Arizona extends tuition rate for students in US illegally

Arizona high school graduates living in the country illegally will get expanded access to a special tuition rate for the state's three public universities.

The Arizona Board of Regents voted Thursday to drop a requirement for students to be enrolled in the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program in order to qualify for the special rate. That's because President Donald Trump's administration has frozen enrollment in the program.

Arizona has for years let students with a history in the state's schools to pay 50 percent more than their in-state classmates but less than the out-of-state tuition rate. University officials say that fully covers the cost of their education without a state subsidy.

The change takes effect immediately. About 400 students paid the preferential tuition rate last semester.