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Executive Summary
Introduction
Policies governing the enrollment of undocumented students in postsecondary educationalinstitutions vary widely nationwide. The North Carolina Community College System (NCCCS) hasgrappled with this difficultissue for most of the current decade. In November 2008, the NCCCScommissioned a review of issues surrounding the admission of undocumented students.The resultspresented in this report examine federal and state law developments and policies and practicesaffecting access to post-secondary educational institutions for undocumented immigrants in elevenstates, and the costs associated with admitting, and verifying the status of, undocumented students.The primary objectives that guided the research were to:Prepare a timeline and compendium of the history of the admission of undocumented studentsto NCCCS curriculum programs.Outline the policy of the University of North Carolina System on the admission of undocumented students, and address the implications of the adoption of a similar policy by theNCCCS.Calculate the estimated amount of state and local resources required to support anundocumented student enrolled full-time in a North Carolina community college curriculumprogram, taking into account the amount of tuition paid by the student.Conduct a state policy study. Present an analysis of policies for admission and pending orratified legislation pertinent to undocumented students in public institutions of highereducation in the following states: Arizona, California, Colorado, Florida, Georgia, Illinois,New Mexico, New York, South Carolina, Texas, and Virginia.Identify the key policy issues that the North Carolina State Board should consider whendeveloping a long-term policy on the admission of undocumented students, includingimplications of the fiscal impact, and the costs and processes associated with verification.
Timeline
North Carolina regulations require the NCCCS system to “maintain an open
-door admission policy to
all applicants who are high school graduates or who are at least 18 years of age.”
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However, NCCCShas taken several different positions with respect to the admission of undocumented students duringthe past nine years.In 2001, NCCCS restricted the admission of undocumented students to threenarrow categories of students. Three years later, NCCCS granted individual colleges more latitude onthe matter, and in 2007, there was considerable public response after NCCCS acted to admitundocumented students to all North Carolina community colleges, at out-of-state tuition rates. In May
2008, on the heels of an advisory letter from the North Carolina Attorney General‟s office indicating
that restrictions on the admission of undocumented students were more likely to sustain a courtchallenge, NCCCS reinstated the sharp restrictions that had been instituted back in 2001. Shortlythereafter, the U.S. Department of Homeland Security issued a statement affirming that it is up to each
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23 NCAC 02C.0301(a). North Carolina statute, The State Board of Community Colleges is authorized by statute toestablish and administer standards for admissions and graduation. N.C. Gen. Stat. §115D-5.
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