The university system's strategic plan notes the regents aim to "protect institutional viability by moderating the short-term effects of enrollment changes," and that they want to ensure equity "among all institutions" in disbursing money from the Montana Legislature.

"How these funds are allocated is central to every strategic objective of the board," reads the budget allocation portion of its strategic plan.

Commissioner Clayton Christian said the dollars follow the students – as they should. And the flagships should be evaluated on their relationship to quality, not to each other.

At the same time, he said, UM had a record level of funding last year, and this year, the dollars per student hit a record, too.

"It's the highest per-student funding that it's ever had," Christian said.

According to MUS data, UM’s spending per-student is budgeted at $14,102 for the 2017 fiscal year; MSU’s per-student spending is budgeted at $15,228.

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A balance in the state's flagships isn't a goal in and of itself, and noting the disparity as a problem is like saying "some students have chosen wrong," said Kevin McRae, deputy commissioner of communications in the Commissioner's Office.