SCR1044 In-State Tuition for All Arizona High-School Graduates Passes the Senate
PHOENIX, AZ — On March 4, 2021 SCR 1044 passed the Senate 17 to 13 in the 55th Arizona Legislative Session, which will provide in-state tuition to all students who graduate from a high school in Arizona, regardless of immigration status.
ALIENTO strongly believes that all people who graduate from Arizona high schools, both public and private, should have the opportunity to enroll in an Arizona university or community college as an in-state resident. This bill specifically applies to all Arizona high school graduates, including our Arizona dreamers, who have lived here for at least 2 years and graduated from an Arizona high school.
There are approximately 2,000 undocumented & DACA students who graduate from Arizona high schools each year. This legislation enables our Arizona students to pay their own way through college at the in-state tuition rate regardless of immigration status. Efforts like this also help our state to achieve our state education goal of having 60% of people have higher education attainment by the year 2030. This will also have significant economic gains for our state. For every college graduate earning a four-year university degree, the state averages a $660,000 return on its investment (College Success Arizona).
As an organization whose vision to work towards a place where human potential is nurtured and not defined by immigration status. We strongly support efforts like SCR1044 as a step in the right directions towards progress and we look forward to the House of Representatives voting for it.
Reyna Montoya, founder & CEO of Aliento and DACA recipient, “I remember when Prop. 300 passed. I was a junior in high school, not knowing if I would be able to pay for college as an undocumented student. My father and I looked frantically for scholarships and thankfully I obtained a private scholarship. However, many other students did not have the same opportunities as I did and that is why it is instrumental that our House Representatives vote support efforts like SCR1044”
Darian Benitez, senior at Brophy College Prep Academy and undocumented student, “Arizona is home. I have been here for over 15 years of my life. As a high school senior I dreamt of attending Arizona State University. Today with SCR 1044 passing in the AZ Senate I am one step closer towards achieving the dreams our parents sacrificed so much for. We as Arizona can’t afford to miss this opportunity to give Dreamers like me an opportunity to get our education and give back to the state that has raised us.”
About ALIENTO:
ALIENTO is a nonprofit leadership organization based in Arizona with a national reach that transforms trauma into hope and action with the dreamers, mixed immigration status families, the immigrant community, and allies through arts & healing programs, leadership development opportunities, and advocacy.