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Minnesota residents who are at least 62 years old may qualify for tuition-free courses at RCTC. Even though the courses may be tuition-free, there are other administrative costs and related fees that will be assessed according to MN Statute as described below.

Guidelines:

• The individual should provide evidence of MN residency and age (a photocopy of a driver's license, for example).
• Seniors may enroll "when space is available after all tuition-paying students have been accommodated". The Office of the Chancellor defines "space availability" as the second day of class.
• The individual should declare auditor status for the course at time of registration. If they are auditing the course the approximate cost is $13.00 per credit.
• If the individual is not auditing the course, a $9.00 administrative fee will be assessed for each credit. The approximate cost is $22.00 per credit.

Senior Citizen's wishing to enroll must apply for admission to the college and comply with all other admission and registration requirements.

Full details of the statute:

Sec. 8. Minnesota Statutes 2004, section 135A.52, subdivision 1, is amended to read:
Subdivision 1. [FEES AND TUITION.] Except for an administration fee established by the governing board at a level to recover costs, to be collected only when a course is taken for credit, a senior citizen who is a legal resident of Minnesota is entitled without payment of tuition or activity fees to attend courses offered for credit, audit any courses offered for credit, or enroll in any noncredit courses in any state supported institution of higher education in Minnesota when space is available after all tuition-paying students have been accommodated. A senior citizen enrolled under this section must pay any materials, personal property, or service charges for the course. In addition, a senior citizen who is enrolled in a course for credit must pay an administrative fee in an amount established by the governing board of the institution to recover the course costs. There shall be no administrative fee charges to a senior citizen auditing a course.

For the purposes of this section and section 135A.51, the term "noncredit courses" shall not include those courses designed and offered specifically and exclusively for senior citizens.

The provisions of this section and section 135A.51 do not apply to noncredit courses designed and offered by the University of Minnesota, and the Minnesota State Colleges and Universities specifically and exclusively for senior citizens. Senior citizens enrolled under the provisions of this section and section 135A.51 shall not be included by such institutions in their computation of full-time equivalent students when requesting staff or appropriations.

Sec. 9. Minnesota Statutes 2004, section 135A.52, subdivision 2, is amended to read:
Subd. 2. [TERM; INCOME OF SENIOR CITIZENS.] (a) Except under paragraph (b), there shall be no limit to the number of terms, quarters or semesters a senior citizen may attend courses, nor income limitation imposed in determining eligibility.
(b) A senior citizen enrolled in a closed enrollment contract training or professional continuing education program is not eligible for benefits under subdivision 1.

 

 

 

Rochester Community and Technical College
851 30th Ave SE, Rochester, MN 55904-4999
Contact Info: (507) 285-7210 or 1-800-247-1296 / TTY Relay 1-800-627-3529
RCTC is a University Center Rochester partner and a member of the MnSCU system.
© 2007 Rochester Community and Technical College, All rights reserved.
RCTC is an affirmative action, equal opportunity educator and employer.
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