Mass. Senate budget would extend in-state tuition to undocumented immigrant students

On May 7, 2023, State Senate leaders in Massachusetts presented a budget plan that includes extending would extend in-state tuition rates to undocumented immigrant students who graduate from Massachusetts high schools.  This $55.8 billion budget proposal is lower than the $56.2 billion budget proposed by the House, in addition to adding the proposal for in-state tuition.  The differences between the two budget bills will need to be rectified before the bill can be sent to the Governor later this summer.

Currently, undocumented immigrants who live in Massachusetts are not eligible for the lower, in-state tuition rates at public colleges and universities. The Senate’s budget would make all students eligible for in-state tuition, regardless of immigration status, as long as they attend a Massachusetts high school for at least three years and graduate or earn a GED in the state.

Twenty-three states and Washington, D.C. currently offer in-state tuition to undocumented immigrants. In state tuition for undocumented students has been proposed in Massachusetts before, but was vetoed by the governor in 2006, and was rejected by the House of Representatives in 2006.  The budget bills will need to be debated in the State Legislature before being sent to the Governor over the summer.