About: California Assembly Bill 540 (2001)

California's Assembly Bill 540 was signed into law by Governor Gray Davis on October 12, 2001, allowing access to in-state tuition rates for undocumented and other eligible students at California's public colleges and universities. The law allows students who attended high school in California, among other eligibility requirements, to pay in-state tuition fees instead of out-of-state tuition at California's public institutions of higher education, including the University of California, California State University, and California Community Colleges. The law has been important in the pursuit of college accessibility for undocumented students in California, but not all beneficiaries are undocumented, as approximately two thirds of those benefitted possess U.S. citizenship.