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Undocumented students who meet certain conditions will now be eligible to pay resident tuition to attend UH campuses.

The University of Hawaiʻi Board of Regents approved a new policy at its February 2013 meeting that will allow undocumented immigrants, under certain circumstances, to be eligible for and pay resident tuition at all UH campuses.

Undocumented students are students who are not U.S. citizens, legal permanent residents, or non-immigrant aliens; and do not possess legal documentation of their immigration status.

According to the policy, undocumented students who meet the following conditions shall be considered residents of Hawaiʻi for purposes of tuition, financial assistance, and university program participation to the full extent permitted under federal law and not specifically prohibited in Hawaiʻi Administrative Rules:

  • Establish domicile as per HAR 20-4; attended a public or private high school in the United States for at least three years, and graduated from a public or private high school, or attained the equivalent thereof in the United States.
  • Filed for Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals from the United States Citizenship and Immigration Services; or has filed an application for legal immigration status, or has filed an affidavit with the university affirming the student’s intent to file such application as soon as the student is able.

Currently, 12 other states have policies in place that allow undocumented immigrants to pay in-state resident tuition. In 2012, two states added it legislatively and two states did so via BOR policy change. Four states allow these students to receive state and private financial aid.

Read more about the policy as featured in Civil Beat.

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