Bill would direct colleges to create new tuition rate for these Arizona students, which at Yavapai is now $366 per credit when taking more than six credits compared to $87 per credit for residents
Senate Bill 1217, sponsored by Cave Creek Republican Senator Heather Carter, would direct Yavapai Community College and other colleges in Arizona to create a new tuition rate for all students who graduate from Arizona high schools.
The Bill would allow young immigrants covered under the Federal Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program and students who are undocumented to pay a different price than the out-of-state tuition rates, which are about three to four times higher than in-state rates. If the bill passes, a DACA student who graduates from an Arizona high school would be eligible for the new tuition rate for the four years after they graduate from high school.
At Yavapai Community College, the standard per credit tuition rate for residents is $87. Out-of-state tuition for a nonresident taking more than seven credits is $366 per credit.
The bill follows a decision by the Arizona Supreme Court in April that ruled that Maricopa Community Colleges could not legally grant in-state tuition to DACA recipients.