Eddie was less than a week away from starting his first semester at the University of Texas Rio Grande Valley when Texas agreed to end a state law allowing certain students without legal status to pay in-state tuition rates.
He saw the decision right before he went to bed on Wednesday.
“I fell asleep at like 1, and I woke up at 6 in the morning because I was freaking out,� said Eddie, who is seeking a bachelor's degree in nursing. “I was like, I’m going to have to pay so much more.�
Eddie, who was 6 when he came to Texas from Mexico, is a . The federal program shields qualifying immigrants who came to the U.S. as children from deportation. KUT News is using only his nickname because he fears for his family’s safety.
Eddie is one of tens of thousands of undocumented students pursuing higher education in Texas who are now facing uncertainty with the end of this state law, known as the Texas Dream Act. He and former students said being able to pay in-state tuition rates made college more accessible.
Tuition could double
Eddie got his first bachelor's degree at UT Austin, graduating in 2021. He was eligible for in-state tuition then, and covered the cost of college through a combination of scholarships and working 30 to 35 hours a week.
This time around, Eddie saved up about $30,000 so he could focus on the accelerated nursing program at UTRGV. The in-state tuition rate for the summer semester is $6,242 � which he has already paid. Now, he expects the cost of tuition and fees to more than double.
“I’m probably going to end up paying something like $14- to $15,000 a semester,� he said.
Eddie reached out to the financial aid office at UTRGV, but hasn’t gotten a clear answer yet about what the costs will be now that he's no longer eligible for in-state rates. He said he's been talking with his mom about options to make sure he can still pay for school.
“I’m super close to her, so I talked to her a lot and she was like, 'Yeah, it sucks that they changed this, but you’re going to keep going to school. You’re not going to drop out of the program,’� he said.
The law's significance
In 2022, there were about 57,000 undocumented students in Texas pursuing a higher education, according to the nonprofit .
While current students try to understand what losing in-state tuition means for them, those who have already graduated are reflecting on the opportunities the law provided them.
Julieta Garibay came to the United States from Mexico when she was 12 years old. When it was time to start thinking about college, she had to face the reality of her legal status.
“ That's when it became very real, like, what does it mean to be undocumented?" Garibay said.  ”Teachers telling me I'm college material meant nothing."
Garibay graduated from high school in 1998, and a week after graduation, she hopped on a bus and self-deported to Mexico. When she got there, she felt like she didn’t belong.
“ Both countries are telling me I'm not from either one of them, either because of papers or because I don't even know [Spanish]," she said. “ I decided to come back, still undocumented.�
Garibay returned to Texas. Then, in 2001, Texas passed a law allowing students without legal status to qualify for in-state tuition. She had a shot at going to school in the U.S. and got accepted into UT Austin.
She graduated in 2005 with a bachelor's degree in nursing and later got a master's. In 2018, she became a U.S. citizen.
Garibay said the 2001 law made it all possible.
“ Our lives changed,� she said. “You go from having no idea what you're gonna do to being able to actually go follow your dream and whatever profession you choose, be able to practice it.�
What comes next
Garibay said she's afraid the end of the law will shut the door on her community and prevent them from contributing to the local economy.
"For 20 years, all these folks are graduating with college degrees and are getting to own houses and create businesses and create jobs for other people," she said.
Eddie said he's determined to become a nurse and help his community. While working at a hospital lab in the Rio Grande Valley, it struck him that many people were getting tested for similar illnesses.
“I felt like I was helping out," he said. "I felt like I was doing something worthwhile at the hospital, but I wanted to do more."
While Eddie is trying to focus on his career goals, the end of in-state tuition and other policies targeting immigrants are taking a toll on him. He said he's felt afraid and upset since Texas agreed to end the program.
“I have an American education, a university education, my mom pays taxes here, I pay taxes here. Why is it that I can’t get [in-state tuition] rates?" he said. "For all intents and purposes, this is my state.�
