Victor Garcia
Staff
"Growing up in the Central Valley, an immigrant, and the son and grandson of farmworkers, I saw education as my ticket to stability, opportunity and a better life."
California In-State Tuition Tool
Immigrants Rising’s In-State Tuition Tool (ISTT) can help determine whether you qualify for in-state tuition (AB 540) in California!
| How much can I save each year by paying in-state tuition? [1] | ||
$9,304 |
$10,080 |
$34,200 |
| You may also be eligible to receive financial aid from the state and your school. | ||
|---|---|---|
What does In-State Tuition do?
You can save money by qualifying for in-state tuition (AB 540) in California! Out-of-state fees can be up to 3 times higher than in-state rates. By qualifying, undocumented and other eligible immigrant and out-of-state students pay the same tuition as California residents. Learn more about the requirements for in-state tuition here.
Those eligible for AB 540 may also receive additional financial support through the California Dream Act.
What is the In-State Tuition Tool (ISTT)?
The In-State Tuition Tool (ISTT) helps you figure out if you meet the attendance and degree requirements needed for in-state tuition (AB 540) in California.
The ISTT will ask you questions about:
- Your immigration status.
- The high school(s), adult school(s), and/or community college(s) (non-credit and credit courses) in California that you attended or are currently attending.
- Any degree(s) you have earned or are working towards in California.
The information that you provide on this tool is protected. Immigrants Rising will make every effort to keep your information confidential to the fullest extent of the law. Your answers will only be used to help you learn about meeting eligibility for AB 540.
How do I complete the ISTT?
- Read the Calculating Your Eligibility guide to learn what you need before you get started.
- Keep this Glossary of Terms with you as you go through the ISTT to learn more about some of the terms you’ll see.
- (Optional) Ask a trusted counselor or teacher to help you complete it.
What if I don’t qualify for In-State Tuition?
Even if you don’t qualify for in-state tuition yet, the ISTT can help you figure out what you need to do to meet eligibility in the future. You can even take this more than once. Come back to it again as you build up your eligibility for in-state tuition (AB 540) in California.
[1] Calculated by reviewing the 2024-2025 costs of attendance at the CA public colleges and universities.
We would like to thank Christian Galo, Madeleine Villanueva, Dean Santos, and the Develop for Good Winter Cohort (Renee Lau, Daicy Yu, Janice Li, Kymari Bratton, Valeria Lee, and Zoey Yan), who were the core team members who developed the 2025 version of the ISTT.
The ISTT was originally created in 2018 by Marithza Quiroz, Nancy Jodaitis, and Francisco Gaytan. We’d also like to thank undocumented students and educators who have helped improve the ISTT.
