A new Governing magazine article examines a recent study by UMBC professors T.H. Gindling (economics) and Marvin Mandell (public policy) on the economic impact of Maryland’s Dream Act, which extended in-county/in-state tuition at local community colleges and public universities to undocumented immigrants who graduate from Maryland high schools and meet other requirements.
The article notes that 13 states have similar “tuition equity” laws in place and more than a dozen additional states are considering proposals for them. “As state lawmakers think about offering in-state tuition to undocumented immigrants,” suggests J.B. Wogan, “the UMBC study could offer a model for weighing long-term net benefits and costs.”
Summarizing Gindling and Mandell’s report, Wogan writes, “For government at all levels, the total impact would be a net gain of $39.6 million. For society as a whole, they estimate a total economic benefit of $63.6 million.”
See the website of UMBC’s Maryland Institute for Policy Analysis and Research (MIPAR) for the original working paper: “Private and Government Fiscal Costs and Benefits of the Maryland Dream Act.” Coverage of the study has previously appeared on NPR, Inside Higher Ed, The Chronicle of Higher Education, Baltimore Sun and other news outlets.
Tags: CAHSS, Economics, PublicPolicy
