Oregon’s so-called “tuition equity” law would be expanded to grad students under a billapproved in the Oregon Senate on Wednesday.
The original 2013 law allowed people living in the country illegally to qualify for in-state tuition rates at public universities, as long as they met several requirements such as getting a high school diploma or GED in Oregon. The savings can top ten thousand dollars a year and can often mean the difference in whether or not the students can access higher education.
But Sen. Michael Dembrow, D-Portland, said the program has been in place long enough that some of the hundreds of undergrad students who have qualified for “tuition equity” are running into new barriers as they apply for grad school. “Because of the way universities have interpreted that bill, they’re being charged as out-of-state or out-of-country students,” he said.
The bill passed the Senate with bipartisan support and now heads to the Oregon House.
