NC community college heads set immigrant vote

RALEIGH — North Carolina community college leaders have had a month to consider a new policy that would allow illegal immigrants into the two-year colleges, and a decision could come this week.

The state Board of Community Colleges’ policy committee on Thursday considers rules that would admit undocumented immigrants if they graduated from a U.S. high school. A vote by the full community colleges board could come Friday.

Immigrant students would have to pay out-of-state rates of about $7,000 a year. Lawful U.S. residents would have priority to crowded classrooms.

The country’s third-largest community college system has changed its illegal immigrant admission policy four times since 2000. The latest look comes as laid-off workers fill classrooms.

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