A number of California college students are reportedly getting married to help them afford in-state tuition, as out-of-state prices for a university education continue to soar.
“[Marriage is] like getting a green card for California tuition,” UC Berkeley sophomore Emily told the Daily Californian.
According to the publication, other ways undergraduates under the age of 24 can establish financial independence include joining the army, becoming emancipated from their parents, and having a child.
An undergraduate couple — named Alice and Baela Tinsley, an out-of-state campus senior — reportedly used to pay $40,000 and $20,000 respectively annually after financial aid. However, the Daily Californian wrote that since they got married, “UC Berkeley covers the full cost of their tuition, and they both receive money from the school for housing expenses.”
Another undergraduate, Jade, said she got married because, despite being on a full scholarship, she did not have enough to pay for her final semester. Emily tied the knot because she reportedly comes from a low-income family and lost her financial aid after a gap year.
All of the marriages were reportedly done out of financial necessity.
The most frequent discussion of marriage out of necessity often has to do with foreign nationals who are trying to gain U.S. citizenship.
Despite these stories, a spokesperson for the school suggested in an email to the publication that these types of marriages are “relatively rare.”
UC president Janet Napolitano has come under harsh criticism for financial mismanagement in her office during a period when she was raising tuition. Worse, her office tried to mislead and obstruct a state audit — conduct that might have caused her to be fired in the private sector, or even prosecuted. She faced no real consequences.
The entire Daily Californian story can be read here.
Adelle Nazarian is a politics and national security reporter for Breitbart News. Follow her on Facebook and Twitter.