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Just curious about what people think about this one. I'm in grad school at the University of Maryland-Baltimore campus and every year there are a handful of out of state students who manage to get in-state tuition. What happens is when one person manages to get it, their "advice" or "wisdom" on how to manipulate the system/process is passed down to some of their friends and it continues.
Now there are people who come here for school who don't plan on staying afterward, and the first week they're here they try to change their residency and even get a Maryland drivers license. I personally think this is unfair, dishonest and cheats taxpayers like myelf and my parents who have lived here long term and paid taxes for over a decade. It happens less often in undergrad but I have still heard of cases where people have been successful. Also, getting in-state status makes people elgible for some grants and scholarships that should only be for state residents.
I personally think colleges should have rules that say if a student is admitted as out-of-state, then unless their parent moves here or something then there should be no way for their status to change.
I would think outright manipulation of the system would be grounds for expulsion. But that's not the only scenario in which a non-resident can get in-state tuition. Minnesota has a reciprocity agreement with every state and province it borders except Ontario where they can attend each other's state and provincial colleges for a nominal amount above the resident's tuition. I'm sure other state university systems have similar reciprocity agreements. There's one state school in Minnesota that charges everyone the same rate whether they're Minnesota residents or not. Why they'd do that, I don't know. But these scenarios don't really strike me as unethical.
Come to think of it, that's a pretty compelling reason to raise your kids in Minnesota. They'll will have the option to attend college anywhere from Winnipeg to Milwaukee at a reduced rate.
it is fine, unless you're doing something illegal. it is no sin to defy legislative intent -- you're just navigating the bureaucracy that's been set up.
Every state has their own particular laws concerning what the requirements are to be eligible for in-state tuition. If someone finds a way to to be eligible then I say, go for it. No, its not unethical if they are not lying or cheating to get it. One of my kids attends an out of state university but receives in state tuition because his particular university offers in-state to anyone coming from a bordering state, as long as they have a certain high school GPA and maintain a certain GPA once they are there. We have no ties to that particular state, and he doesn't necessarily plan on staying there after graduation, though he isn't opposed to the idea. Our other kid attends an out of state university, but they aren't so generous. Even though he was born in that state, and lived there his entire life, except for his last two years of high school, is a 3rd generation legacy, we are members of the alumni association, and he plans on staying there after graduation we still pay out of state tuition. The state in which he attends college has extremely strict residency requirements, and even if we moved back to that state we would have to live there for a year before he would be eligible. He could be eligible for in-state if he could earn a scholarship from the university, but most of their scholarships are reserved in-state students. I would love to find a way to get him in-state tuition, but we can't find one.
Some state schools offer 'in-state tuition' to out-of-state students as a sort of scholarship to entice the super-smarties who may not have super-rich parents to come study there.
So even the schools are doing it.
What I don't get is illegal aliens demanding in-state tuition.
Last edited by toobusytoday; 09-02-2010 at 06:16 PM..
Reason: inappropriate language
Just curious about what people think about this one. I'm in grad school at the University of Maryland-Baltimore campus and every year there are a handful of out of state students who manage to get in-state tuition. What happens is when one person manages to get it, their "advice" or "wisdom" on how to manipulate the system/process is passed down to some of their friends and it continues.
Now there are people who come here for school who don't plan on staying afterward, and the first week they're here they try to change their residency and even get a Maryland drivers license. I personally think this is unfair, dishonest and cheats taxpayers like myelf and my parents who have lived here long term and paid taxes for over a decade. It happens less often in undergrad but I have still heard of cases where people have been successful. Also, getting in-state status makes people elgible for some grants and scholarships that should only be for state residents.
Wondering how other people feel about this.
Are you talking about graduate school (since I see you're a grad student) or as an undergraduate? In grad school many people don't go to their home states, but go to where they can access the best program. I think that's probably the norm. Many also either pay no tuition or pay in-state, regardless of home state. I see nothing wrong with that; it's not exactly some secret gaming of the system. None of the people in my graduate program were from the state, but most of us became legal residents of the state for the duration of our program. That's where we voted, paid taxes, lived. Grad students don't usually have a "home" other than where they're living, at least not in the way that many undergrads do. By the time you get to that point and age where they grew up or where their parents live is pretty irrelevant.
It's to the benefit of the school and to the state to have the best graduate programs available (undergraduate, too, but there are big differences between the ways in which grad programs and undergraduate programs function); it benefits everyone, including those who have lived or will always live in the specific state. And, for what it's worth, there are probably thousands of Maryland students paying in-state or no tuition at state universities in other states right now, regardless of where they lived or where they plan on living in the future.
If someone is outright lying about it then yes, I think it would be unethical. But if the college or university is offering that option then no, I don't think there's anything wrong with it. In such cases they have presumably decided that the benefits to the school (and therefore arguably to all their students and to the state) outweigh the negatives.
And as far as changing residency in terms of licenses, voting, etc., grad school is usually at least two years, undergraduate at least four; why wouldn't one change that paperwork to reflect where one is living? That's not trying to game the system either or trick anyone, just being practical and acknowledging that one has moved to a new state.
What is the big deal? They are only trying to get an education at a reasonable price, and I personally don't see anything wrong with it. I am sure students from Maryland go to other states and do the same thing. Please!!!!
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