The decision to end in-state tuition for undocumented students in Texas is part of an ongoing attack on immigrants in the state, a youth advocate said Thursday.
“This decision struck me as patently unjust and clearly discriminatory,” said Lexy Garcia, program manager for Texas Rising. The statewide initiative has more than 20 chapters at colleges and universities, including UT Austin, Texas State University and St. Edwards University.
The U.S. Department of Justice on Wednesday challenged a 2001 Texas law allowing undocumented students who met certain criteria to pay in-state tuition rates at public colleges and universities. A federal judge blocked the law, and Texas agreed with the ruling.
“The Justice Department commends Texas leadership and AG Ken Paxton for swiftly working with us to halt a program that was treating Americans like second-class citizens in their own country," Attorney General Pamela Bondi said in a news release.
But, to Garcia, this decision is not about justice — it’s about exclusion.
“These universities now are going to be cost prohibitive to people who are meeting all of these requirements and simply are seeking an education in our state,” Garcia said.
Linda Corchado, the senior director of immigration for Children at Risk, said the end of this long-standing law is not only gutting, but it will also hurt the state’s economy. She said in 2022, there were 57,000 undocumented students in Texas who contributed $81.6 million in tuition fees at public colleges and universities.
“Research shows that repealing in-state tuition would have severe economic consequences, with Texas losing $461 million annually in economic activity,” she said.
KUT reached out to UT Austin, Texas State and Austin Community College to try to determine how many of their students may be affected by this change. They were unable to immediately provide this information.
“We’re aware of yesterday’s ruling and will comply with all federal and state laws. We are in contact with The Texas State University System for guidance,” a TXST spokesperson said.
The cost of college differs significantly for in-state students versus out-of-state and international students at Texas State and UT Austin. In-state tuition and fees for residents at Texas State during the 2024-25 school year was $12,220. For nonresidents it was $24,520.
Meanwhile, at UT Austin, in-state tuition for undergraduates ranged from $10,858 to $13,576. For nonresidents, the cost of tuition and fees was between $40,582 and $48,712.
Daniel Ramirez, a UT Austin student who advocates for immigrant rights on campus as part of Students for a Democratic Society, said preventing undocumented students from paying in-state tuition rates is a “tragedy.” He said a lot of undocumented students are already working while attending college to afford it.
“And in typical immigrant fashion they’re working really, really hard for the bread crumbs that our society and our state is giving them,” he said.
Ramirez said he expects the policy change to affect the climate on campus this fall. So does Arshia Papari, who is also part of Students for a Democratic Society.
“I think this will definitely hurt a lot of students at UT Austin,” he said. “It will drastically reduce the enrollment of undocumented students not only at UT Austin, but across the state.”
Corchado said that while the odds are stacked against people who would like to see this decision overturned, students and advocates should not lose hope.
“This is not the time for us to give up on protecting undocumented students in the State of Texas,” she said.
