In-state tuition isn’t free tuition, but a discounted rate. 23 states and D.C. have enacted similar laws, with 17 offering state financial aid. In Massachusetts, 1 in 6 residents is foreign-born, and immigrants contribute to public school enrollment. According to experts, implementing tuition equity laws has had minimal costs in other states. In fact, the money paid by these students often increases school revenues because it represents income that the institutions would not otherwise receive.