Vermont Expands In-State Tuition to Undocumented, Noncitizen Students
Credit: Glowimages / Getty Images- Vermont will offer in-state tuition to all residents, regardless of immigration status, starting in mid-2025.
- The law will apply to the University of Vermont and the Vermont State Colleges system.
- State financial aid will also be extended to all Vermont residents.
- Vermont will become the 25th state to extend in-state tuition to undocumented residents.
Vermont will soon join a growing list of states that offer in-state tuition to all residents, regardless of immigration status.
Republican Gov. Phil Scott signed into law a proposal requiring Vermont public colleges and universities to stop charging out-of-state tuition to undocumented or noncitizen students who reside in the state. The law won’t take effect until July 1, 2025, but when it does, Vermont will become the 25th state in the U.S. to implement such a policy.
The law will apply to the University of Vermont and the Vermont State Colleges system, which includes the state’s public community colleges.
The bill, introduced by Democratic state Sen. Nader Hashim, will also extend state financial aid to all Vermont residents, regardless of immigration status.
This means Vermont will join an even more select group of states that offer both in-state tuition and state financial aid to undocumented students. According to the Higher Ed Immigration Portal, 18 states and Washington, D.C., provide this “comprehensive access” to higher education to undocumented students.
July 1, 2025, is the effective date of the financial aid portion of the law, too.
Elizabeth Mauch, chancellor of the Vermont State Colleges (VSC) system, celebrated the proposal after it passed both the state House of Representatives and Senate.
“This bill enshrines in state statute existing policy at the VSC to promote affordability in higher education by ensuring all Vermont residents, regardless of immigration status, can access in-state tuition at our member institutions,” Mauch said in a statement to VermontBiz.
“I am grateful to all of those who got this bill over the finish line, in service of our shared goal of advancing educational equity.”
Lastly, the law makes minor changes to who is eligible for two Vermont grant programs.
The state’s advancement and incentive grants will widen to include some noncitizens. However, this portion of the law stipulates that grant eligibility expands only to the following student groups:
- Refugees
- Students with temporary admission for “urgent humanitarian reasons”
- Afghan Allies Protection Act visa holders
The section regarding incentive grants will automatically be repealed on July 1, 2027.