Kansas and the U.S. Department of Justice moved to unwind Kansas’s in-state tuition eligibility for undocumented students, asking a federal judge to strike down the state law. The joint motion came hours after DOJ sued Kansas, marking the 10th federal lawsuit targeting tuition-equity policies. Kansas’s law allows eligible students to pay in-state rates if they attended an accredited Kansas high school for at least three years, graduated or earned a GED in Kansas, and signed an affidavit committing to pursue lawful immigration status as soon as possible. Reporting cited thousands of undocumented students enrolling under the policy from 2010 to 2021. The agreement now awaits court approval to invalidate the policy. Supporters and civil-liberties groups argue the motion is an attack on student access, while DOJ frames the policy as prohibited discrimination under federal law. For public universities and state systems, the ruling risk is operational and financial: tuition-rate changes alter enrollment economics, scholarship planning, and recruitment strategy for undocumented and mixed-status families.
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