VERMILLION, S.D. (AP) – Many northwest Iowa students have hoped to save several thousand dollars by enrolling at the University of South Dakota over the past two years. The Sioux City Journal reports that the South Dakota Board of Regents began extending in-state tuition to new Iowa freshman and transfer students attending one of the state’s four public universities in the 2016-17 school year.

The University of South Dakota’s in-state tuition and fees is about $8,700 for the 2017-18 year, which is about $3,200 less than out-of-state tuition. The university says the incentive has led to a nearly 70 percent increase in Iowa residents attending the university, with more than 300 students attending this academic year.

The university also offers the in-state tuition rate to the children of alumni.