Associate Vice President for Enrollment Services Judy Diaz-Bonacquisti says she and her staff are pleased with State Attorney General John Suthers Aug. 14 opinion that the children of undocumented workers who are legal United States citizens qualify for in-state tuition.

Over the past two weeks, a controversy erupted over the varying interpretations of state law made by colleges and universities in regard to students who are under 23, U.S. citizens and claimed as financial dependents by their parents, who are in the country illegally. Metro State had interpreted the law to read that they must pay out-of-state tuition because their parents could not prove lawful existence. Other institutions thought they could be admitted as in-state students.

David Skaggs, head of the Department of Education, asked Suthers to research the law and render an opinion, hopefully before the start of the fall semester. Suthers issued the opinion on Tuesday.

Diaz-Bonacquisti asks that anyone who knows of a current or entering student who falls within this category contact her directly at 303-556-6492 or jbonacqu@mscd.edu.

“We don’t want of these students to get lost in the system,” Bonacquisti said.