The Trump administration’s among the country’s approximately who are living in the U.S. without legal authorization.
The of immigrants over the past year has received attention.
A less publicized issue is that many young, it harder to apply to and stay in college.
As and was a high school teacher in South Carolina, I have researched how make it harder for immigrant students, particularly undocumented students, to receive a college degree.
Bumpy path to higher education for undocumented students
In 1982, the that students could not be discriminated against based on their immigration status.
This ruling ensured that immigrant students could not be denied entrance to public K-12 schools.
The caveat is that the ruling did not extend to higher education.
In 1996, Congress approved the , which made it harder for undocumented immigrants who are deported to reenter the U.S., among other changes to increase border security.
This law also said that states could not provide to undocumented students at public universities, unless they gave the same benefits to out-of-state American citizens.
Then, in the early 2000s, a helped that opened up in-state tuition to undocumented students. The bill based tuition and scholarships on , such as graduating from high school in the state, allowing the bill to circumvent the 1996 federal law.
Also in the early 2000s, , , and also passed similar legislation that allows undocumented immigrants to receive in-state tuition – and in some cases, state scholarships – at state universities.
Even some conservative states, , , passed such legislation during the early 2000s that let undocumented immigrants pay in-state tuition at public universities and colleges.
The tide turns
But just a few years later, things began to shift.
In 2008, to ban undocumented students from studying at public colleges and universities altogether.
and quickly followed suit with similar bans.
In 2012, after Congress created the program to allow immigrants who came to the U.S. as children to temporarily work, study and stay in the U.S., some schools in South Carolina from attending public universities – despite the new federal law.
The schools the next year by the American Civil Liberties Union of South Carolina, but still required DACA students to pay out-of-state tuition.
Until 2015, South Carolina even denied in-state tuition for some . The state reversed the policy following a lawsuit.
The trend toward more restrictive policies toward undocumented students has continued during the Trump administration.
In February 2025, Florida passed a law that for undocumented students. Florida undocumented immigrants to enroll at public colleges and universities, as long as they pay full tuition.
And over the summer, the Department of Justice in-state tuition policies, which had allowed all undocumented students to pay in-state tuition.
Both policies.
allow DACA recipients to attend public universities and pay in-state tuition rates.
As of 2025, allow undocumented students to pay . The remaining states, meanwhile, either do not have a state policy, require undocumented immigrants to pay out-of-state tuition, or bar them entirely from attending public universities.
A challenging environment
Overall, these shifts make it harder for many undocumented students to go to and stay in college.
The price of in-state tuition at public universities varies, but it typically offers rate than students coming from out of state. While the average in-state tuition at public colleges for the 2024-25 school year, out-of-state students paid $30,780, on average, during this same time frame.
Undocumented students for federal financial aid, so paying out-of-state tuition at a public university usually prevents immigrants from pursuing a college degree.
Some research shows that in-state tuition policies help reduce by about 8%.
In-state tuition policies also of noncitizen Latino students by 54%.
A blockade for students
I began teaching social studies at a high school in South Carolina in 2012, soon after many of these restrictions on immigrant students were enacted. I found that many educators and students were not aware of these restrictions until students applied to colleges or sought state licenses.
My students included DACA recipients who completed a two-year program in areas like cosmetology, only then to be told they would not be allowed to practice in the state.
My later research focused on educators but had to either stop pursuing that goal or go out of state to teach. Other immigrant students I surveyed in my research said they lost motivation in the high school classroom due to the restrictions to pursue higher education.
Carryover effects
Policies that make it easier for undocumented immigrants to attend college don’t just affect individual students and their families – they also have a positive effect on local economies.
shows that when undocumented students can pay in-state tuition, they become more likely to have a job after graduation.
Another study from Clemson University and the nonprofit group Hispanic Alliance found that South Carolina could be losing a year in revenue due to the license policy for DACA recipients.
I have known undocumented people who are aspiring doctors and teachers and moved to other states since they could not study or receive professional licenses in South Carolina.
Restrictive education policies could mean that some of the most talented immigrant students their respective states. However, the average undocumented immigrant student will not higher education if the tuition is not affordable.
I believe these policies will ultimately mean a less educated and productive society.
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