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U.S. lawmaker proposes citizenship requirement for college aid
The issue caught Mace's attention after the official account of Clemson College Republicans highlighted allegations of Clemson University wanting to hire H-1B visa holders.
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Jeffin T. Kaleekal - Fri, 29, May 2026
- 04:07 EDT
- 51
Congresswoman Nancy Mace / Wikimedia commons
U.S. Congresswoman Nancy Mace has proposed legislation to block noncitizen and nonpermanent resident immigrants from receiving financial aid at South Carolina's public colleges and universities.
Under current South Carolina law, any person with full-time employment in the state can qualify for in-state tuition regardless of visa status.
According to Mace, her proposal, which would require citizenship or permanent residency as a condition of eligibility for in-state tuition rates and state-based financial aid, comes in response to allegations against Clemson University for posting notices of intent to hire H-1B foreign workers for positions that could allegedly be filled by South Carolinians, "while those same visa holders qualify for in-state tuition rates under current state law."
Mace's bill reads: "Notwithstanding any other provision of this chapter, no person shall be eligible to receive in-state tuition rates or any state-funded financial aid, grants, or scholarships at any State Institution unless such person is: a citizen of the United States; or a lawful permanent resident of the United States who has been domiciled in South Carolina in accordance with the provisions of this chapter."
Also Read: Green Card applications to be made from home country: USCIS
The issue caught Mace's attention after the official account of Clemson College Republicans highlighted allegations of Clemson University wanting to hire H-1B visa holders.
Connecting the hiring advertisement and the financial aid laws, they said, "H-1Bs can also get in-state tuition at Clemson, as they are 'legal residents' (but tough luck if you live in a neighboring state)!"
The account highlighted the issue and said, "Any student who goes to Clemson has been able to see before their very eyes the strange demographic shift in our college town and campus."
Mace responded to the X post and said, "H-1B visa holders should not get in-state tuition. Period."
Mace believes that such employment comes at the expense of people from her constituency and therefore announced that she will close the legal "loophole," requiring that any person receiving in-state tuition rates or state-funded financial aid at a South Carolina public university be either a U.S. citizen or a lawful permanent resident domiciled in the state.
"American colleges and universities should be for American students," said Rep. Nancy Mace.
She continued, "South Carolina taxpayers fund our public colleges. Those dollars should benefit South Carolina students, not foreign visa workers brought in to take our jobs."
Mace's new proposal comes days after she introduced a bill proposing mandatory cultural assimilation screenings for immigrants seeking entry or immigration benefits in the United States on May 26.
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