Colleges to lose $370 million if voting students get tuition cut

Ohio State University

State’s public 4-year schools forecast a $370 million hit

Ohio State University would lose about $115 million a year, and the total loss for state public four-year institutions could top $370 million under a House GOP budget provision that would provide in-state tuition rates to any student given college documentation so he could vote in Ohio.

But some Ohio Senate Republicans are ready to flush the proposal.

Bruce E. Johnson, president of the Inter-University Council, which represents the state’s 14 public four-year institutions, said the provision is the only one that he thinks must be removed from the two-year, $61.5 billion budget. He testified before a Senate Finance subcommittee dealing with budget issues.

Eight of 14 universities, including Ohio State, currently issue a letter for students who want to vote in Ohio. But if in-state tuition rates are tied to the receipt of such a letter, Johnson expects every out-of-state student will demand one, and those who don’t get it will sue to force the university to provide it.

He also said there could be an unintended consequence: more out-of-state students applying to universities in Ohio. In those institutions that are already near capacity, that will mean more rejection letters to Ohio taxpaying families.

John Carey, Ohio’s new chancellor, said the Board of Regents was not consulted about the proposal, and many university officials are worried. “There is a significant price tag attached and a lot of questions about it.”

Under the House GOP plan, an institution must charge in-state tuition if it provides an out-of-state student with a letter or utility bill that the student can use to show residency and vote in Ohio. That would mean a tuition reduction of $5,000 to $15,000 per student, depending on the university — money that is not replaced in the two-year budget, Johnson said.

Ohio University President Roderick J. McDavis said the institution would lose up to $12 million, which would “ significantly impede our ability to build strong academic programs.”

Anyone eligible can vote in Ohio so long as he or she lives here for at least 30 days before the election.

To get in-state tuition, generally a student’s parents must live in Ohio for 12 months. But if a parent has a full-time job and has state-specific documents from Ohio — such as a driver’s license, voter registration, etc. — the student can also be eligible for in-state tuition. If a student is being claimed as a dependent on taxes by someone in another state, he or she is not eligible for Ohio’s in-state tuition.

Out-of-state students are charged more because in-state students help subsidize universities through the taxes they and their families pay.

House Republicans have said the provision is aimed at lowering tuition. But Speaker William G. Batchelder, R-Medina, talked about out-of-state students voting on local issues when he defended the proposal.

“The real issue is, for local areas in particular, what happens after someone from New York City registers to vote? How do they vote on a school levy or the sheriff’s race?” Batchelder said. “ Obviously, it’s possible for people to become knowledgeable in those areas, but there is, to me, a significant question about, particularly levies, what the result of having people who don’t have to pay for them would do in terms of adopting those things.”

Democrats and some election advocates called the voting-tuition provision a misguided idea and said it could make universities reluctant to hand over documents that allow students to vote in Ohio.

“We should let all eligible voters in this state vote and not play games at the ballot box,” said Sen. Nina Turner, D-Cleveland, a likely candidate for secretary of state in 2014.

Sen. Randy Gardner, R-Bowling Green, chairman of the Senate education subcommittee, said he opposes the House provision and has heard from a “good number” of senators who feel the same. “I’m not sure how it could even operate bureaucratically.”

Sen. Jim Hughes, R-Columbus, a member of the subcommittee, said he has “definite concerns with that language.”