Illegal immigrants may get tuition cut

01:00 AM EDT on Wednesday, May 23, 2007

By Steve Peoples

Journal State House Bureau

PROVIDENCE — There are thousands of Rhode Island high school graduates who cannot go to college even if they want to.

They are undocumented immigrants — mostly children who came to the United States with their families illegally, or those who overstayed legal visas. There are thousands of such students in local high schools across the state, according to witnesses at a House Finance Committee hearing yesterday.

The advocates urged lawmakers to approve a bill that would help undocumented immigrants secure in-state tuition rates at the University of Rhode Island and other state institutions. The primary barrier to higher education is the cost, they said.

If implemented, the legislation would allow such students to pay $7,724 to attend URI each year, as opposed to the out-of-state rate of $21,424, based on this year’s figures.

URI President Robert L. Carothers was among those pushing the bill yesterday.

“We’re all interested in building Rhode Island’s economy,â€