21 students face increased tuition after citizenship verification survey

Remember in the summer when you clicked a few buttons on OneStart to verify you were lawfully present in the United States?

If you are one of the 42,160 IU-Bloomington students who clicked yes, it probably didn’t even phase you. You might have already forgotten about it.

But for the 21 Bloomington students who declared themselves undocumented, those clicks made a difference. A $20,000 difference.

The consequences

As of July 1, undocumented students no longer qualify for in-state tuition rates. 

These students were previously eligible for resident-rate tuition if they had lived in Indiana for one year. Now, after the passage of Indiana H.B. 1402 and S.B. 590, they face a tuition rate that has more than tripled.

The bill also revoked eligibility for any state or local financial aid and scholarships for these students.

For some, the change means an end to an IU education. Others have resorted to taking far fewer classes per semester.

The controversy

Indiana is one of six states to prohibit undocumented students from getting the in-state tuition rate.

Supporters of the new law say it’s only fair for Indiana resources to be granted to those who legally reside in the state.
“It’s a common sense bill,” said Connor Caudill, president of IU College Republicans and an IDS columnist. “Those who are not subjected to income taxes should not receive the same benefits of those who pay their taxes.”

Although less than .001 percent of IU students verified themselves as undocumented, Caudill said the bill was still needed.

“If it saves taxpayers one penny, it is worth it,” he said.

But opponents of the new law, like Bloomington Mayor Mark Kruzan, argue that the money saved will now be spent on executing the law itself.

“The cost to taxpayers of all the documentation, paperwork and administrative time it’s going to take to enforce this law will be tremendous,” Kruzan said.

Kruzan said he is opposed to victimizing undocumented students for more than financial reasons.

“It seems like there are some in state government intent on making people feel more and more unwelcome in Indiana,” Kruzan said. “And their target is always people who don’t look or sound like the people making the laws.”

The solution

The University reached out to students who declared themselves as undocumented shortly after they completed the affidavit.

“We talked with a number of students to see what options, such as payment plans, are available to keep them enrolled,” said David Johnson, vice provost of enrollment management.

Lillian Casillas, director of La Casa Latino Cultural Center, said many of the undocumented students are the types of people every university wants to have.
“You have students who are academically stable and very active in the community, and they are being punished,” Casillas said. “It was not their decision to come here.”

Currently, 20 of the 21 self-identified, undocumented students are enrolled in classes for the fall semester. However, students registered for classes last spring before the bills were enacted.

Therefore, Johnson said, their enrollment status does not indicate whether they will pay the increased tuition and remain at IU.