Connecting In-State Resident Tuition Policies for Undocumented Students to Underlying Political Goals for Education

• In Event: Moscone Center West Roundtable Session 8
  In Roundtable Session: Politics, Public Participation, and the Varying Goals of Public Education

Abstract

Undocumented students in the United States face unique financial barriers to higher education access. This is due to ineligibility for federal financial aid and disparate in-state resident tuition (ISRT) polices across the country. Although states’ ISRT policies are often simply conceptualized as being restrictive or supportive, it is important to acknowledge that these policies are built upon the implicit and explicit political ideologies of state leaders. Utilizing the contrasting ISRT policies of Texas and Georgia, this conceptual paper seeks to contribute a new understanding of ISRT policies by explicitly connecting them to Labaree’s (1997) political goals of education.

Authors

• Nicholas Tapia-Fuselier, University of Colorado - Colorado Springs

• Kelsey Kunkle, University of North Texas