The College Fix

The New York Board of Regents has recommended the state extend its college financial aid programs to illegal immigrants in the state:

The state Board of Regents, which sets statewide education policy, voted to urge the Legislature to broaden eligibility for academic scholarships, loan-forgiveness programs and tax-free tuition savings accounts, known as 529 plans, to include illegal immigrants. […]

State officials said it is difficult to estimate how much the proposal would cost, in part because they don’t know exactly how many illegal immigrants live in the state.

“What’s clear is that there will be a net benefit to the state because students will contribute far more to the economy if they have the benefit of higher education,” state Education Commissioner John King said.

An estimated 345,000 students in New York’s K-12 public schools are illegal immigrants, according to a study by the Federation for American Immigration Reform cited by the Board of Regents. The board also said about 2,000 illegal immigrants attend the City University of New York.

Currently, only Texas, California, and New Mexico have extended state financial aid to students, beyond the more common in-state tuition. New York is one of the states with in-state tuition for illegal students; the state currently faces a $350 million hole in their 2011 budget, with a much larger one to come in 2012.

Earlier this fall, California Gov. Jerry Brown signed into law the second part of the California DREAM Act, which granted illegal immigrant students access to the state’s public financial aid programs. The program is estimated to cost the state $40 million annually.

[Wall Street Journal]

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