Georgia Supreme Court to hear Dreamers' tuition case
Students argue federal program qualifies them for in-state college costs
Georgia’s highest court will hear arguments next week about a legal debate that some students say is keeping them from the in-state college tuition rates they deserve.
The demand comes from Georgians who are part of the federal “Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals” program who call themselves “Dreamers.” They are people who were born in other countries and brought to the United States as children and who lack citizenship. But under DACA they are allowed to stay for at least two years without fear of deportation.
A total 39 Dreamers asked a Fulton County court to rule that their status is good enough to be considered legal state residents by the Georgia Board of Regents, the body that runs Georgia’s colleges.
It means saving thousands of dollars for would-be scholars. Tuition rates vary by school, but at Georgia State, for example, in-state, full-time undergraduate students pay $3,590 per semester this school year. Out-of-staters are expected to pay $12,764.
So far, the Dreamers have gotten no answer from any court. Instead, their case was dismissed on the grounds that the Board of Regents cannot be sued in the way the Dreamers did and that the state is immune from their lawsuit. The Georgia Court of Appeals agreed that Fulton County was right to dismiss the case.
But the Dreamers say the Fulton court should indeed rule on the merit of their case. The Supreme Court has agreed to hear them out. Arguments are scheduled for Oct. 16 in Ellijay.
In the meantime, the plaintiffs are either not going to school or going only part time due to cost, said their attorney, Charles Kuck. Others are taking their demands to the streets, and getting arrested for their trouble.
Meanwhile, a Georgia think tank argues the state is shooting itself in the foot by slowing down academically qualified people who want a higher education. Georgia’s state and local governments could collect an additional $10 million annually from a higher-earning workforce if it allowed Georgians who don’t face deportation to go to college at in-state rates, estimates the Georgia Budget and Policy Institute.