Poll On Instate Tuition For Illegal Immigrants ( Archived) (74)

I`m at a loss to comprehend why we would educate free or otherwise someones children when the parents obviously came here against the immigration laws.If I break laws there are certain activites that I cannot continue to do and I was born here.Someone explain that to me.

I would love to be able to explain but then again, I still can't explain why the post office has kept my mail in continuous loop from the west coast to the east coast and back again, even after they have assured me that it has been fixed.....

Ray,for a change I have to agree with you on everything here...especially the last sentence. Amen brother!!

The answer is that the US politicians have got to be the stupidest bunch in the world. I don't know of any other country that will give a free college education to illegal immigrants. Heck, our country even gives a free college education to the criminals sitting in our jails. I have to pay for my own college education.
As far as I'm concerned, if the parents didn't come here legally, then the children also should not be considered citizens just because they were born here. It should be if the parents become legal citizens then their offspring are given that right too. Otherwise, sorry...no free ride for any of them. Not medicaid or even food stamps. I say if they need some help, put them on a bus or plane and fly them free back to their own country. I'm sorry if anyone doesn't like how I feel about illegal immigrants being squatters on US soil. I say, "Go Home!"

In-state tuition is not free.
Out-state tuition is much more expensive than In-state tuition.

In some universities:
In-state tuition = 1x $
Out-state tuition = 3x $

Foreigners that get into an American university we have to pay Out-of-state tuition and we have to have a Student’s visa.

What is not clear to me is how do they get accepted to a university (or college) not having a legal status, a proper Visa (student’s visa).

Really? Here is an official version of what constitutes in-state tuition:
State residents often qualify for lower in-state tuition rates and state education grants. Most states have established residency requirements designed to prevent out-of-state students who become residents incidental to their education from qualifying.

These residency requirements are often encoded in state statute, and vary significantly from state to state. But generally, a dependent student must have at least one parent who is a state resident for at least one full year before the student matriculated in college. (Arkansas requires just six months. Alaska requires 24 months. Tennessee does not have a durational component to their residency requirements.) The parent should be the student's source of financial support, but does not necessarily need to have claimed the student as a dependent on their income tax returns. (If the student receives substantial financial support from out of state, the student's state residency status may be questioned. This can include PLUS loans borrowed by a parent who does not reside in the state. Also, if the student's parents are divorced, residency is often based on the residency status of the custodial parent.)

For independent students, either they or their spouse must have been a state resident for at least a year before the first day of classes. Some states require two years of residency and self sufficiency for independent students (e.g., the old Bright-Line Test for independent student status). These states include Arizona and California. Some states may also have a minimum age requirement for independent students to qualify as in-state residents (e.g., 19, 21, 23, 24), but may allow legally emancipated minors to qualify is they satisfy the durational requirements. Nebraska does not have a minimum period of residency for parents of dependent students, but uses the one-year standard for independent students. Some states (e.g., Minnesota) require a full calendar year of residency and not just twelve months prior to the first day of classes.

Residency requirements may be established by the state board of higher education. The authority to determine whether a student qualifies may have been delegated to the college. In such situations the school will want to see a preponderance of evidence that the family established state residency (both physical presence and intent), and that this residency was not merely incidental to the college attendance.

The determination as to whether a student qualifies is made by the tuition classification officer (usually someone in the Office of Admissions or Registrar) at each college or university. Each college's decision is binding only at that college. There is usually no appeal beyond the university.

It is best to have at least two government-issued documents that demonstrate state residency. At least one of these documents establishing residency must be dated at least twelve months prior to the first day of classes.