EL PASO, Texas -- UTEP officials said despite requests for higher tuition, they have no plans to do away with a program that allows Mexican citizens to pay in-state tuition.

With tuition increasing and the economy in bad shape, some have expressed fears and desires that the Programa de Asistencia Estudiantil, or PASE program, be repealed.

"If they raised tuition, probably I'm going to start taking half of my classes at community, because tuition is already pretty high,” said Andres Cortez, a UTEP student from Juarez.

Cortez is one of over 1,600 UTEP students who are Mexican citizens, mostly living in Juarez that come across the border daily for their education.

The PASE program allows Mexican students with financial needs to avoid paying out-of-state tuition which is about $6,000 per semester. Instead they pay in-state rates, at about $2,500 per semester.

Richard Padilla, vice-president of student affairs, said that the PASE program isn’t going anywhere.

“It's a vital program; it's a good opportunity for our students," Padilla said. "It's something that is very important to this community and to UTEP because we are one large community here in the El Paso-Juarez area."

But some disagree, arguing that if the program was eliminated, it would add almost $6 million in additional tuition per semester.

Both Padilla and Cortez simply disagree, insisting that if tuition were to increase, it would simply discourage Mexican students from enrolling.

"I have friends that if they do that, they're going to be struggling so, if they do that, they'll probably go to Mexico and study there," Cortez said.