Out of state students who paid full tuition at Arizona universities have no right to sue for refunds even though the schools were charging less to people not here legally, an attorney for the Arizona Board of Regents contends.

Attorney General Mark Brnovich has no legal right to challenge the tuition the Arizona Board of Regents sets for the state's three universities -- or even the policies used to come up with those numbers, Maricopa County Superior Court Judge Connie Contes decided today.

In a brief order this morning the Arizona Supreme Court ruled that it violates both state and federal law to offer those in the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program the same tuition as paid by other state residents.

In a statement released Monday, Klein gave no clear timeline for her departure or next moves, saying only that she would be leaving her position later this year “to take some time off before deciding what my next adventure will be.”

Lawyers for the Board of Regents told a judge Friday that Attorney General Mark Brnovich has no legal right to challenge the tuition it sets for the state's three universities -- or even the policies used to come up with those numbers.

The bill, H2028, requires college and university students undergoing disciplinary proceedings involving an allegation of a crime to be represented by a lawyer. If the student can’t afford one, the bill mandates the college or university to provide the student with legal counsel.

Attorney General Mark Brnovich issued a legal opinion December 7 saying that, with only narrow exceptions, the Legislature has “unrestricted’’ authority to redefine the powers and duties of the Arizona Board of Regents.

The head of the state Board of Regents said Monday that a new lawsuit over tuition could finally force the legislature to explain whether it is violating a constitutional provision to keep instruction at the universities "as nearly free as possible.''

State support for students at Arizona’s three public universities has fallen by 53.8 percent since 2008, more than three times the national decline over the same period, according to a new report.

After months of deliberation, state universities are aiming to admit 200 students in the fall 2017 semester to the Arizona Teacher Academy, a teacher-training program with free tuition.