Do Nebraska Residents Get In-State Tuition in Minnesota? (Graduate, 2026)
MSEP — 150% of the resident rate
Not in-state, but reduced — Nebraska and Minnesota both belong to Midwest Student Exchange Program, so graduate tuition at University of Minnesota Graduate School can drop to roughly $30,000 a year against the $30,900 non-resident rate. Awards are limited and campus-by-campus.
- You would pay
- $30,000/yr
- Resident pays
- $20,000/yr
- Non-resident rate
- $30,900/yr
- Saved over 2 yrs
- $1,800
Conditional: Individual campuses opt in and can cap or close awards — confirm with the school before you apply.
Tuition and mandatory fees only, compiled from published rates and rounded. Excludes housing, books and course differentials. Eligibility is decided by the institution, not by this page.
Open this pair in the checker to switch level, compare other states, or copy a link to the result.
This pair is covered by Midwest Student Exchange Program, which is a rate cap rather than a residency status. The practical effect at University of Minnesota Graduate School is about $30,000 a year, saving roughly $900 on the non-resident rate.
Nebraska residents start from $10,300 a year, the in-state graduate rate at University of Nebraska-Lincoln Graduate Studies. Measured against that, Minnesota costs $19,700 a year more than staying home. 6 other states offer Nebraska residents a reduced graduate rate, the lowest being Indiana at about $15,450.
Treat the figure below as a planning number rather than a quote. Rates are set per campus and per college within the campus, and a program in engineering or nursing frequently carries a differential the headline rate does not include.
Every route from Nebraska to Minnesota
| Route | What it gives you | Per year | Saving | Guaranteed? |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Midwest Student Exchange Program | Participating public institutions charge MSEP students no more than 150% of their in-state resident rate. Participating private institutions instead discount their own published tuition by at least 10%. Each institution chooses whether to take part and which programs it opens. | $30,000 | $900 | Conditional |
Where Nebraska residents pay less
Staying home, a Nebraska resident pays $10,300 a year for in-state graduate tuition at University of Nebraska-Lincoln Graduate Studies. The cheapest Minnesota option for you is $30,000 at University of Minnesota Graduate School, which is $19,700 a year more than staying home, or $39,400 over 2 years.
Nebraska belongs to Midwest Student Exchange Program (MSEP) at graduate level, so 7 of 50 states offer Nebraska graduate students a reduced rate, and Minnesota is one of them.
| State | Route | Per year |
|---|---|---|
| Nebraska to Indiana | Midwest Student Exchange Program · Indiana University Graduate School | $15,450 |
| Nebraska to Missouri | Midwest Student Exchange Program · University of Missouri Graduate School | $16,950 |
| Nebraska to Kansas | Midwest Student Exchange Program · University of Kansas Graduate Studies | $18,000 |
| Nebraska to Wisconsin | Midwest Student Exchange Program · UW-Madison Graduate School | $18,600 |
| Nebraska to North Dakota | Midwest Student Exchange Program · UND School of Graduate Studies | $19,000 |
Nebraska's neighboring states, compared
What a Nebraska resident pays for graduate tuition in each state that borders Nebraska, cheapest first:
- South Dakota$13,000/yr · non-resident
- Missouri$16,950/yr · Midwest Student Exchange Program
- Kansas$18,000/yr · Midwest Student Exchange Program
- Wyoming$19,000/yr · non-resident
- Iowa$31,600/yr · non-resident
- Colorado$33,300/yr · non-resident
Compare all 50 states from Nebraska in the checker. Each figure is one reference campus per state, not a state average.
Minnesota residency, in brief
Minnesota grants in-state tuition after 12 months of domicile before the term begins (Minn. Stat. § 135A.031), and a financially dependent student takes the parents' domicile. Moving to Minnesota to enroll does not by itself start the clock.
Minnesota residency requirements in full · how long every state requires
Step by step
- Check that your chosen Minnesota campus participates in Midwest Student Exchange Program — membership is a state-level agreement, but each campus decides whether to offer it and how many awards to fund.
- Confirm your intended major is on the approved list. Individual campuses opt in and can cap or close awards — confirm with the school before you apply.
- Apply for the award at the same time as admission, and well before the campus deadline — most participating institutions award on a first-come basis and close early.
- Keep your Nebraska residency documentation current; the program is only open to residents of a member state.
- Compare the result against the residency route: Minnesota grants in-state status after 12 months of domicile, currently $20,000 a year.
Official links
Related
Asked and answered
›Do Nebraska residents get in-state tuition in Minnesota?
No — but you pay less than the sticker rate. Midwest Student Exchange Program caps graduate tuition at University of Minnesota Graduate School at roughly $30,000 rather than the $30,900 non-resident rate. That is a discount, not in-state classification.
›How long does it take to get in-state tuition in Minnesota?
Minnesota requires 12 months of domicile before the term begins (Minn. Stat. § 135A.031), and a financially dependent student takes the parents' domicile.
›How much would graduate study in Minnesota actually cost a Nebraska resident?
About $30,000 a year in tuition and mandatory fees under Midwest Student Exchange Program, against $30,900 at the published non-resident rate and $20,000 for a Minnesota resident. Over 2 years that is roughly $1,800 saved. Figures are compiled 2025–26 published rates and exclude housing, books and course-specific differentials.
›Where can Nebraska residents get reduced graduate tuition?
In 7 states at graduate level. Outside Minnesota, the lowest are Indiana ($15,450), Missouri ($16,950), Kansas ($18,000). Each figure is one reference campus, and awards are made campus by campus.
›Is studying in Minnesota cheaper than staying in Nebraska?
No. Nebraska's in-state graduate rate is $10,300 a year at University of Nebraska-Lincoln Graduate Studies, and the cheapest Minnesota option for a Nebraska resident is $30,000, so Minnesota costs about $19,700 more a year, or $39,400 over 2 years, in tuition and fees alone.
Sources
Every eligibility rule on this page is checked against the operating compact commission or the state's own residency authority. Last verified 2026-09-27.
Tuition figures on this page are compiled 2025–26 published rates (basis: published compiled), rounded to the nearest $100 and refreshed each June. Eligibility rules are checked against the cited compact commission or residency authority.
- Minnesota Office of Higher Education — residency for tuition purposes ↗Accessed 2026-08-07
- University of Minnesota Graduate School — tuition and fees ↗Accessed 2026-08-07
- University of Nebraska-Lincoln Graduate Studies — tuition and fees ↗Accessed 2026-08-07
How this page was made
Compiled and checked by Billy Reiner, editor of In-State Check. Last verified 2026-09-27.
- Compiled from published rate pages
- The in-state and non-resident figures are tuition and mandatory fees for one full-time year, read from University of Minnesota Graduate School’s own 2025–26 rate page and rounded to the nearest $100. Housing, books, travel and course-specific differentials are not included in them.
- Checked against the administering body
- Compact membership at this level was checked against the commission that runs the program (MHEC). The residency test — the durational requirement, the domicile evidence and the dependent-student rule — was checked against Minnesota Office of Higher Education, Minn. Stat. § 135A.031. Nothing here is taken from another comparison site.
Not advice. In-State Check is independent of every college, compact and state agency named here. Residency classification and award decisions are made by the institution you apply to. Found an error? Send the page URL and the source that contradicts it to [email protected], and the page is corrected and re-dated. Full methodology.