The South Dakota Board of Regents will freeze tuition and other mandatory fees for college students at state institutions in the upcoming academic year due to substantial financial support from the legislature.
Apart from allowing the tuition and fee freeze at South Dakota’s six public colleges, the new budget will fund a salary increase of six percent for some employees working with the Board of Regents.
“This year, the Legislature’s action to invest additional base general funds in state salary policy will support raises for tuition-funded employees within the Board of Regents’ system and allow us to hold the line on student tuition,” board executive director and CEO Brian Maher said.
“Addition of base general funds is a major step forward as we continue to address student affordability and the costs of higher education,” he added.
Further Initiatives
South Dakota is also working toward a solution to the brain drain impacting the local workforce.
The Board of Regents is working on a strategic plan that prioritizes attracting and retaining college graduates, as well as those outside the state, to take jobs in the state. One aspect of the strategy seeks to add 32,000 jobs by 2030, with 38 percent requiring a bachelor’s degree.
Other initiatives are focused on educational attainment, college affordability, student outcomes, economic development, financial health, and competitiveness.
This includes analyzing tuition and fee models, eliminating low productivity programs, improving resources for high-demand programs, and setting up a think tank for to come up with new enrollment strategies.