AZ Central by Rachel Leingang 8/22/2019
Undocumented students who are Arizona high school graduates are now eligible for a lower tuition rate than they're currently paying at state universities, effective immediately.
The Arizona Board of Regents voted 8-0, with state Superintendent Kathy Hoffman abstaining, Thursday to extend a tuition rate that's 150% of in-state tuition to undocumented students. The rate was first created for students who had legal status in the U.S. under the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program.
Hoffman, a member of the board, abstained from voting because she arrived near the end of discussion.
Before the change, undocumented students had to pay about $30,000, the out-of-state tuition rate, at Arizona's three state universities. Now, undocumented students will pay about $16,000, more than the in-state rate of about $11,000, but considerably less than out-of-state.
John Arnold, executive director of the Arizona Board of Regents, told the board the policy is intended to make clear that all students who graduate from an Arizona high school and meet the rate's requirements are eligible for the rate, regardless of their immigration status.
Regent Chairman Larry Penley tied the policy change to the state's goal to increase the number of people in Arizona with some kind of education or training after high school to 60% by 2030.
The declining birth rate means fewer students will be graduating and attending universities in the coming decade, and having as many people educated to address the needs of the workforce is necessary, he said.
The tuition rate change is "all about the future of Arizona," Penley said.
More:
https://www.azcentral.com/story/news/local/arizona-education/2019/08/22/arizona-undocumented-high-school-students-get-college-tuition-break/2074854001/
