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GOVERNOR DAVIS SIGNS NONRESIDENT TUITION BILL 10/11/2001
10/11/01Governor Davis signed AB540 today, allowing in-state tuition in California colleges and univerities for I.A.s
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
10/11/2001
GOVERNOR DAVIS SIGNS NONRESIDENT TUITION BILL 10/11/2001
Governor Gray Davis has signed AB 540 by Assembly Member Marco Firebaugh (D-East Los Angeles) which qualifies long-term California students, regardless of citizenship status, for in-state tuition status at the California Community Colleges (CCC) and the California State University (CSU).
Many long-term California high school students find they graduate without having legal residency status, and are required to pay non-resident tuition to attend California colleges. This has been a deterrent to many bright students who have earned the right to a higher education, but were unable to afford the additional tuition costs.
"Kids who grew up and graduated from high school here, should not be priced out of a future," said Governor Davis.
AB 540 allows that students may be exempted from paying nonresident tuition at the CSU and CCC provided they:
Attended high school in California for three or more years; Graduated from a California high school; Registered or attended an accredited institution of higher education in California not earlier than the fall semester or quarter of the 2001-02 academic year; and Filed an affidavit attesting that they have applied for lawful immigration status with the INS or show proof of lawful status. AB 540 also authorizes the CSU trustees to waive or reduce tuition rates for full-time foreign student undergraduates of exceptional scholastic ability and prior scholastic achievement. It sets a 7.5 percent cap on the number of waivers CSU may grant to non-resident students and residents of a foreign country.
The bill also authorizes a student exempt from nonresident tuition, as provided in this bill, to be reported by a community college district as a full-time student for apportionment purposes. Finally, the bill requires student information obtained in the implementation of this bill to be confidential.