By Piper Gallagher, Senior Reporter
Instead of being greeted with open arms back to their campuses this fall, many students found their education being ripped out from under their feet.
Being faced with the choice to pay up or drop out has left students scrambling to find ways to stay in school after a federal judge struck down an Oklahoma law that allowed undocumented students to attend colleges and universities at in-state tuition rates.
According to usafacts.org, in 2024 Oklahoma was home to about 272,000 immigrants, both documented and undocumented. But now, regardless of their home address, undocumented students are now forced to pay out of state tuition prices.
This comes after states across the country are implementing similar policies due to President Donald Trump’s crackdown on immigration.
The Justice Department began suing states who allowed undocumented students to have out-of-state tuition waivers, or in other words, going to school at in-state-tuition prices.
The Justice Department began with suing Texas in June, and then followed with other states such as Kentucky, Minnesota, Florida and of course, Oklahoma.
At least 21 states have laws that offer tuition waivers for undocumented students, and one by one the Justice Department is striking down those laws on the basis of them being unconstitutional.
President Trump issued an executive order back in April of this year saying that states will face “sanction” if they allow undocumented student tuition waivers.
According to the Oklahoma Council of Public Affairs, Oklahoma has long ignored a federal law that says, “Notwithstanding any other provision of law, an alien who is not lawfully present in the United States shall not be eligible on the basis of residence within a State (or a political subdivision) for any postsecondary education benefit unless a citizen or national of the United States is eligible for such a benefit (in no less an amount, duration, and scope) without regard to whether the citizen or national is such a resident.”
These tuition waivers would be applied to students under various circumstances, like if they had graduated from Oklahoma high schools, or if they resided in Oklahoma for a certain number of years, regardless of document status.
This decision affects students whether they are going into their first year of school, or their last. It also affects both undergraduate and graduate students.
The deadline for students to pay up or drop out was Oct. 7. KOCO 5 News estimates that around 400 students across the state of Oklahoma are being affected on various campuses.
The Higher Ed Immigration Portal estimates that 1.3% of Oklahoma students are undocumented.
The Associated Press estimates more than 510,000 students without legal status are enrolled in universities across the country.
We reached out to Calleb Mosburg, the vice president for student services and enrollment management for information about how many students this has affected on our campus and what resources we have to offer, but we did not hear back.
At Northwestern, the tuition rate for in-state students is $7,072.50. For an out-of-state student, it is $8,422.50. That’s over a thousand dollars in price difference per year.
At universities like University of Oklahoma or private institutions, the price hike can be much steeper.
Some students are looking to take legal action against the policy. KOCO 5 News says that the group Oklahoma Students for Affordable Tuition (OSAT) is representing students and defending Oklahoma’s state laws.
A judge will decide whether or not OSAT has permission to intervene or not, something the organization is concerned about.
The Mexican American Legal Defense and Educational Fund are also trying to take legal action on behalf of students.
They argue that since the state of Oklahoma will not intervene or push back, they should be allowed to.
Resources to help students being faced with tuition hikes are scarce, but there are some organizations that are trying to help. LULAC, the League of United Latin American Citizens is an organization based out of Oklahoma City that is asking for community assistance for students that have reached out to them.
After the October deadline passed, many students either had to take out large loans to pay for schooling, or drop out altogether.
Some high school teachers worry how this will affect younger students looking to go to college.
Will the price increase prevent some students from pursuing higher education? Will they stop paying attention in their classes? Will high school dropout rates increase?
All of these are valid questions being asked by many school educators.
This law change also may affect some scholarships. Many universities offer scholarships to students from a certain area, and these could be taken away for undocumented students too.
It is unclear how many students have chosen to drop out due to the price increase.
The law change not only affects students who have no proof of legal status, but also students who are in the process of receiving said legal status.
Non-full-time students, like students who are participating in dual enrollment to earn college credits during high school, something many students do to get ahead in their studies and do it at a cheaper rate are also experiencing price changes.
All of this paints an even bigger picture, however. Getting a higher education is expensive.
The College Board’s Trends in College Pricing and Student Aid report came out on Nov 6, and it stated that from 2024 to 2025 tuition and fees at 4-year public universities increased by 2.9%.
The report also stated that the number of Hispanic high school graduates has also increased. Hispanic students are largely the group most affected by this law change.
When adjusted for inflation, the cost of Oklahoma universities has risen by 33% from 2008 to 2024 according to the OCPA. Unfortunately, Oklahoma’s per capita income has only grown by 5% when adjusted to inflation.
With rising costs and tuition waivers being taken away, what options are left for students being affected? LULAC has been hosting fundraisers and is encouraging students to look for scholarship opportunities not tied to residential status.
Many small communities are trying to help local students being affected by ways of GoFundMe accounts and other scholarship funds.
Immigration and organization lawyers are still trying to take legal action against these law changes as well.