15 Colleges That Give In-State Tuition to Illegal Aliens
This is a randomly selected, representative sample of major state universities that are actively discriminating against out-of-state U.S. citizens and legal immigrants in favor of law-breaking illegal aliens. All information has been obtained from university websites unless otherwise indicated. Below is a list of fifteen American colleges that offer in-state tuition to illegal aliens.
All tuition rates are either for the Fall 2020 semester, or the 2020-2021 academic year, depending on the manner in which universities list their tuition rates.
Financial Aid for In-State Illegal Alien Students | In-State Tuition for Illegal Alien Students
Florida State University
Illegal alien and DACA students who have graduated from a Florida high school may qualify for an out-of-state tuition fee waiver at the Tallahassee-based university. Illegal alien students have been eligible for in-state tuition in Florida since 2014. FSU in-state tuition costs $6,500 per year, compared to out-of-state students who pay approximately $21,700.
George Mason University
Located in Northern Virginia, GMU offers in-state tuition to eligible DACA beneficiaries and illegal aliens who meet a state residency requirement. In 2014, an opinion issued by Virginia’s Attorney General Mark Herring, opened the door to public universities granting in-state tuition to DACA students. In April 2020, Gov. Ralph Northam (D) signed into law HB 1547, which had been passed by Virginia’s new Democratic-controlled legislature and extends in-state tuition to qualifying illegal alien students effective July 1. GMU in-state tuition for full-time students is $4,700 per semester, while out-of-state students are charged $16,500.
Michigan State University
Michigan has not passed any laws allowing in-state tuition for illegal alien students, but several universities in the state have chosen to approve this discount for those illegal foreign nationals who might meet residency and other requirements. MSU charges in-state freshmen $14,500 annually for tuition, while out-of-state students are charged $40,000.
Rutgers University
The largest institution of higher learning in New Jersey, Rutgers grants illegal alien students in-state tuition per the New Jersey Dream Act of December 2013. In-state tuition charges at Rutgers range from approximately $6,000 to $7,000 per semester (depending on the program). Out-of-state students are charged almost double that amount, i.e. from approximately $12,000 to as high as $17,000 per semester.
State University of New York
The SUNY system is the largest comprehensive system of universities and colleges in the country. It offers in-state tuition, state grants and scholarships to some illegal alien students. The state of New York made illegal aliens eligible for in-state tuition in 2002 and for state financial aid in 2017. New York residents pay approximately $7,000 in tuition per year at SUNY while out-of-state students are charged $17,000.
Texas A & M University
Located in College Station, Texas, TAMU is the second largest university in the United States in terms of student enrollment. The university classifies all students who are not U.S. citizens or lawful permanent residents as international students, but nevertheless allows illegal alien students to qualify for in-state tuition as long as they satisfy certain requirements. Texas was the first state to offer in-state tuition to illegal alien students in 2001. TAMU charges in-state students approximately $12,700 in tuition and fees per year, compared with $40,500 for out-of-state students.
University of California, Los Angeles
On the basis of a California statute, state public colleges – such as UCLA – allow certain illegal alien students to pay in-state tuition rates. Moreover, in 2017, the University of California system limited the number of out-of-state American students at most campuses to 18 percent. Out-of-state students at UCLA are charged almost $30,000 per year more than those classified as in-state ($13,000 vs. $43,000).
University of Colorado Boulder
As a result of the passage of Colorado’s ASSET bill, illegal alien students who meet all eligibility requirements – including attending a Colorado high school for at least three years – have been able to qualify for in-state tuition at UCB since 2013. Colorado and non-Colorado residents are charged $6,000-$8,700 per semester (depending on the major) and $18,000-$20,000 per semester respectively at the university.
University of Connecticut
On the basis of a 2011 state law, the University of Connecticut allows illegal alien students to pay in-state tuition. In 2015, the law was liberalized and cut the in-state high school attendance requirement from four to two years. Illegal alien students may also be eligible for institutional need-based financial aid. Out-of-state students at U of C are charged more than twice as much as in-state students ($37,000 versus $14,400 annually).
University of Illinois
The University of Illinois System – which consists of universities located in Chicago, Urbana-Champaign, and Springfield – grants in-state tuition to eligible illegal alien students. Illinois has had an automatic in-state tuition statute since 2003. The out-of-state tuition rate is roughly double what in-state students pay per year (e.g. $34,000-$39,000 versus $17,000-$22,000 at U of I Urbana-Champaign).
University of MD, College Park
The largest university in the greater D.C. metropolitan area, the University of Maryland, College Park – like the rest of the University of Maryland system – offers in-state tuition to illegal alien students. The basis for this is the Maryland Dream Act, which went into effect in December 2012. The in-state tuition rate at UMD is $8,800 annually while the out-of-state rate is $35,000.
University of Minnesota Twin Cities
The university, located in Minneapolis and Saint Paul, extends in-state tuition to illegal alien students who meet state requirements on the basis of the Minnesota Dream Act, which went into effect in 2013. Out-of-state students at UMN must pay more than double the tuition of in-state students ($31,600 versus $13,300 per year). (Note: residents of North and South Dakota, Wisconsin, and Canada’s Manitoba province are charged in-state rates.)
University of Utah
The Salt-Lake-City-based university offers certain illegal alien students access to in-state tuition rates. Utah – which passed HB 144 in 2002 – was among the first states to make illegal aliens eligible for in-state tuition. University of Utah annual tuition rates for in-state and out-of-state students are $9,300 and $30,000 respectively.
University of Virginia
DACA beneficiaries have been eligible for in-state tuition at the University of Virginia following the 2014 Herring opinion (see GMU), and, as of July 1, 2020, qualifying illegal alien students in general also became eligible. In August 2019, UVa also extended need-based institutional financial aid eligibility to DACA beneficiaries. UVa charges in-state students $14,000 and out-of-state students $48,000 per academic year.
Washington State University
Based in Pullman, Washington, WSU grants certain illegal alien students in-state tuition, which is approximately $10,800 – compared to $25,700 for out-of-state students. Illegal alien students have been eligible for in-state tuition rates in the state since Democratic Gov. Jay Inslee signed the Washington State Dream Act into law in February 2014.
