The University of Virginia (UVA) announced Tuesday that all students, including those living in the country illegally without temporary protections against deportation, will now be eligible for admission and enrollment.
Prior to the change, the UVA would not enroll individuals who cannot show proof of citizenship or legal resident status. Even if their admissions were accepted, the students would still be blocked from enrolling because of failure to provide the necessary documentation.
The move comes as the approaching date draws closer for the U.S. Supreme Court to rule on the fate of those under the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program, or DACA.
Created by the Obama administration in 2012, the DACA program grants illegal immigrants who were brought to the United States as children protection from deportation, as well as renewable work permits. In 2017, the Trump administration announced it would not renew DACA and the Supreme Court is expected to decide this June on whether that decision was lawful.
The act, which goes into effect this July, makes Virginia one of the 19 states that have laws extending in-state tuition rates to illegal immigrants meeting specific requirements. Seven of those states, namely California, Colorado, Minnesota, New Mexico, Oregon, Texas, and Washington, currently allow illegal immigrants to apply for state financial aid as well.
By contrast, three states—Arizona, Georgia, and Indiana—expressly prohibit in-state tuition rates for illegal immigrants. In Alabama and South Carolina, illegal immigrants are prohibited from enrolling at any public college or university.