Colorado State University System Board of Governors has showed its support to Senate Bill 13-33, which gives illegal immigrants access to state funding for higher studies.
The bill will allow illegal immigrants who have graduated from Colorado high schools to receive in-state tuition at Colorado public universities and they will also be eligible for Colorado Opportunity Fund.
In addition, the bill might bring alternative revenues for Colorado colleges and universities.
"This isn't about immigration status - this is about ensuring that the pathways to opportunity are open to all Colorado's children," Mary Lou Makepeace, a member of the CSU board said.
Makepeace said that through this bill qualified students might get a chance to complete their education, which would have been impossible otherwise.
Normally, undocumented students graduating from Colorado high schools are forced to pay out-of-state tuition. As a result, these students either refrain from joining such colleges or move to another state offering education at affordable tuition.
"What happens to these kids if we deny them access to higher education? What is the impact on their lives, the economy and our state? CSU System Chancellor Mike Martin said.
Martin said that by giving access to education, these students can build a better future for themselves and for the state.
The CSU System includes CSU in Fort Collins, CSU-Pueblo and CSU-Global Campus.
And CSU-Pueblo is a Hispanic Serving Institution, which means 25 percent of the student population is of Latino descent.
The Bill 13-33 was introduced in the general assembly by the state senator Mike Johnson, Jan.8.
