Legislation aimed at guaranteeing in-state tuition rates for students from U.S. territories at public colleges on the mainland has cleared the U.S. House of Representatives and now moves to the Senate, where supporters hope it will advance to the President’s desk.
The Territorial Student Access to Higher Education Act was recently passed by the House with bipartisan support. The measure would require public institutions that receive federal funding to charge in-state tuition rates to eligible residents of U.S. territories pursuing higher education in the states.
Delegate to Congress Stacey Plaskett, one of the bill’s cosponsors, described the vote as a milestone for territorial students and their families.
“Today is a historic day for students and families across the U.S. territories,” said Congresswoman Plaskett. “Since my first term in office, I have advocated for legislation to expand in-state tuition access for students in the Virgin Islands and the other U.S. territories.”
Plaskett also referenced previous efforts to address the tuition gap, noting that she secured a provision in the 2022 Build Back Better Act that would have created a grant program to cover the difference between in-state and out-of-state tuition for students from the territories.
The current legislation was sponsored by Representative James Moylan, the Republican delegate for Guam. Moylan framed the measure as an investment in the future of territorial communities.
“It’s about empowering our youth to pursue their dreams without being priced out of them, and ensuring that when they return home, they are ready to lead the next chapter of Guam’s growth,” he said.
The bill drew support from territorial representatives across the U.S. territories, including delegates from American Samoa, the Northern Mariana Islands, and Puerto Rico. Democratic Representative Salud Carbajal of California’s 24th Congressional District also signed on as a cosponsor.
With the legislation now headed to the Senate, Plaskett said she remains committed to pushing it through the remaining steps in the legislative process.
“Guaranteeing in-state tuition is essential to reducing the burden of student debt and opening doors to the careers and training needed to strengthen our local economies,” she said.
“Today, the House has spoken clearly: our students deserve the same educational opportunities and pathways to success access to affordable higher education as their peers across this nation.”
Plaskett pledged that she remained “fully committed to seeing this bill across the finish line,” ensuring that students from the Virgin Islands and other U.S. territories receive the same tuition rates offered to in-state students at public institutions.
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