AG: No in-state tuition for undocumented students
The Attorney General's Office says students who have been granted "deferred action" status by the federal government do not qualify for in-state tuition.
Posted — UpdatedRep. Marcus Brandon, D-Guilford, wrote to Attorney General Roy Cooper asking if those students would qualify for in-state tuition benefits, particularly if they had graduated from North Carolina high schools. In-state tuition is thousands of dollars cheaper per year than tuition charged to students from other states.
"We agree with University and Community College attorneys that North Carolina law does not provide for in-state tuition for these students. In order for students who have been granted DACA status to be eligible for the benefit of in-state tuition, the North Carolina General Assembly would have to amend (North Carolina state law) to make an exception for such individuals, change the residency requirements, or otherwise provide by law that individuals with DACA classification are, under such circumstances as may be set by statute, eligible for in-state tuition," Peters and Potter wrote.
The N.C. Dream Team, a group of undocumented young adults pushing for changes in state and federal policy, responded to the letter by lashing out at Cooper, saying that he has "thrown immigrant students under the bus."