D.C. Students May Get College Tuition Break

WASHINGTON — The Republican chairman of the House of Representatives' Government Oversight subcommittee on the District of Columbia plans to introduce a bill that would allow Washington, D.C., high school graduates to pay in-state tuition at any public university in the country to which they can get admitted, according to a report in The Washington Post.
Rep. Thomas M. Davis III (Va.), says the plan will help approximately 400 graduates initially. Eventually, he expects that number to reach 1,000. He estimates the cost to the federal government will be $7 million a year. And he believes he can push the measure through the House soon.
"For D.C. students who study hard and work hard and find out-of-state universities out of financial reach, this helps," says Davis. "This offers them a rung on the very real ladder of opportunity. We have a good chance of moving this through [the House] quickly."
The proposal could cut college costs considerably for D.C. students. For example, out-of-state tuition for the University of California-Berkeley in 1998 was $8,394, according to Peterson's Four-year College Guide. But under Davis' plan, D.C. students who could get accepted would only have had to come up with the $3,956 that in-state residents paid. The federal government would pick up the difference, meaning the proposal would not cost the states anything.
And the savings can be considerably more than that — especially closer to home. According to The Post's story, at the University of Virginia, in-state residents pay $4,870 for tuition and out-of-state students pay $15,820. At the University of Maryland, the numbers are $4,699 for in-state students and $11,221 for out-of-state students.
Davis stressed that his proposal would not undercut support for the University of the District of Columbia (UDC). He also said the program would not decrease the number of slots set aside for students applying to institutions within their own states. Although District students would pay in-state prices, they would be considered out-of-state students in all other aspects.
Additionally, he says District students would not receive any admissions preferences. They would have to meet whatever standards are set by the individual institutions.
Davis is confident of quick passage for the bill because he says it has bipartisan support. The District's non-voting Representative added substance to Davis' claim.
"D.C. youngsters need as many options as they can get," says Del. Eleanor Holmes Norton (D-D.C.). "UDC is an indispensable option, perhaps for even the greater number. [But] D.C. students should no more be confined to one option than students in Virginia are confined to one option."
Davis also says he has not yet decided if the proposal will be limited to public school students.