Starting this semester, students admitted to Georgia State were required to prove they were legal residents before enrolling in classes.
According to university spokesperson Andrea Jones, the university has barred one student from enrollment due to documentation problems. Out of the more than 10,000 students granted preliminary acceptance to the five most academically competitive schools in Georgia, college officials were surprised that the number of students barred was not higher. They do not know whether the new Board of Regents rule deterred immigrants from applying or if they did not have plans to apply previously. Adopted last October, the rule blocks illegal immigrants from enrolling in any of the 35 University System of Georgia schools that have turned away academically qualified students in the past two years. At Georgia Tech this spring, officials canceled applications from three illegal immigrants, spokesman Matt Nagel told the AJC. Admissions officers who were reviewing undergraduate applications learned the three academically qualified students were illegal immigrants and directed them to other colleges. The University of Georgia, Georgia College & State University and Georgia Health Sciences University are the three other colleges affected by the rule that have yet to turn away potential students because of their immigration status. "The numbers denied admission to the five institutions prohibited from admitting undocumented students speak for themselves," Regents Chairman Ben Tarbutton told the AJC.
Colleges cleared most of student's legal residency through the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA). The program requires students to submit their social security number and about 90 percent of college students applied for this aid. If students did not apply through this program, colleges instructed them to provide a certified copy of their birth certificate or other certified documentation. Even though the negative effects of illegal immigration on the University System is relatively unknown, particularly following the Board of Regent's new rule, some lawmakers like Rep. Tom Price (R) think that the rule is not enough. Instead, he would have all illegal immigrants barred from public colleges and introduced legislation towards that goal this past secession, although it did not pass either chamber of the legislature.
Georgia is not the only state to ban illegal immigrants from enrolling in public colleges. Alabama and South Carolina also ban illegal immigrants from enrolling in public universities.Alejandro Galeano, a student at the University of Georgia, conducted a graduation ceremony of resistance on Aug. 23, as a protest against the Board of Regents' decision to ban academically qualified students from attending Georgia's top five public universities solely based on their immigration status.
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