PIERRE, S.D.(DRGNews)- The South Dakota Board of Regents has voted to allow South Dakota Advantage program eligibility to include residents from Minnesota, Kansas and Missouri. The new states will join Colorado, Illinois, Iowa, Montana, Nebraska, North Dakota, Wisconsin and Wyoming in the program.

Executive Director Nathan Lukkes (lucas) says the program, which began in 2019, offers in-state tuition rates to students from certain states.

Lukkes says there’s a lot of discussion behind the scenes surrounding which states are included in this program.

Lukkes says the Regents are seeing a growing number of these out of state students staying in South Dakota to work.

Lukkes says the South Dakota Advantage program applies to the six public universities in the state. He says the rates will go into effect for new students enrolled in the 2024 summer term and beyond. Current Minnesota students enrolled in the BOR system will continue receiving the Minnesota reciprocity rate until graduation; new incoming and transfer students will receive the South Dakota Advantage rate.