Asylum seekers who are in the process of resettling their lives in Oregon are now eligible for in-state tuition at the state’s public universities.
People seeking asylum in Oregon are now eligible to receive resident tuition at the state’s public universities, like Oregon State University.
Bryan M. Vance / OPB
Gov. Tina Kotek signed a bill this week that extends the definition of refugees that have access to resident tuition and state financial aid to include asylum seekers. House Bill 2586 allows those who are in the legal process of seeking asylum in the United States, and have not sought residency previously in any other state, to qualify for in-state tuition.
Oregon asylum seekers now join other people classified as U.S. non-citizens who have been eligible for resident tuition in the state since 2021. This group includes refugees with humanitarian visas, such as a Special Immigrant Visa, or people with Temporary Protected Status.
Two other states, Utah and Rhode Island, have passed similar laws in recent years.
Refugee advocates say the new law will make obtaining a higher education in Oregon more affordable and equitable for asylum seekers.
“Asylum seekers come to America to escape war, genocide, political or religious persecution, gang violence, or other horrors,” said Rep. Zach Hudson, D-Troutdale, in a February House Higher Education and Workforce Development committee meeting. Hudson was a chief co-sponsor of the bill, along with Sen. Wlnsvey Campos, D-Aloha.
“America has a history of welcoming the dispossessed, and although it has not always lived up to that promise, it’s still an ideal we hold dear,” Hudson said. “This bill would be part of extending that recognition to asylum seekers here in Oregon.”
A 2022 study from the advocacy group, Refugee Council USA, showed that access to higher education is an important part of integration for people who have been displaced from their home countries.
But asylum seekers have traditionally been viewed as international students in Oregon and have been on the hook for tuition rates that can cost two to three times more than in-state tuition. The estimated total cost for undergraduate residents to attend Oregon State University for the 2025-26 school year is nearly $37,000. For out-of-state students, that cost jumps to about $62,000.
In addition to cost barriers, the process of legally seeking asylum in the U.S. can take years to complete. People who received asylum in 2024 waited an average of 3.5 years for their case to go through the federal immigration system, according to the American Immigration Council.
These obstacles have barred many people requesting asylum from obtaining an equitable and fair education, said Gresham resident Benson Nsanzabandi in testimony in February. Nsanzabandi is an asylum seeker, originally from the Democratic Republic of Congo, who resettled in Oregon in 2019.
“Let us not hinder [asylum seekers’] potential, but instead empower them through education,” Nsanzabandi said. “This will change their lives, improve Oregon’s economy and make America a safer and more inclusive home [for refugees.]”
The new law takes effect as international students face new hurdles to obtaining a higher education in the U.S. In recent months, the Trump Administration has revoked student visas, detained some international students and attempted to block Harvard University’s ability to enroll students from outside the U.S.
The Oregon bill was not without opposition. Throughout its trip through the legislature, some lawmakers cited concerns about how many more people would become eligible for resident tuition, how the state’s public universities would implement the new law and the potential impact of more refugee status students on an already strained state financial aid system.
Written testimony from dozens of people across the state opposing the law said lawmakers should focus on making college more affordable for U.S. citizens, rather than people seeking refuge in the country.
But advocates for the new law argued that people who are legally seeking asylum in the U.S. often have few pathways to financial and social stability.
“Education is one of the most powerful tools we have to break cycles of hardship, open doors to good-paying jobs and build community leadership for generations to come,” Campos said on the Senate floor last week. “In the end, this bill reflects our state’s deeper values of compassion and fairness.”
