've got 26,000 students crossing the border. Our hope is
to be positive and get this agreement worked out. The ball is sort
of in our court now."

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The reciprocity agreement between the two states has helped keep college affordable for students in both states. But the deal as it's now constituted costs the University of Minnesota
millions of dollars in lost tuition.


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Minnesota threatens to end tuition reciprocity with Wisconsin

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