A federal district court judge ruled that the state of Minnesota cannot bar religious colleges from requiring students to sign a statement of faith when the students participate in a state program that offers free classes at some public and private colleges.

Christian colleges require such signatures in order to maintain their doctrinal beliefs across the student body.

But an amendment to a law, signed by Gov. Tim Walz in 2023, barred such colleges from participating in the Postsecondary Enrollment Options (PSEO), a program that has operated for 40 years and served over 60,000 high school students. The amendment also barred schools from grounding “any part of the admission decision on a student’s race, creed, ethnicity, disability, gender, or sexual orientation or religious beliefs or affiliations.”

A group of parents and high schoolers who attend private Christian colleges filed suit, represented by the Becket Fund for Religious Liberty. The students attend Crown College and also the University of Northwestern, where Billy Graham once served as president. The case was heard in December. During the hearing, the state claimed that the law protects non-Christian and LGBTQ students from discrimination.

Judge Nancy Brasel ruled on Aug. 22 that the state’s banning of religious colleges from the program violated the First Amendment, and the state cannot discriminate against schools “solely because they are religious.”

“Minnesota tried to cut off educational opportunities to thousands of high schoolers simply for their faith,” said Diana Thomson, senior counsel at Becket. “That’s not just unlawful—it’s shameful. This ruling is a win for families who won’t be strong-armed into abandoning their beliefs, and a sharp warning to politicians who target them.”

Since 2019, the rights of Christian colleges in Minnesota had been jeopardized by the Department of Education’s attempt to ban such faith statement requirements.

Mark and Melinda Loe, parents involved in the suit, are rejoicing that the government has protected the rights of Christian colleges and Christian students.

“Minnesota tried to take that right away from us by denying kids like ours the opportunity to attend schools that reflect their faith,” they told The Christian Post. “We are grateful for this ruling, which protects students across the state and the schools they want to attend.”

“As a boldly Christian college, we are grateful for this significant ruling, which ensures we can continue to equip all students—including PSEO students—through a biblically based, faith-integrated education to impact the world for Christ,” said Crown College President Andrew Denton. “The court made clear that Minnesota cannot single out high school students who want to attend a faith-centered institution.”

Photo: Crown College X