COA soon to enroll illegal immigrants
College affected by new state policy
By ZAC GOLDSTEIN
Staff Writer

Monday, December 03, 2007

College of the Albemarle will have to change its admissions policy after the North Carolina Community College System agreed recently to allow illegal immigrants to enroll at the state's community colleges.

In a Nov. 7 memo, NCCCS counsel David Sullivan said that the N.C. Administrative Code requires community colleges to "maintain an open-door policy to all applicants who are high school graduates or who are at least 18 years of age." As such, colleges should immediately begin admitting undocumented individuals, Sullivan said.

The memo overturns a 2004 policy that gave individual colleges discretion in establishing policies that restrict admission based on immigration status. At least 37 community colleges had allowed illegal immigrants to enroll since the policy was enacted, according to NCCCS.

College of The Albemarle, however, was not among them.

"We had made the choice that we did not admit undocumented individuals," said Lynne Bunch, COA president.

She said that COA does have international students, but they all have visas.

Though the memo requires COA to change its stance on admitting illegal immigrants, Bunch said she does not think it will have a big impact on the college's admissions.

"I don't see a large number of illegal immigrants enrolling because they would have to pay out-of-state tuition," she said.

She said COA's out-of-state tuition for a full course load can run as much as $7,500 per year.

According to the memo, students enrolled in Learn and Earn programs (such as Currituck's forthcoming early college high school) would still enjoy a tuition waiver regardless of whether their residency is in-state or out-of-state.

Of the 268,400 students enrolled in community college degree programs across the state, only 340 are undocumented according to the Associated Press.

The University of North Carolina System has allowed constituent schools to admit undocumented students since at least 2004. According to the university system's policy manual, illegal immigrants who wish to enroll at UNC schools must graduate high school in the United States. They are classified as out-of-state residents for tuition purposes, are ineligible to receive state or federal financial aid and cannot receive professional licenses.

It is not known how the system's policy has impacted Elizabeth City State University. ECSU admissions officials could not be reached for comment.


Comments:

- By Erica
Dec 3, 2007 11:17 AM
...First word is ILLEGAL..
Second I am a tax pay citizen born and raised in the USA for over 100 yrs back...I send my daughter to COA for classes so she can be close to me...The day she has to sit in class with an Illegal is the day COA will loose my tuition fees..

- By Jennifer from Elizabeth City, NC
Dec 3, 2007 9:21 AM
While we are spending millions of dollars on keeping our borders clear of immigrants, we are to allow them into our schools? What is the matter with this country, they are called ILLEGALS for a reason!

- By Butch Hampton
Dec 3, 2007 8:53 AM
If they are illegal immigrants from any where are they not breaking the laws of the USA. If that is the case they should be arrest and punish.If you break the law you have to pay the piper.
God Bless Our Troops & The USA

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