By Gabriella Morrongiello
As recently as 2014, 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.
For instance, out-of-state tuition at the University of Virginia (UVA), a public institution in Charlottesville, Va., ranked second highest in the nation in 2013, according to Daily Progress. The annual cost of tuition for out-of-state students attending UVA is currently $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.
Campus Reform asked out-of-state students attending UVA and UMD–both of which offer in-state tuition to illegal immigrants–whether they would consider renouncing their U.S. citizenship to become “undocumented students” eligible for in-state tuition.
WATCH: Students shred their social security cards, become “undocumented” for in-state tuition.
This article was originally published in Campus Reform.
