Tuition Equity in the United States
Major
Spanish Education
Department
Languages, Cultures, and Humanities
Degree
Undergraduate
Mentor
Abbey Poffeberger
Mentor Department
Languages, Cultures, and Humanities
Recommended Citation
Salinas Chacón, Omar A., "Tuition Equity in the United States" (2015). University Presentation Showcase Event. 26.
https://encompass.eku.edu/swps/2015/undergraduate/26
Abstract
Article 26 of the United Nations Universal Declaration of Human Rights stipulates, “Technical and professional education shall be made generally available and higher education shall be equally accessible to all on the basis of merit.” This declaration was signed and ratified by all of the charter nations of the United Nations, including the United States in 1948, yet because of different state policies, this basic right isn’t recognized. In the United States the opportunity of higher education is determined by immigration status and state residency.
To the millions of undocumented immigrant senior high school students the idea of going to college is a dream. To start off, they are not eligible for much financial aid. Tuition varies from state to state. In Kentucky, undocumented immigrants get in-state tuition and the opportunity of institutional help, but in Tennessee, they are offered only out-of-state tuition despite the fact that said students have lived in the state since they were children. Then, in Georgia, there is a ban on undocumented immigrants from college all together. This inconsistency between different state policies has created a disparity among students who don’t meet the state’s criteria for in-state tuition.
Even though the United States boasts its human rights reputation around the world, this is one right that that isn’t recognized. Everyone should have the opportunity to get a higher education at the same affordable price, regardless of immigration status and state residency. Instead state politics are preventing students from obtaining higher education.
Presentation format
Poster
Poster Number
54
Tuition Equity in the United States
Article 26 of the United Nations Universal Declaration of Human Rights stipulates, “Technical and professional education shall be made generally available and higher education shall be equally accessible to all on the basis of merit.” This declaration was signed and ratified by all of the charter nations of the United Nations, including the United States in 1948, yet because of different state policies, this basic right isn’t recognized. In the United States the opportunity of higher education is determined by immigration status and state residency.
To the millions of undocumented immigrant senior high school students the idea of going to college is a dream. To start off, they are not eligible for much financial aid. Tuition varies from state to state. In Kentucky, undocumented immigrants get in-state tuition and the opportunity of institutional help, but in Tennessee, they are offered only out-of-state tuition despite the fact that said students have lived in the state since they were children. Then, in Georgia, there is a ban on undocumented immigrants from college all together. This inconsistency between different state policies has created a disparity among students who don’t meet the state’s criteria for in-state tuition.
Even though the United States boasts its human rights reputation around the world, this is one right that that isn’t recognized. Everyone should have the opportunity to get a higher education at the same affordable price, regardless of immigration status and state residency. Instead state politics are preventing students from obtaining higher education.
