A University of California education will become more affordable to certain nonresident students as a result of a vote by the UC Board of Regents Jan. 17 at UCLA.

Voting 17 to 5, the regents conditionally approved a new tuition exemption program that will allow certain nonresident students to pay in-state fees if they have attended at least three years at and graduated from a California high school and if they certify that they are taking steps to legalize their immigration status.

An estimated 200 to 400 nonresident students who are currently paying $14,933 annually in fees would be eligible to pay resident fees, currently set at $3,859.

Some of these eligible students are undocumented residents, regents clarified, but many are domestic students currently classified as nonresidents for various reasons. For example, they may have attended high school in California, but their parents did not live here or moved away before they enrolled at UC.

The vote brings UC in line with AB 540, a bill signed into law by Gov. Gray Davis last October. That measure took effect Jan. 2, providing tuition exemption for these students in the California State University and the California Community College systems.

The regents had earlier expressed concern that other nonresident students might also have to be exempted if the new policy were found to conflict with a federal law.

So the regents decided, in order to protect UC, that the policy will apply only if there is additional state legislation limiting UC's liability should the new policy be successfully challenged in the courts.

"The exemption will make it easier for hard-working, talented students to attend the University of California," said UC President Richard C. Atkinson. "The regents' action today will also keep UC tuition criteria consistent with the state's policies for the California State University and California Community College campuses, which will help reduce confusion for students and parents as they consider higher education opportunities."

Regental approval of the exemption, which could cost UC between $1.3 million to $2.6 million for the remainder of the 2001-02 academic year, was not without dissent.

Said Regent David S. Lee, "This really bothers me, being an immigrant myself. I couldn't afford college tuition. But we know we're going to be cutting our budget. We need to take care of the people who are already in school. We've got to take care of Americans first."

The majority, however, expressed support. "Some of the brightest and most promising students are from the Central Valley," said Regent Odessa Johnson. "We hold out the UC as their beacon, but they cannot attend because they are undocumented."

Some 250-300 students gathered at Royce Quad to voice support for the policy. Said Miguel Cruz: "I came to this country from Mexico when I was 6 years old, and I've been waiting for my papers for a very long time," he said. "I'm currently attending Santa Monica Community College. Without the implementation of AB 540, my education will stop right there."

In the coming weeks, the university will notify students who are currently paying nonresident tuition about exemption criteria and the application process. Details will be available online at: www.ucop.edu/sas/sfs/ppolicies.UCTEFAQ.PDF.

-- Diana de Cardenas contributed to this story.