SAN FRANCISCO – The California Supreme Court has unanimously ruled that students who attend at least three years of high school in California and who graduate from a California high school are eligible for in-state tuition rates at California public colleges and universities, regardless of their immigration status. The Court found that federal law did not bar California from offering tuition equality to students. California is one of ten states to grant tuition equality to its students.

"We are delighted that the Court has ruled that all students in California should be granted the same opportunity to obtain an affordable education," said Julia Harumi Mass, Staff Attorney at the American Civil Liberties Union of Northern California (ACLU-NC). "Higher education is more accessible today for hard-working students regardless of income or immigration status. We applaud this step toward educational equality as a key part of California's history and the American dream."

The ACLU-NC joined the American Civil Liberties Union, the National Immigration Law Center, the ACLU of Southern California and the ACLU of San Diego and Imperial Counties in filing a friend-of-the-court brief in the case, Martinez vs. Regents of the University of California.