Texas Repeals In-State Tuition for Undocumented Students — What Now?
- Surviving The Law
- Aug 11, 2025
- 3 min read
Updated: Aug 28, 2025
August 11, 2025 | By Brianna Del Carmen Vasquez
Despite being one of the first states to offer in-state tuition to undocumented students, Texas has now reversed course. In a devastating decision, a judge ruled House Bill 1403 unconstitutional this summer, stripping away a vital pathway to higher education for thousands of undocumented students or Dreamers in the process.
In 2001, Texas made history with bill HB 1403 that allowed undocumented students to pay in-state tuition if they met basic requirements including living in Texas for at least three years, graduating from a Texas high school, and signing an affidavit promising to apply for legal residency when eligible. At a time when the undocumented youth movement was still finding its voice, this legislation was a lifeline. It acknowledged that these students grew up in Texas, considered it home, and deserved a fair shot at college and a future.
Now, more than two decades later, that promise has been broken.
The repeal of HB 1403 doesn’t just raise tuition. It raises the walls these students face daily by sending a clear message that no matter how long you’ve lived in the U.S. or how hard you’ve worked, you still do not belong. In a political climate where immigration remains deeply contested, this ruling reflects a larger trend of exclusion. It attempts to erase the humanity and contributions of undocumented youth and weakens the hope of building a more just society.
“They’re just trying to cut their dreams short,” said Jose R. Campos, fellow immigrant, attorney, and author of Surviving the Law. “Texas is just hating on smart students, They’re hating on Dreamers. They’re hating on people who want to make themselves better.”
In his book, Campus not only recounts his own journey from being undocumented to becoming a legal professional, but also weaves in the narratives of other undocumented individuals who have pursued careers in law, medicine, education and beyond. By revealing what it means to grow up undocumented in the United States, from navigating life without legal status to pushing through law school to become an advocate, his work shows that undocumented students do not lack ambition. What they lack is opportunity.
This ruling represents one more opportunity taken away, threatening the next generation of doctors, lawyers, engineers, teachers, and advocates. People who are ready and willing to give back to the communities they grew up in, if only they’re given a chance.
“The government does not like educated people. They tend to speak up and they speak about their rights,” Campos added, reflecting on why policies like this are implemented to silence undocumented students demanding the dignity and opportunity they deserve.
Without in-state tuition, many will now be forced to pause or abandon their college dreams altogether.
“I just feel sad about what is happening in Texas… but you know there is still a way, so you have to keep surviving,” said Campos.
And surviving is exactly what Jose, and the fellows in Surviving the Law, did. They kept climbing over every barrier, turning struggle into strength, surviving just for themselves, but for their families, their communities, and the next generation of immigrants who dream of becoming leaders.
The struggle doesn’t end here for the next wave of dreamers who are still showing up, still applying, and still believing in the future they’ve worked for. Texas may have turned its back on these students. But people who have lived through it and survived are still standing with them. They are not going anywhere.
That’s why immigration attorney Jose R. Campos and several of the formerly undocumented grad students featured in Surviving the Law are hosting a free, live webinar. They’ll share their stories, offer real guidance, and answer the questions so many are afraid to ask.
Because even in the face of this setback, you are not alone.
Surviving The Law LIVE!, Thursday, September 25th at 7 PM ET on Zoom. Free with registration.
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