You can tell that we are right around graduation time by the shelves full of "Grad" cards in stationery shops and the prom dresses that decorate the windows of department stores. This means that students all over the country have finished their high school education -- some more successfully than others -- and are entering a new challenge in their lives as college students. Unfortunately, many will not have access to higher education because they cannot afford it or are undocumented and will simply end up dropping out of school.
I'm sure many immigrant-bashers out there are jumping out of their chairs with disgust at the thought of having immigrants with no legal status aspiring to enter American colleges and universities. But I am not talking about students asking for giveaways or free rides. I am talking about young people who want the same right to learn as any other student who lives in this country and has the ability, intellect and drive to get ahead.

In most states, students without legal status have to pay foreign-student tuition fees, which are about four times higher than in-state student fees. You might think that is not unreasonable; however, most foreign students get a student visa and are sent to this country by their wealthy parents. Undocumented students are here because their parents couldn't make a decent living at home. The children did not make the decision to come here. Many of them have lived and gone to school in the United States for most of their lives, yet they are being punished by being denied access to higher education.

Seeing the wisdom

Fortunately, a few states are beginning to recognize the benefits of having good, capable students become successful, responsible, taxpaying members of society. In at least six states, undocumented students have been given the opportunity to attend universities at the same cost as in-state students. California, New York, Texas, Utah, Washington and most recently Illinois have passed legislation that allows undocumented immigrants to pay the same amount of tuition as other residents of these states. The requirements, in most cases, are that the student has lived at least one to three years in the state and that he or she has graduated from a local high school.

Oregon is on its way to joining the list of states that offer undocumented students the lower fees. Its legislature is considering a bill that would also require students to prove that they are in the process of getting their legal residency. There are at least a dozen other states where similar legislation is pending.

All of this would not be necessary if there was a mandate at the federal level. There are two pending bills in Congress that would allow immigrant high school graduates who have lived in the United States for at least five years and have no criminal record to apply for citizenship. This would benefit between 50,000 and 60,000 undocumented students who are believed to graduate from high school each year.

There are countless stories of students with big dreams gone astray precisely because they cannot afford the high cost of college. At the University of Illinois, for example, an in-state student pays $4,302 in annual tuition. A foreign student pays $13,000 a year. The inflated price tag means the dream of becoming a doctor, lawyer or teacher will be shattered for immigrant kids who attended American high schools.

Graduation time is a time of celebration and hope, a time to look forward to becoming a productive citizen and consummate professional.

To many young immigrants whose parents barely attended school in their home countries, high school graduation is a major milestone. Yet there are thousands of students who will not go to college and who will not have the educational tools they require to get ahead in this increasingly challenging world. The price for being brought to the United States by needy parents is a price much too high to pay.

Maria Elena Salinas is anchor of "Noticiero Univision."