Michigan universities set own rules on illegal immigrant tuition rates


As political hot cakes go, Gov. Rick Perry's support for his state's guarantee of lower cost in-state tuition for illegal immigrants attending Texas' public universities sizzled at a recent Republican presidential debate.

Twelve other states have similar laws, even as others have banned the cheaper home state tuitions.

But at Michigan's public universities, the rules depend on the school.

At the University of Michigan and Eastern Michigan University, the rule is clear: no discounts.

"They are eligible for institutional aid. I am comfortable with the policy," Regent Olivia Maynard, D-Goodrich, said of the policy adopted in 2005.

But at Western Michigan University in Kalamazoo, anyone who graduated from a Michigan high school, lives in Michigan and can show Michigan tax returns for a parent or guardian qualifies for the in-state rate.

Gov. Rick Snyder has said that laws perceived as anti-immigration are not on his agenda. Michigan's Legislature hasn't addressed tuition rates for illegal immigrants.

Beyond that, it gets squishy.

Go to any Michigan college admission application form, and one of the first questions a prospective student is asked is whether they're a U.S. citizen.

That question leads into a minefield of follow-ups about a student's residency status.

In-state tuition rates are typically two to three times less than out-of-state rates, making the application choice potentially very costly.

But policies on how to classify the children of undocumented immigrants, who may have lived in Michigan most of their lives, run the gamut. Because Michigan's colleges and universities are run by independent boards, they set their own polices, unlike some other states where all the colleges in the state are governed by a single board.

Wayne State University doesn't ask for documentation on citizenship and would only ask for that proof if the potential student's application showed inconsistencies, said WSU spokesman Tom Reynolds.

"And that's been an extreme rarity," he said.

At Saginaw Valley State University, the university president can make exceptions to the residency policies. In addition, students who are migrant workers or children of migrant workers are eligible for in-state tuition rates, even if their parents or guardians have moved out of state.

Thirteen states have laws or policies that grant in-state tuition rates for the children of undocumented immigrants, according to the National Conference of State Legislatures.

Those policies make sense, said Kimberly Mehlman-Orozco, executive director of the Latino Policy Institute at Roger Williams University in Rhode Island.

The institute released a report in May that showed states with such policies have seen a 31% increase in immigrant college enrollment and a 14% decline in the rate of high school dropouts among undocumented Latino students.

Those students ultimately will be able to be a stronger economic contributor, she said.

"This is really a benefit for a group of people, and there's no associated costs for states," Mehlman-Orozco said. "I don't advocate for policy. I advocate for research. And if you look at the empirical evidence, there's really not much negative from these policies."

The U.S. Supreme Court has declined to review two appeals of laws in California and Kansas allowing in-state tuition for undocumented immigrants.

On Monday, the Board of Governors of Higher Education in Rhode Island bypassed the state Legislature, which had refused to consider immigration reforms for six years, to approve a policy allowing in-state tuition rates for the children of undocumented immigrants.

But five states have banned the use of the cheaper rates for undocumented immigrants, and in 2008, Oklahoma repealed its 2003 law allowing for in-state tuition. South Carolina went a step further and won't allow undocumented immigrants to attend the state's colleges at any price.

Michigan's Legislature hasn't addressed the tuition issue, opting for consideration of other immigration policies, such as requiring businesses to use a federal database to verify their employees' citizenship. Those bills haven't made it out of committee. And Gov. Rick Snyder has said that laws perceived as anti-immigration are not on his agenda for the state.

After taking his GOP opponents to task for opposing Texas' law during a Sept. 22 debate, Perry's poll numbers among prospective Republican voters dropped precipitously, and the former front-runner finished a distant second in a Florida straw poll last weekend behind pizza magnate Herman Cain.

"It always happens in a bad economy: There's the impression that illegal immigrants are coming over here and taking our jobs," said Lansing political consultant Tom Shields of Marketing Resource Group. "Politically, it's a nonstarter, especially among Republican primary voters. Illegal immigrants should not enjoy the benefits of people who are here legally."

Mehlman-Orozco said politicians are in a tough position.

"It's looked at as providing something that's beneficial for a group of people who are looked at negatively by many people," she said. "It's kind of a lose-lose situation for politicians, but a win-win situation for the noncitizen population."

Contact Kathleen Gray: 313-223-4407 or kgray99@freepress.com
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