A college acceptance letter can be life-changing -- but for many students in Guam and the United States territories, the cost of tuition that follows can be just as defining. KUAM News sought details about a new bill in Washington that could make that next step more affordable.

For many students across the U.S. territories, pursuing certain careers means leaving home. Advanced degrees in medicine, engineering, or law often aren’t offered locally – requiring students from Guam, the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands, American Samoa, and the U.S. Virgin Islands to attend colleges in the States.

But despite being American citizens and nationals, many territorial students are charged out-of-state tuition – adding thousands of dollars to an already costly journey that includes airfare, housing, and basic living expenses. On March 5, the U.S. House of Representatives passed Guam delegate congressman James Moylan’s legislation aimed at closing that gap.

The bill – titled the Territorial Student Access to Higher Education Act – would allow students from the territories to qualify for in-state tuition rates at public colleges and universities across the 50 states.

Congressman Moylan says the challenge for students isn’t ability, but access, saying, “We have great students! We can compete nation-wide. Our situation is that our college and university don’t have all the higher degrees.”

And for families already facing the cost of sending their children thousands of miles away for school, tuition rates can be a major deciding factor. “Look how much we have to pay just to get there," the delegate noted, "the parents’ sacrifice. They can see the dedication of their child wanting a higher education.”

“With having the [public] universities allow territorial students to have in-state tuition extremely reduces the cost.”

Moylan adds that lowering tuition could also help address workforce shortages back home – particularly in those specialized fields. “We have great students that have become medical doctors and haven’t come back to guam to serve our island.”

He continued, “How do we get more people to do that when the cost is so high? So let’s make the opportunity more available. Allow them to go over there and pay in-state tuition so they can afford the airfare to go back and forth to their territories.”

The bill also highlights a broader policy debate in Washington over how federal programs treat residents of U.S. territories. “So what about the territories?” asked Moylan. “So our territorial caucus came together…and said let’s do this...we’re going to be aggressive. I want this to go by July.”

The measure gained an overwhelming 351 votes in its favor and heads to the Senate for their consideration.

Separately, Congressman Moylan is also co-leading bipartisan legislation that would cap new federal student loan interest rates at 2% and bring existing loans above that level down to 2% – reducing long-term debt for borrowers nationwide.

“We don’t want to put the student a $250,000 to $500,000 in debt while they’re trying to start off their career, then they can’t pay off their debt. So, let’s eliminate that problem from the start," he said.

For students and families in Guam and our fellow territories, both proposals point at the same issue – whether the cost of higher education should determine who can pursue it. “And that’s the goal," he added. "Educate them, reduce costs, and come back home to work for the people on the island that they love.”