UC to Consider In-State Tuition for Some Immigrants

The UC Board of Regents is expected to consider in January a policy that would allow undocumented immigrants who live in California to pay in-state tuition at UC.

Gov. Gray Davis signed a bill in October that dictates such a policy for California state and community colleges, but the decision to adopt the tuition exemption policy at UC is left to the UC regents. UC has been consistent in following state tuition policies in the past, according to a UC statement.

The regents are considering a proposal to institute a slightly altered version of the state's policy and will act on the measure in January, said UC spokesperson Brad Hayward.

The law allows undocumented immigrants residing in California who meet certain criteria to pay the much lower in-state tuition at state colleges. The law will go into effect January 2002.

The current total for annual out-of-state tuition at UC Berkeley is $15,136; in-state tuition is $4,122.

For the regents to offer in-state tuition to undocumented immigrant applicants, the board would likely adopt the same criteria as the state. To be eligible, undocumented immigrants would have to attend a California high school for three years, graduate and file an affidavit with a college stating their intent to legalize their immigration status.

The tuition exemption would be offered to students who enter any California college after the Fall 2001 term.

According to UC, the number of eligible students will be small-about 50 to 140 annually. If implemented, the tuition exemption would cost UC $500,000 to $1.5 million for the 2002-03 academic year.

Even if the UC regents pass a proposal adopting the policy, UC Berkeley officials say it would have no influence on admissions, since it refers only to tuition.

"(The policy) would not affect admissions at all," said Richard Black, UC Berkeley assistant vice chancellor for admissions and enrollment.

Even though undocumented immigrants would still be ineligible for federal or state financial aid, the policy would ease the financial burden of having to pay out-of-state tuition, Black said.

If the UC regents pass a measure complying with the state bill in January, there will be a delay before it can be finalized and implemented.

UC President Richard Atkinson has therefore planned an interim loan program that would provide tuition assistance to eligible students until the policy is finalized, according to UC.

The eligible undocumented immigrant students would have to pay in-state tuition, and the university would foot the rest of the bill and forgive the loan once the new policy is in effect.

Denise Velasco, a member of Cal-SERVE, an ASUC political party, said that she and other UC Berkeley students plan to begin another letter writing campaign to support the adoption of the tuition plan.

Velasco and four other UC Berkeley students delivered 500 letters in support of the tuition bill to the governor's San Francisco office in September.

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