Tuition Rates for Immigrant Students
Re “When No Green Card Means No College,” March 24: Every spring we read heart-rending stories about hard-working high-achievers who, because of their parents’ illegal status, cannot qualify for financial aid for higher education. What we seldom hear about are the tens of thousands of hard-working, high-achieving legal residents who find it hard to afford even the lower in-state tuition. Some options for those are: 1) attending a lower-cost institution, 2) going to community college for two years before attending a more pricey university or 3) attending classes while working to pay for the privilege.
While I do not totally agree that children should be penalized for their parents’ wrongdoing, I certainly do not agree that they should benefit from the wrongdoing. Perhaps these hard-working, high-achieving students can apply themselves to learning their parents’ native language and thus qualify for a low- or free-tuition education in the parents’ homeland.
KATHRYN ROUSH
Granada Hills
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While a person reading the article would be heartless not to feel empathy, the fact remains: Higher education is a privilege and not a right. The article states, “Undocumented students can apply, and be accepted, at California universities.” The issue here is that the cost to them will not be subsidized. The financial barrier issue can be solved by simply complying with the law and becoming legal residents or citizens. Why didn’t the parents of these students show concern for them by making sure that they could qualify for financial help?
JACK CORNEJO
El Monte
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