ARIZONA COURT OF APPEALS REVERSES LOWER COURT DECISION IN CASE INVOLVING MARICOPA COMMUNITY COLLEGE
In a case involving Maricopa Community College, the Arizona Court of Appeals ruled that Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACAs) are not eligible for lower in-state tuition because they are undocumented students. DACA students were brought to the United States by their parents when the students were minors.
Maricopa County Superior Court Judge Arthur Anderson had ruled in May 2015 that Arizona law did not bar benefits to immigrants lawfully in the country. You may read the ruling from the Appeals Court by clicking here.
As a result of the ruling, student tuition for DACA students could more than double at community colleges and state universities in Arizona. DACA is known as the protection given Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals from deportation by former President Obama. The Arizona Republic newspaper reported that about 240 current DACA students at the state’s universities and a little more than 2,000 DACA students in Maricopa Community Colleges are receiving lower, in-state tuition rates. You may read the full Arizona Republic article by clicking here.
The Arizona Republic reported that the in-state rate for undergraduate students at ASU is $10,640 this year compared with $26,470 for non-resident students. At Maricopa Community Colleges, the in-state rate is $86 per credit hour vs. $241 for non-residents. Maricopa Community Colleges has 2,056 DACA students, according to Matthew Hasson, a college spokesman who was interviewed by the Arizona Republic.
The ruling is expected to be appealed to the Arizona Supreme Court and then, regardless of who wins at that level, to the United States Supreme Court.