Democratic Governor Ralph Northam signed a bill into law in Virginia last week that allows illegal immigrants to qualify for in-state tuition – a designation that adds up to hefty savings.
The average cost for tuition in Virginia during the 2019-2020 academic year was $8,281 for in-state tuition. It more than double that – $19,047 – for out-of-state tuition.
In order to qualify for the discounted rate, a prospective student must have attended a high school in Virginia for two years or passed a high school equivalency test, among other conditions.
“Not only is it absolutely terrible policy to give illegal aliens in-state tuition, it is illegal. Federal law bides that you cannot give in-state tuition to illegal aliens on the basis of residency in the state,” senior advisor for executive branch relations at the Heritage Foundation, Mike Howell, told Campus Reform.
Campus Reform is a conservative website that covers campus news.
“Northam is breaking the law. In addition to that, he’s breaking the law for a completely awful purpose. It is a slap in the face to Virginia students and to the parents who are footing the bill and to the taxpayers who are footing the bill,” Howell added.
“If Governor Northam wants to be the governor of Guatemala and look after Guatemala students he should move there and do that.”
There is no word on what aid, if any, Northam or Democratic lawmakers in Virginia will extend to American citizen residents of Virginia to cover the ever-increasing cost of higher education.
Photo by VCU Capital News Service