DENVER -- Should the children of illegal immigrants be granted in-state tuition, if they themselves were born in the U.S.?

Administrators at one local college have weighed in on that hot topic, as they try to cope with conflicting law.

Under federal law, if you were born in the U.S. you are a U.S. citizen. But a new state law passed last year prohibits taxpayer money from benefiting illegal immigrants.

Metropolitan State College in Denver said it will provisionally offer in-state tuition to the U.S. born children of illegal immigrants pending a formal ruling by the Colorado Attorney General.

"The equal access clause of the U.S. Constitution, we feel, certainly applies to these students," said Luis Torres, Metro State's Assistant Dean of the School of Letters, Arts and Sciences.

Torres said the decision applies to students who were born in the U.S. and live in Colorado.

"That's an important point; these are U.S. citizens and Colorado residents," Torres said.

Hundreds of first-year students and their parents were on campus for orientation Friday.

7NEWS asked both students and parents if the U.S. born students of illegal immigrants should be granted in-state tuition.

"I'm still grappling with that," said Lisa Heaton, a parent with one child at CSU, one at UNC, and now one at Metro. "I think the state needs to decide legally what it's going to be, so it's not a grey area."

"I feel that everybody should be treated equally," said student Marvin Breaux. "If they've been living here for a few years, and they pay taxes, I feel their tuition should be the same as mine."

"I don't mind if they're trying to go to school," said student Sabrina Breaux. "If they're trying to do something with their life, I'm all for it."

One parent who didn't want to go on camera, or give her name, said her biggest concern was making sure that the children of illegal immigrants have legitimate Social Security numbers.

"Our mission is to provide access to as many Colorado students as possible," Torres said. "Needless to say, we will abide by the laws of Colorado, but if the ruling by the Attorney General is not in the direction that we would like, we will, of course, exercise our opportunities to speak with our state legislators to try to amend that policy."

Torres said he hopes the attorney general rules before school starts August 20.