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RALEIGH — Students who cannot prove they’re legal citizens would be able to take courses at community colleges under a policy the State Board of Community Colleges is poised to adopt later this week.

Even though the proposal would require undocumented students to pay out-of-state tuition and restrict what courses they could take, some state leaders still oppose the move, including Gov. Bev Perdue , a Democrat.

“It’s hard for me to understand how the state of North Carolina can educate people when they can’t work legally in the state after they’re educated,” Perdue said Tuesday.

But supporters of the measure say that denying undocumented students didn’t make sense.

“In general, community colleges are there to serve the people of their communities, and undocumented residents are a fact of life in our communities,” said Robert Keys , president of Rockingham Community College.

Keys sits on the committee that formulated the policy to be considered today, although he emphasized he doesn’t speak for the group.

He points out that undocumented students would have to pay the higher out-of-state tuition rate, which in most cases would more than compensate the college for the cost of educating that person. And he said there would be other restrictions:

* Students who could establish they were legal residents would be given priority for classes over undocumented students.

* Undocumented students would be unable to enroll in courses for programs where they would need a state license or certification to put their knowledge to work. For example, undocumented students could not enroll in nursing courses.

As proposed, the policy largely would mirror the admissions policy for the UNC system, although it is somewhat more restrictive.

Don Cameron , president of GTCC, expressed no opinion on the policy Wednesday.

“It is a state board position, and we will adhere to what the state board decides,” he said.

When she spoke about her concerns, Perdue said the question of admitting undocumented students was part of a larger national question about immigration that Congress has left unresolved. The federal government, she said, should undertake “a massive” immigration reform.

U.S. Sen. Kay Hagan , a Greensboro Democrat, said she would like to see a comprehensive immigration-reform bill go forward but added it was unlikely to happen in the next month or two.

As for the state board’s policy, the former state senator said that as a U.S. senator, she has no say in such matters. But as an individual taxpayer, she said, “I don’t want to see my tax dollars used for people who are here illegally.”

Although the community college board’s policy committee will give a final nod to the policy today , that action is mostly a formality. The measure already is on the full board’s agenda for Friday.

Should the full board give its approval, the measure would have to go through the state’s rule-making process, which can take up to a year and could subject the policy to appeal by the General Assembly.

“It just doesn’t seem to pass the common-sense test,” said Ron Woodard , who leads N.C. Listen, a group that advocates for policies that combat illegal immigration.

“With 11 percent unemployment in the state, you would think our community college board would be focussing on helping North Carolina citizens get a job.”

Dr. Stuart Fountain , a retired Asheboro dentist, leads the board’s policy committee. He said the proposal struck a balance on a very emotionally charged issue.

“We seem to have equally irritated both sides of the question,” Fountain said.

In reality, he said, few students would enter the community college system under the provision because of the steep cost of out-of-state tuition and the fact that no financial aid would be available.

“We don’t think there will be many people who will be able to financially surpass that hurdle,” Fountain said.

Contact Mark Binker at (919) 832-5549 or mark.binker@news-record.com