Undocumented immigrant students would be able to pay in-state tuition rates at Oregon's public universities, under a proposal from a panel of students, faculty and administrators.

The idea did not get to the last Legislature but was being discussed in early December by the State Board of Higher Education as a way to diversify enrollment.

"It seemed to us that it was a reasonable position to take," said Dalton Miller-Jones, a state board member and Portland State University professor who heads the panel.

The proposal is one of a dozen recommendations by a board subcommittee intended to increase campus diversity. The board can make the change but has held off, waiting for legislative approval, said Neil Bryant, a former legislator who lobbies for the university system. The Legislature and the governor could reverse any changes the board makes.

Proponents say international-student rates that are three times higher than in-state rates prevent many undocumented immigrants who are high school graduates from attending college. The issue of taxpayer subsidies for undocumented students is part of the larger immigration debate expected to be a factor in the U.S. presidential race. About 10 states, including California and Washington, already allow undocumented students to pay in-state tuition.

Hannah Fisher, a PSU student and state board member, said it is not an immigration issue.

"It's about students who graduated from an Oregon high school who can't go to college in Oregon for an appropriate price," she said. "It's kids who are already here and have made a contribution to the Oregon community."

Rep. Linda Flores, R-Clackamas, who opposes the idea, said she would be "very disappointed" if the state board end-runs the Legislature.

"People are very concerned about services and benefits being provided to people who are not here legally," she said.

Latino students, most of whom are here legally, make up 4 percent of enrollment in the public university system and 10 percent of the state population.