A religious liberty group, Christian schools, and families from those schools are challenging a Minnesota law that bans certain Christian colleges and universities from participating in the state’s Post Secondary Enrollment Options (PSEO) program. The law, passed in 2023, excludes religious institutions that require students to sign a faith statement, a ruling that Becket Fund for Religious Liberty, which is representing the plaintiffs, calls “disgraceful.”
The lawsuit, filed in 2023, includes the University of Northwestern, St. Paul, and Crown College, both of which have students affected by the law. According to Becket, the state is depriving students of the opportunity to attend faith-based institutions that align with their religious beliefs.
The PSEO program, created nearly 40 years ago, allows high school juniors and seniors to earn college credits for free. Traditionally, students could attend any eligible public or private school, but the recent law excludes religious schools like Crown and Northwestern, which require students to embrace their religious beliefs for the purpose of fostering a strong Christian community.
Eric Baxter, Becket’s senior counsel, criticized the law, stating that it unjustly limits opportunities for thousands of students simply because they attend religious schools. The families and institutions involved are hopeful that the court will strike down the law, allowing students to use PSEO funds at schools that align with their values and faith.
