Williston State College (WSC) in North Dakota is located just 60 miles from the Canadian border. As a way to grow enrollment and expand educational opportunities for everyone – including those across the border – the college is launching the Canadian Par Value initiative. The program will offer reduced tuition for students from Canada.
WSC President Bernell Hirning answered CC Daily’s questions about the new initiative.
What was the inspiration for the Canadian Par Value initiative? Does the college have a history of serving students from Canada?
Several years ago, when I attended Minot State University, in Minot, North Dakota, to earn my bachelor’s and master’s degrees, I recall that many businesses would offer Canadian residents par value for their Canadian dollar if they’d come to Minot to shop. The program was hugely successful and to this day I have remembered the creative idea. Therefore, as a way to recruit more Canadian students to Williston State College, my executive cabinet discussed and approved for WSC to launch a Canadian Par Value Tuition Initiative.
How will the program work?
On July 1 of each calendar year, WSC will check the exchange rate on the Canadian dollar. The difference between the value of the American dollar and Canadian dollar will set the percentage for the program for the upcoming academic year. The percentage will be the amount of tuition reduction provided to Canadian students, for tuition only. It will not apply to fees, housing, meal plans, or any other cost of attending WSC. At current rate, a student would save about $1,200 from full tuition.
Currently, WSC has 85 international students of which approximately half are from Canada. Most of the Canadian students compete as student athletes in one of our seven different athletic programs, mostly in baseball, softball, hockey and volleyball.
The United States and Canada have a complicated relationship right now. Does that pose any challenges for the program? Or any concerns within your community?
Williston State College has an open enrollment policy for students from all countries and nations. If an individual meets the minimum requirements for enrollment, set by WSC, they can enroll with us. This is not a scholarship program, but instead a Presidential Tuition Waiver Program from the Office of the President at Williston State College.
What are some of the biggest obstacles with setting up a cross-border program?
One of most important elements of the program is that Canadian students have a vision of where they would like to go after WSC. If they’ll be returning back to Canada, they’ll need to do their research in terms of ‘transferability’ of coursework back to Canada. Transferability will vary from institution to institution. If the Canadian students stay in North Dakota or the United States to continue their education, WSC coursework is seamlessly transferable within our country.
Another obstacle would be the simple promotion of the program on the Canadian side of the border. We’ll use a mixture of social media, radio, etc, to message the initiative, but as with any new initiative, getting message to the eyes that need to see it is always a challenge.
What is your goal for the program?
The goal of the program is to grow Williston State College. With our campus being only an hour away from the Canadian Border, WSC is a great option for Canadian residents pursuing a quality education. In the spring of 2025, WSC set an all-time historic record in enrollments, and this initiative is designed to add to this historic growth. With the construction of our new 42,000-square-foot Healthcare Training Facility (slated for completion in November 2025), and the addition of up to 15 new healthcare-related programs, the number of academic options for new students will continue to grow.
Additionally, WSC is working with the six four-year universities in the North Dakota University System to deliver up to 15 bachelor-completion programs, in-person, at WSC. Those programs will include teaching, business, engineering, social work, and addictions studies, just to name a few.
