By qualifying for Prop 308, you will receive in-state tuition. In-state tuition prices are typically three times lower than out-of-state tuition prices. For example, at Pima Community College, in-state tuition is about $1,044 for a full time semester, and out-of -state tuition is about $3,702 for the same full time semester. Check out the Navigating Higher-Ed In Arizona Undocumented guide, to see the price differences between in-state and out-of-state tuition at other Arizona institutions.

Regardless of having DACA or TPS status or not, you can still qualify for Prop 308 and receive in-state tuition if you meet the requirements. Not having DACA/TPS doesn’t disqualify you from receiving financial aid from private scholarships, school scholarships, or attending college/university.

You would need to meet the Prop 308 requirements to qualify for in-state tuition in Arizona if asylum has not been granted. If you have only been in high school for one year, we suggest staying an extra year to meet the requirements.

This depends on what type of visa you have. If you have a tourist visa that is about to expire or has expired, you will be considered Undocumented by universities and community colleges. It is advised to not visit your school’s International Student offices or tell a staff member unless it is a trusted educator from a Undocumented Immigrant Resource Center because you are not considered an international applicant and they may be required to report expired visas. Visa types that are not eligible for Prop 308 in-state tuition include F1, F2, J1, H4 or H1 visas. If you have a visa that makes you ineligible for in-state tuition under Prop 308, you may still qualify for state funded financial aid programs. If you have an active tourist visa, we advise you to speak with a trusted educator and our Student Support Team about your situation to assess the best next steps for you.

No, you don’t need to have two years of consecutive presence. However, to be eligible you have to show proof that you attended an Arizona high school (public, private, or homeschooled) for at least two years and graduated from an Arizona high school or earned a GED in Arizona.

Regardless of how long ago you graduated from an Arizona high school or received your GED, if you meet the Prop 308 requirements, you qualify for in-state tuition as long as you have been living in Arizona for at least 12 consecutive months before the semester you enroll.If you graduated more than a year ago, some schools may require you to provide proof of your physical presence in Arizona, such as a lease agreement, utility bill, or letter from an employer or community organization. High school transcripts can only be used to verify your presence in Arizona if you graduated within one year of applying for Prop 308 at your institution.

How Prop 308 is administered can vary depending on your college or university. Each school may have its own process or paperwork to verify that you qualify for Prop 308.What often varies the most is the type of identification used to prove that you are an Arizona resident. Because Arizona prohibits Undocumented individuals from obtaining state-issued IDs or driver’s licenses, this limits the types of identification available to Undocumented students. However students can still verify their identity by using their country’s state-issued unexpired passport.If you do not have any of the identification requirements listed, it’s important that you advocate for your right to access Prop 308. This could be by asking if there are any non-listed alternatives forms of identification you can provide. If you do not feel comfortable talking about your status over email, you can ask for an in person, zoom, or phone call to discuss your other options with school representatives.

The process for getting in-state tuition under Prop 308 can look a little different depending on the institution. In most cases, you’ll need to request a residency status change by either filling out a form or emailing the point of contact at your school. For example, at Pima Community College you can complete the residency correction form online, while at places like the University of Arizona you’ll need to email the form directly to the Registrar’s Office.You can use the email template below to ask about gaining access to in-state tuition:

It is likely that some universities or colleges in Arizona may place you in out-of-state tuition for now. As soon as you graduate, make sure that your tuition status is changed to in-state tuition. Some colleges or universities might automatically grant you in-state tuition even before you graduate once they have looked at your high school transcripts, it depends on their system.

Whoever gave you this information is incorrect. All students regardless of immigration status can apply to a college or university in Arizona. Please contact us if you need support navigating this situation.

Even if you don’t qualify for Prop 308, you can still attend college or university, but you will be paying out-of-state tuition. Although the price is extremely intimidating, remember other Undocumented students have been able to navigate higher-education and graduate before Prop 308 was a reality.You now have access to state-financial aid to help you cover the cost and there are plenty of private and local scholarships you can apply to.We are here to support you, feel free to reach out to us to brainstorm ways on how you can pay for college! There are plenty of private national and local scholarships you can apply to. For more information look through the “Access to Financial Aid” section.

With the passage of Prop. 308, all students – regardless of immigration status – may be eligible to receive state financial aid to attend an Arizona public university or community college. While immigration status is not an eligibility barrier now, a student must still meet all other requirements of the state financial aid they are seeking. An example of a scholarship now available to Undocumented youth is the Pima Community College Excellence and Merit Award.To be eligible for state financial aid, a student does NOT need to meet the Arizona high school attendance or graduation criteria. That applies only to eligibility for in-state tuition.

No, undocumented students continue to be ineligible to receive federal aid like FAFSA and the Pell Grant. Please visit our FAFSA guide to read more on when it might be beneficial for undocumented and DACA students to fill out a FAFSA application.

If you are undocumented, complete the CSS profile! The CSS Profile is an online financial aid application created by the College Board, a non profit organization, to help colleges award non-federal, institutional financial aid. (Students who hold F1, F2, J1, H4 and other visa types are not eligible to complete the FAFSA or CSS)

Tips for completing the CSS profile:

• The CSS profile application opens on October 1st of every year.
• Requires a College Board account. Students who have completed SAT, ACT, AP testing may already have an existing account: https://cssprofile.collegeboard.org/
• Free for students whose families make an annual income of $100,000 or less
• The University of Arizona is not listed on the CSS profile site, eligible students will receive an invitation via email to complete the application once accepted to the university.
• Must be completed and renewed every academic year.

If you are undocumented, we recommend you reach out to the financial aid office of the college you are planning to attend since each institution may have their own methods of awarding aid.

Explore scholarships using your school’s scholarship universe. Scholarships can vary based on merit, region, need based, majors, goals and more! Be sure to review the eligibility requirements.You can also apply for private scholarships. Visit our list:scholarshipsaz.org/scholarships

Even though Prop 308 is the law, not every staff member at your college or university will know how to support Undocumented students or how to correctly apply the policy. In fact, many times you may know more than the paid institutional agents you’re talking to. That’s why it’s important to understand your rights as a student; so you can advocate for yourself when you need to.It’s a sad reality that not everyone you meet on campus will know how to help you, or even want to support you as an Undocumented student. For example, when one of our team members first transferred to the University of Arizona, they were able to get in-state tuition, but accessing financial aid was much harder. Their counselor told them to go to the financial aid office, but when they got there, the staff member said there was nothing they could do because the student was Undocumented. Instead, the staff member asked if they “knew about ScholarshipsA-Z,” saying the university had no resources for them and that maybe an outside organization could help.Their response was, “Yes…I work there.”The staff member went silent.Eventually, they were connected to the Immigrant Resource Center. They still couldn’t attend that semester because of financial aid barriers, but the next semester they received a scholarship and were able to continue their degree.This is exactly why self-advocacy matters. Not everyone you talk to will have the correct information or the willingness to support you, but there is a community that knows how to help. And as you keep navigating these systems, you’ll gain the knowledge and confidence to access your rights; whether that’s in-state tuition, state-funded financial aid, or anything else you need to continue your education.

The process for accessing in-state tuition can vary from one institution to another. We recommend emailing your school’s Registrar’s Office to ask how to update your residency status to in-state tuition under Prop 308.Below, you’ll find real-life examples of how students have navigated Prop 308 at Pima Community College and the University of Arizona. These examples can help you get a better sense of what each institution might ask for and how they may work with you to grant in-state tuition.

Email conversation between a student and registers office at Pima Community College, 2022:

To: [email protected]

From: [email protected]

Subject: Prop 308 Residency status change

Dear Registrar’s Office,

My name is student and PCC ID: A01123456 I am eligible for in-state status due to the passage of Proposition 308. Attached are my high school transcripts that reflect I graduated from an Arizona high school and the residency correction form. I have also attended PCC for 3 semesters. Please let me know if you have any questions or need additional information.

Best,

Hi Student,

I have received your Residency Correction Form and high school transcript. Since your graduation date was in 2018, we will also need proof of your physical presence in Arizona for the twelve months of 2022. You will find a list of acceptable documents on page two of your residency form. If you could send me a copy of one of those forms, I can get your residency updated.

Please let me know if you have any questions.

Hi Registar,

I just read the list of acceptable documents on page two and they all list items that are hard to obtain for Undocumented students like me in Arizona, unless they have daca (which i do not)

I just wanted to ask what other documents can other students like me provide? The residency correction form was not made for undocumented students in mind and there should be an inclusive form since the passing of proposition 308.

Thank you for your time,

Hi Student,

Can I give you a call to discuss options for documentation? What is a good number to reach you at?

Hi Registar,

Yes, my number is 000-000-000

Hi Registar,

Thank you for your help, I was able to get a residency letter from my employer

Good Morning!

I have updated your residency to in-state as of Spring 2023.

Best Regards,

Hi [Registrar’s Office / Name],

I hope you’re doing well. I wanted to ask about updating my residency status under Proposition 308. I graduated from [High School Name] in [Year] and have been living in Arizona since then.

Could you please let me know what steps or documents I need to submit to be considered for in-state tuition under Prop 308?

Thank you for your help!

Best,

[Your Full Name]

[Student ID Number, if you have one]