MARSHALL — The Minnesota State system of colleges and universities is calling for a tuition freeze along with its next budget request. A proposal seeking an additional $350 million in state funding over the next biennium was presented to the Minnesota State board of trustees on Wednesday.

The budget request proposal said the $350 million would help stabilize colleges and universities, while offsetting a tuition freeze.

Minnesota State’s 33 colleges and universities have been facing declining enrollment numbers at the same time as rising inflationary costs. This year, enrollment was down 3.8% systemwide, Minnesota State leaders said Wednesday.

The proposed budget request calls for the additional $350 million to be split up over Minnesota State’s 2024 and 2025 fiscal years. The request includes $125 million to stabilize the budgets of colleges and universities in the Minnesota state system.

Out of the additional state appropriations, $77 million would allow Minnesota State to freeze tuition rates where they currently are, as well as expanding free educational resources for students, the proposal said. Funding would also go toward investments in education to help develop Minnesota’s workforce.

Southwest Minnesota State University President Kumara Jayasuriya said Thursday that the proposed budget request and tuition freeze would help students access higher education.

“The budget request is an investment not just in SMSU but in the entire state of Minnesota, so that we can support our students and provide them with the educational opportunities they need to be active participants in our state’s workforce and economy,” Jayasuriya said. “SMSU is committed to helping our students and families keep the cost of higher education affordable. Freezing tuition coupled with increasing access to emergency grants and additional scholarships, we hope will encourage more students to choose us and to stay in our communities.”

The proposed budget request includes $10 million for emergency relief grants for students, as well as $12 million in scholarships for transfer students, and $25.5 million for workforce development scholarships.

The proposal said the additional state funding would also help pay for expanded student support services, as well as upgrades to college and university equipment, and development of programs focusing on high-demand occupations.

The final version of the budget request will go before the Minnesota State board of trustees in November for approval. The request would then go before state lawmakers at the upcoming legislative session.