DOJ Sues Ark., Hawai'i, Utah over Tuition for Undocumented Students

Kit Johnson

18 Sep 2026 — 1 min read

It's been a busy week for news about undocumented students in higher education. As Kevin pointed out, the DOJ has sued Kansas over its policies regarding tuition and undocumented students. Florida is acting on its own to restrict higher ed access by undocumented students. And now, HigherEdDive reports:

The U.S. Department of Justice on Thursday filed lawsuits against the District of Columbia and three states — Arkansas, Hawai’i and Utah — over their laws allowing certain undocumented students to pay in-state tuition rates and receive state financial aid. The agency has now sued every state that offers such benefits, arguing that they illegally provide benefits to undocumented students that are not offered to all U.S. citizens.

Interestingly, this suit hasn't yet made it to the DOG press releases page.

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