Gabriella Morrongiello reports for The Fiscal Times, April 15, 2015, that illegal immigrants in 22 states are eligible for lower-cost, in-state tuition at public colleges and universities.
While students residing legally or illegally in states such as California, Texas, Maryland, and Virginia are eligible for in-state tuition, legal immigrants, international students, and U.S. citizens from out of state continue to pay out-of-state tuition, often costing several thousand dollars more.
As an example, at the University of Virginia (UVA), a public institution in Charlottesville which ranked second highest in the nation in 2013, according to Daily Progress, the annual cost of tuition for out-of-state students is $36,720, more than double the in-state tuition rate of $10,016 offered to Virginia residents. Similarly, tuition at the University of Maryland (UMD), a public university in College Park, Md., costs out-of-state students $20,145 more annually.
Out-of-state students attending UVA and UMD–both of which offer in-state tuition to illegal immigrants–told Campus Reform they would “definitely consider” renouncing their U.S. citizenship to become “undocumented students” eligible for cheaper in-state tuition.
