The U.S. Department of Justice escalated its legal fight against Minnesota’s in-state tuition policy for eligible undocumented students, appealing a March ruling that dismissed the government’s challenge. The case now moves to the Eighth U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals. Minnesota’s law allows undocumented students to qualify for in-state rates if they meet criteria including spending at least three years in Minnesota high school and graduating there. The DOJ argued the policy improperly creates benefits for noncitizens that citizens do not receive. The judge disagreed, crediting Minnesota’s position that the policy also benefits citizens, including out-of-state students who attended Minnesota high schools. The appeal arrives amid broader DOJ litigation: the department has sued nine states over similar policies, including a new lawsuit targeting New Jersey. For higher education administrators in states with comparable programs, the case’s trajectory is a direct indicator of how quickly tuition and scholarship eligibility rules could tighten or remain stable.