CHULA VISTA, Calif. — Students who live south of the border will soon be able to seek higher education in the United States and spend less money.
Governor Gavin Newsom recently signed Assembly Bill 91, which offers in-state tuition prices for low-income students in parts of Mexico, including Tijuana.
Assemblymember David Alvarez who represents much of the South Bay, spearheaded this idea. He says Southern California and Northern Baja California often operate as one mega-region.
So now many people who live 45 miles from the border can attend local community colleges at a more affordable price.
About 170,000 people cross the Southern border and into California every day for work or school.
"I cross the border Monday and Wednesday for school, and the weekends because I work," Marta Rodriguez said. She lives in Tijuana but is studying to be a nurse at Southwestern College in Chula Vista. "It's a good opportunity to have a better future," Rodriguez added.
Rodriguez and countless others as far south as Rosarito will soon be exempt from having to pay out-of-state tuition rates.
"I want to be a mechanical engineer. I think it's going to help us a lot in our future," David Rodriguez added.
The price difference is significant. For example, at Southwestern College, students in California pay around $1,400 a year for tuition. Out-of-state or in this case, out-of-country students pay closer to $6,000.
"These are folks who are contributing to our economy, who are part of the fabric of life in San Diego and Imperial counties - these are just students who happen to live ten miles south of us, rather than ten miles north of us," Zaneta Encarnacion said, Chief of Staff to the Superintendent and President of Southwestern College.
It's a first of its kind for our binational region. Encarnacion says by expanding affordable access to our region's community colleges, students will be better equipped to enter the workforce and contribute to the economy on both sides of the border.
The last student survey done in 2018 showed 800 Southwestern College students were living in Tijuana, however it’s believed many students use an address in California but live in Mexico. The new law will help schools gather more accurate data, all while eliminating some of the financial barriers and providing higher education opportunities.
"We have students who are moving south of the border because they can't afford living here, yet they're going to end up paying much more just to finish their education. So this is incredibly transformative," Encarnacion added.
This will start as a five-year pilot program that begins on January 1, 2024.
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