The reciprocity agreement between Minnesota and Wisconsin changed slightly, thanks to a unanimous decision by the University of Minnesota Board of Regents.

Because the UW System’s tuition is lower than the University of Minnesota’s, Wisconsin was forced to pay the difference to Minnesota’s general legislative fund, said Rep. Jeff Smith, D-Eau Claire.

But after the Oct. 12 decision, the money will now be redirected to Minnesota’s university system, said Dan Wolter, director of the University of Minnesota news service.

“Wisconsin students are paying less to go to school in Minnesota than Minnesota students, so the result is higher tuition in Minnesota to make up for the loss,” he said. “But this revised agreement addresses that problem by giving the money to Minnesota universities.”

The reciprocity agreement between Wisconsin and Minnesota allows Minnesota students to go to school in Wisconsin while paying Minnesota in-state tuition and vice versa for Wisconsin residents in Minnesota public universities.

Junior Collin Dean said the agreement and the recent change is a good thing for both states as well as university students.

“(Reciprocity) allows students to look at more schools out-of-state,” Dean said. “The universities should get money that would go to them if students (from both states) paid the same tuition.”

Wolter said Wisconsin makes a cash payment to Minnesota to make up the difference, but because those payments were going to the state, the Minnesota system was not seeing the money it deserved.

“Our primary objection to the old policy was that the cash wouldn’t go to the universities,” Wolter said. “For several years we’ve been urging revisions to the reciprocity agreement . it was started several decades ago to expand opportunities for students in both states and throughout that time we’ve seen it change a few times.”

Smith said the adjustment was inevitable because those funds were not helping the universities even though they were coming from university students.

“(The change) had to be made otherwise Minnesota was ready to pull out of the agreement,” he said. “I understand where they are coming from . it’s looking out for the best interests of the Wisconsin students going to universities in Minnesota and vice versa.”

Wolter said students from both states will continue to benefit from the agreement because it preserves a system that doubles affordable education opportunities.

There is still a tuition disparity between Wisconsin and Minnesota schools because of the level of support from each state’s government, Wolter said. However, he said Minnesota’s tuition increased less than Wisconsin’s over the past year, so the future could result in a reversal of fortunes.

“It may level out over time or Minnesota could end up sending money to Wisconsin,” Wolter said. “It’s important that we’re able to make modifications or adjustments to the agreement as needed.”

Overall, Smith thinks the change was the right thing to do, partially because most people assumed the money was going back to the Minnesota system.

“It’s a good deal for us,” he said. “We’re doing what we should have been doing all along – supporting the campuses (in Minnesota) where Wisconsin students attend.”