HB144 has created a controversial debate over who should qualify for in-state tuition. Utah college tuition is already a concern for hard-working families. Why should immigration status create a different standard for who receives in-state tuition and who must pay out-of-state? The answer is, it shouldn’t. The DOJ argues that Utah’s policy violates a 1996 federal law: An individual who is not lawfully allowed in the U.S. cannot receive post-secondary education benefits based on state residency unless all U.S. citizens are offered the same benefit regardless of where those citizens live (pointing to the concern of out-of-state tuition).
Utah should allow undocumented students the right to in-state tuition if they attended Utah schools, contributed to their communities and deserve an affordable opportunity to attend college.
As a junior at Olympus High School, I have begun to plan for college and my future. Over the past decade, tuition and fees have increased about 19%. Paying in-state tuition as a highschooler in Utah is already a concern, paying out-of-state tuition is out of the picture and unaffordable for myself and most.
Undocumented high schoolers, who are students of Utah schools, should not have to pay out-of-state tuition. Expecting these students to pay triple the price for college makes higher education unreachable. Just like any of their peers, they are Utah students receiving a Utah education and deserve to continue to do so. Ultimately, requiring undocumented students to pay out-of-state rates ignores their ties to the community and places an unfair and unequal financial burden on their potential.
Keeping college accessible for all Utahns honors the state’s values and ensures our state’s investments as benefits our entire community.
Isabel McAllister, Holladay