College Enrollment and Retention Effects of In-State Tuition Benefits to Non-Citizens Research Brief Commissioned by College Board

Immigrant students face barriers to postsecondary education. Often, immigrant students are required to pay higher tuition rates than citizen students which can have negative implications for immigrant students’ postsecondary outcomes. Hispanic non-citizens, in particular, maintain very low postsecondary enrollment rates. In 2001, Texas became the first state to legally guarantee in-state resident tuition rates to noncitizen students, substantially reducing the price of college for these students. Offering in-state resident tuition rates boosts non-citizens’ application and enrollment yields. The increased enrollment yields are especially evident at Hispanic-serving institutions. However, in this report, the authors point out that the policy does not appear to increase non-citizen students’ retention rates.