FAQ

A:$63,762.00 for fall and spring 2026-27, by the University's cost-of-attendance estimate for a nonresident undergraduate living in a dorm.

• •That total includes $43,348.00 in tuition and fees and $15,552.00 for housing and food.
• •The estimate is $64,590.00 living off campus.
• •International students' costs are calculated differently due to visa requirements.

A:3.8% for resident undergraduates, in the fiscal year 2027 operating budget the Board of Regents approved on June 26, 2026.

• •The balanced budget anticipates approximately $5.4 billion in revenue to cover approximately $5.4 billion in expenses.
• •The Board approved it at a meeting convened June 26 to act on the University's fiscal year 2027 capital and operating budgets.

A:4.5% for nonresident undergraduates on the Twin Cities campus, in the President's recommended FY 2027 operating budget on the Regents' June 26, 2026 docket.

• •The same plan raised the resident undergraduate rate 3.8% for all campuses.
• •It also set a general resident graduate increase of 3.0% and a general non-resident graduate increase of 3.5%.
• •For a Twin Cities resident living in a residence hall, the docket puts the total of tuition, required fees, and room and board at $34,458 for the 2026-27 academic year, up $1,554 (4.7%).

A:Each year as part of the Annual Operating Budget, on the president's recommendation, under Board of Regents policy.

• •The policy states: "The president shall recommend tuition rates to the Board for action as part of the Annual Operating Budget."
• •Within each campus, resident undergraduate tuition must be the same for all undergraduates, though a college-specific tuition surcharge may be added.
• •Nonresident, non-reciprocity rates must be higher than or equal to resident rates.

A:Unconfirmed: 2027-28 tuition has not been set yet.

• •The Board of Regents' 2026–27 schedule lists June 25, 2027 for "approval of the annual operating and capital budgets."
• •Its regular meetings before then are December 10–11, 2026, February 11–12, 2027, April 8–9, 2027 and June 10–11, 2027.

A:Yes with Wisconsin and North Dakota (and the province of Manitoba), but no longer with South Dakota for new students.

• •If a reciprocity application is approved, the student is charged the resident tuition rate, with some exceptions for graduate and professional students.
• •Reciprocity is not automatic: students apply through the higher education office in their home state or province.
• •South Dakota's Board of Regents ended the agreement, and beginning in fall 2025 new incoming South Dakota students are assessed the non-resident rate, while continuing students keep resident-equivalent rates as long as they make continuous degree progress.

A:For 2026-27, a double room in most residence halls is $4,508 per person, per semester.

• •A single is $5,057 and a triple is $4,260 in all halls except Middlebrook Hall, Pioneer Hall and 17th Avenue.
• •Middlebrook's double is $4,633, and a double in Pioneer Hall or 17th Avenue is $4,658.
• •Housing & Residential Life says the rates include housing during fall and spring breaks, and all residence hall residents are also required to have a meal plan.

A:For 2026-27, the Unlimited Plan is $3,190 and the Unlimited Plus Plan is $3,340.

• •The Unlimited Plan comes with unlimited meal swipes and $150 Dining Dollars; Unlimited Plus comes with unlimited meal swipes and $300 Dining Dollars.
• •Housing & Residential Life lists both under the residence hall rates it gives per person, per semester.

A:Yes.

• •Housing & Residential Life says all students living in its residence halls are required to have one of two unlimited meal plans, the Unlimited Plan or the Unlimited Plus Plan.
• •Residents are automatically enrolled in the Unlimited Plan unless they choose Unlimited Plus.
• •Apartment residents and commuters can sign up for a meal plan if they want one.

A:Yes, if they meet the conditions.

• •The housing office says all new incoming first-year students are guaranteed housing if they are admitted to the Twin Cities campus, complete the Housing Application and submit the Housing Guarantee payment (or file for an extension) by May 15, attend or sign up for a new student orientation by July 24, and accept any housing assignment offered.
• •Students who do not meet all of these "will only be assigned housing if space is available."
• •New applicants can cancel until August 1 and get their $200 Housing Guarantee payment back.

A:In early November each year, for new first-year students.

• •Students do not need to be admitted or to have confirmed enrollment before applying.
• •The application costs a non-refundable $75, and assignments are made based on the date the Housing Application Fee is received.
• •Admitted first-year students then pay a $200 housing guarantee in May to confirm a spot, which is applied to fall housing charges.

A:For fall 2026, first-year students moving into a residence hall or Wilkins apartments had assisted move-in on Tuesday, Sept. 1, and Wednesday, Sept. 2, 2026.

• •Students moving in on other days unload and move their own belongings, with moving carts provided.
• •Residents get an email in early August about reserving a move-in appointment.

A:Yes, for an additional fee.

• •Housing & Residential Life says housing over winter break, December 23, 2026, through January 18, 2027, is available for an additional fee.
• •Residence hall contracts for 2026-27 begin September 5, 2026, and end May 12, 2027, and the rates include housing during fall and spring breaks.

A:$85 million in new recurring state funding for fiscal years 2028 and 2029, on top of continued base appropriations.

• •The request, called Elevate Minnesota's Future Workforce, pairs $31 million recurring for workforce and technology priorities with $54 million recurring for statewide operational capacity.
• •The Finance & Operations Committee docket lists it as an action item for Oct. 8, 2026, with no changes since the Board reviewed it in September.
• •Posted minutes do not yet record the outcome of that vote or a final vote by the full Board.

A:A general fund appropriation of $822,351,000 in fiscal year 2028 and $822,351,000 in fiscal year 2029, for a biennial total of $1,644,702,000.

• •That figure covers general operations and maintenance and state special appropriations, according to the resolution in the Board's Oct. 8, 2026 committee docket.
• •The resolution also asks to continue fiscal year 2027 base funding for the Primary Care Education Initiatives totaling $2,157,000.
• •It also asks to continue Academic Health Center funding under Minnesota Statutes §297F.10 totaling $22,250,000.

A:Five items: $10 million to drive statewide AI talent and innovation, $15 million to grow Minnesota's healthcare workforce, $54 million to support statewide operational capacity, $3.5 million for a career and workforce accelerator, and $2.5 million to expand market-responsive online learning.

• •The AI money would expand the work of the University's AI Hub.
• •The healthcare money would expand programs in fields such as dentistry, nursing, pharmacy and veterinary medicine.
• •The docket says the $54 million increase would represent a 7 percent increase over the current base.

A:For fiscal year 2027, $644,018,000 for operations and maintenance, $95,490,000 in restricted state special appropriations and $22,250,000 for academic health.

• •Those are the current appropriations listed in the Board of Regents' Oct. 8, 2026 Finance & Operations Committee docket.
• •The academic health money comes from cigarette tax proceeds under Minnesota Statutes 297F.10.
• •The University's request asks the state to continue these base appropriations in 2028-29.

A:No, according to the University.

• •Its Oct. 8, 2026 docket says that over the last two biennia the University's purchasing power has decreased by $89.2 million.
• •It describes state appropriations as flat in fiscal 2025 and 2027 and down $3.3 million in fiscal 2026, measured against Higher Education Price Index inflation of 3.5 to 3.6 percent a year.
• •The docket says this has shifted costs to families through higher tuition and led to program closures and property sales.

A:Yes.

• •In a Sept. 24, 2026 message, President Rebecca Cunningham and senior leaders said they expect to reduce the overall University budget by $225 million over two years.
• •The message says this equates to 12-15% of allocated operating revenue and that final numbers will depend on external factors.
• •Every unit across all campuses and all locations will take part, and budget planning is shifting from a one-year view to a two-year view.

A:About $5.4 billion for fiscal year 2027.

• •The balanced operating budget the Board of Regents approved June 26, 2026 anticipates approximately $5.4 billion in revenue to cover approximately $5.4 billion in expenses.
• •It includes a 3.8% resident undergraduate tuition increase and a 3% merit pool for faculty and staff.

A:$1.67 billion in Tier 1 primary reserves as of June 30, 2026.

• •The University's inaugural Annual Capital Reserves and Liquidity Management Report says that equals 113 days of cash on hand, above the Board policy minimum of 75 days.
• •It says combined expendable financial resources cover 83 percent of the expected fiscal year 2027 operating budget.
• •It places the University in the top quartile for overall expendable resources compared to Big Ten and large public peers.

A:$1.7 billion as of June 30, 2026: $1.4 billion in long-term debt and $298 million in short-term debt.

• •The University's annual Capital Financing and Debt Management Report gives a weighted average cost of capital of 3.72 percent.
• •Its long-term debt is rated Aa1 by Moody's and AA by S&P.
• •It paid $121 million toward fixed-rate debt service in fiscal 2026, reducing principal outstanding by $60.3 million.

A:No vote is recorded.

• •Minutes of the Board's Sept. 17, 2026 item-specific meeting in Rochester say President Cunningham and her team reviewed the president's recommended FY 2028–29 Biennial Budget Request with the Board.
• •The only vote those minutes record is the Board's unanimous approval of the Consent Report.
• •The request then came to the Finance & Operations Committee for action on Oct. 8, 2026.

A:$350 million, consisting of $250,000,000 from the State of Minnesota and $100,000,000 from the University.

• •That is the amount in the resolution on the president's recommended 2026 Six-Year Capital Plan and 2027 State Capital Request, an action item at the Board of Regents' Finance & Operations Committee on Oct. 8, 2026.
• •The request is for the 2027 legislative session.
• •Posted minutes do not yet record the vote on it.

A:Three: a $150 million Rochester campus academic building, a $150 million Dentistry Clinical Renovation and $50 million for Higher Education Asset Preservation and Replacement (HEAPR).

• •The state would pay $100 million of each $150 million building project, with the University paying $50 million.
• •HEAPR is requested entirely from the state.
• •The docket lists the three projects as unranked.

A:Higher Education Asset Preservation and Replacement, state bonding for the upkeep of existing University buildings.

• •The University's 2027 state capital request asks for $50 million in HEAPR.
• •The docket says the University allocates HEAPR funding system wide for health, safety and accessibility, building systems, utility infrastructure and energy efficiency across its 30 million square feet of facilities.
• •It describes asset preservation as the most cost-effective way to extend the life of existing buildings.

A:A proposed $150 million academic building in downtown Rochester, in the University's 2027 state capital request.

• •It would accommodate enrollment growth at the Rochester campus from 1,100 students in Fall 2025 toward a targeted 2,500.
• •The request seeks $100 million from the state and $50 million from the University.
• •The docket says full predesign is scheduled for completion by Spring 2027.

A:A proposed $150 million Dentistry Clinical Renovation that would partially renovate Moos Tower on the Twin Cities campus.

• •It would create modern clinical spaces, upgraded pre-clinic and simulation labs and a team-based clinic.
• •The request seeks $100 million from the state and $50 million from the University.
• •The docket says the School of Dentistry trains 73 percent of the state's practicing dentists.

A:The 2026 Six-Year Capital Plan lists major capital projects planned for calendar years 2027 through 2032.

• •It covers projects over $5 million in three sections: the 2027 State Capital Request, Projects in Development and Projects Under Consideration.
• •Projects in development include a 10 Church Street renovation, Coffman Memorial Union renovation design and St. Paul campus student housing.
• •The docket says future years are unranked, preliminary and continuously re-evaluated.

A:$35 million.

• •The University's June 26, 2026 news release says the Board of Regents approved the fiscal 2027 capital improvement budget, including funding for a new St. Paul Campus Center supported by $35 million in state bonding.

A:Not yet final: the president recommends it, and the Board of Regents is scheduled to act in December 2026.

• •The Finance & Operations Committee reviewed the transfer to the Fond du Lac Band of Lake Superior Chippewa on Oct. 8, 2026, and its work plan lists the action for December 10–11.
• •The docket says the Cloquet Forestry Center lies entirely within Nagaajiwanaang, ancestral homelands reserved under the Treaty of 1854.
• •It says the transfer responds to decades of Tribal requests and a 2020 Minnesota Indian Affairs Council resolution.

A:Approximately 3,391.25 acres of land and all improvements within the Cloquet Forestry Center, at no cost via quitclaim deed.

• •First, the State of Minnesota would convey about 407.12 acres of state-owned land within the center to the University at no cost.
• •The 2026 Legislature authorized the transfer and appropriated $1.3 million to prepay and defease the state bonds tied to the center.

A:Yes, under the proposal.

• •A Facilities Occupancy and Use Agreement with the Fond du Lac Band would let the University continue education, research and outreach at the site for an initial term of 30 years.
• •The Band would charge no base rent, and the University would remain responsible for its direct operating, maintenance and utility expenses.
• •Research protocols would follow the University Guidelines for Indigenous Research and include review by Fond du Lac Resource Management.

A:Rebecca Cunningham.

• •She became the University's 18th president on July 1, 2024.
• •Before that she was Vice President for Research and Innovation at the University of Michigan.

A:The Board of Regents.

• •Under the Board's Bylaws, the President is elected by the Board whenever there is a permanent vacancy and holds office at the pleasure of the Board.
• •If the President is unable to serve, the Board may designate an Acting President.

A:No.

• •The Bylaws make the University President the ex officio, non-voting President of the Board.

A:December 10–11, 2026.

• •The Board's meeting-materials page lists it as the next meeting and links agendas, materials and videos for past meetings.

A:On a schedule the Board approves each June.

• •The 2026–27 schedule lists July 22–24, 2026 (with a retreat), October 8–9, 2026, December 10–11, 2026, February 11–12, 2027, April 8–9, 2027, June 10–11, 2027 and July 21–23, 2027 (with a retreat).
• •Item-specific meetings are also set for May 4, 2027 and June 25, 2027.

A:On the sixth floor of the McNamara Alumni Center, unless otherwise noted.

A:Ten days before a regular meeting.

• •Meetings are noticed and agendas are posted in accordance with Minnesota's Open Meeting Law.

A:Yes.

• •Board meetings are open to the public except for non-public agenda items or committee meetings allowed under Minn. Stat. § 13D.01, Subd. 3 and 13D.05, Subd. 3(b).
• •If room capacity becomes limited, people with business before the Board and members of the media have priority.

A:Yes.

• •Public Board meetings held in the boardroom are livestreamed at youtube.com/UMNRegents.
• •Recordings of all public meetings are archived on the same channel.

A:Yes.

• •Since May 2025, all attendees must go through security screening, including a metal detector, before being admitted.
• •Visitors should enter the McNamara Alumni Center at the University Avenue entrance.

A:Only if the Board Chair approves a request in advance.

• •The Bylaws say the Chair shall not ordinarily allow individuals who are not on the agenda to speak.
• •A request to appear must be submitted in writing to the Secretary ten calendar days before the meeting with a rationale, and the Chair rules on it in consultation with the Vice Chair(s) and the President.

A:Through the Board's Virtual Forum online.

• •It accepts written comments of up to 3,500 characters or audio and video comments of up to two minutes.
• •Submissions require a first and last name, University affiliation (if any), an email address and a phone number.
• •Comments submitted by 10:00 a.m. on the Friday before a regularly scheduled meeting are included in the docket for the following week's meeting.

A:Yes, if they follow the Board's guidelines.

• •Commenters' remarks, name and affiliation are published in the Board's docket materials; email addresses and phone numbers are not.
• •Anonymous comments are not published, and comments that don't meet the guidelines still go to the Board but are not made public.

A:Twelve.

• •The Board of Regents has 12 members, each serving a six-year term.
• •One Regent is elected from each of Minnesota's eight congressional districts and four are elected from the state at large.

A:The Minnesota Legislature elects them.

• •A joint convention of the Legislature elects one Regent from each of the state's eight congressional districts and four from the state at large.
• •The Board's page points people to the Legislature's Regent Candidate Advisory Council for more on the selection process.

A:Six years.

• •Terms are staggered: every two years, one-third of the Board's seats are up for election.

A:Regent Douglas Huebsch.

• •The Board's current vice chairs are Regent Ruth Johnson and Regent Penny Wheeler.
• •The Board's other officers are President Rebecca Cunningham, Secretary Brian Steeves and Interim Treasurer Michael Volna.

A:The Regents elect them from among the Board's members for two-year terms.

• •In odd-numbered years the Chair appoints a three-Regent nominating committee at the Board's May meeting to prepare a slate.
• •The election is held at the Board's annual meeting in June.

A:Yes.

• •One of the Board's four at-large Regents must be a University of Minnesota student at the time of election.

A:Regent Kowsar D. Mohamed.

• •The Board's member list shows Mohamed's district as "At-Large, Student Seat," appointed in 2025, with a term that expires in 2031.

A:They are eight non-voting students who bring the student voice to the Board.

• •Each is selected by a campus student association for a one-year term: one each from Crookston, Duluth, Morris and Rochester, and four from the Twin Cities.
• •They take part in the Audit & Compliance, Finance & Operations and Mission Fulfillment committees and report to the Board each March.
• •The 2026–2027 chair is Vera Barkosky of the Twin Cities campus.

A:No.

• •The Legislature's Regent Candidate Advisory Council says Regents serve without pay for six-year terms.

A:It recruits and recommends regent candidates to the Legislature.

• •State law sets it at 24 members, 12 appointed by the Senate majority leader and 12 by the House speaker.
• •It recommends at least two and not more than four candidates, and must submit its recommendations to the Legislature's joint committee by January 15 of each odd-numbered year.

A:Yes.

• •State law says at least one member of the Board of Regents shall be a resident of each congressional district.

A:The Governor fills it by appointment.

• •Under the University's 1851 Charter, the appointee serves until the close of the next legislative session and until a successor is elected.
• •The Charter is perpetuated by Article XIII, Section 3 of the Minnesota Constitution.

A:It articulates a vision for the University and works to ensure the University fulfills its mission of education, research and outreach.

• •Its 12 members are elected by the Minnesota Legislature.

A:Tuesday, Jan. 19, 2027.

• •That is the start of the spring full semester and first 7-week sessions on the Twin Cities campus.
• •The day before, Monday, Jan. 18, the University is closed for Martin Luther King Jr.
• •Day.

A:Thursday, Dec. 17, through Wednesday, Dec. 23, 2026.

• •Sunday, Dec. 20, is a study day.
• •The last day of instruction for the fall full semester is Wednesday, Dec. 16, and the fall semester ends Dec. 23.

A:Monday, March 8, through Friday, March 12, 2027.

• •The Twin Cities academic calendar lists those five days as spring break, with no classes.
• •The University is also listed as closed on Friday, March 12.

A:Thursday, May 6, through Wednesday, May 12, 2027.

• •Tuesday, May 4, Wednesday, May 5, and Sunday, May 9, are study days.
• •The last day of instruction for the spring full semester is Monday, May 3, and the spring semester ends May 12.

A:No classes on Thursday, Nov. 26, or Friday, Nov. 27, 2026.

• •The Twin Cities academic calendar lists the University as closed both days, Nov. 26 for Thanksgiving.