A new bill would require students at public colleges and universities in New Hampshire to pass the United States Citizenship and Immigration Services civics naturalization test to graduate.
State Rep. Michael Moffett, a Republican from Loudon, sponsored the bill. It would apply to all students within the Community College System of New Hampshire and the University System of New Hampshire — that includes UNH, Keene State College, and Plymouth State University.
After working in higher education for more than three decades, Moffett said that most college grads in the state did not have a grasp on basic civics — and mandating the test could be a good start toward fixing that.
“The USCIS testing requirement is not a panacea for addressing civics ignorance,” he said in an email. “There are other important elements to gaining a well-rounded background in the area. But the requirement is an excellent tool to establish a solid, common, fundamental foundation.”
He added that other states, most recently South Dakota, have already adopted similar requirements.
Moffett also sponsored a 2021 law that requires high school students to score at least a "70" on the 128-question version USCIS exam as a graduation requirement. This is a little different from what’s asked of immigrants applying for citizenship, as the civics section of the citizenship test requires applicants to answer six questions correctly in English out of 10 chosen randomly by a USCIS interviewer off a 100-question list.
Can you pass the naturalization test? Take the quiz here.
For veteran teacher Jeffrey Bourque, the biggest value of the high school bill was in highlighting the importance of civics education. As the president of the New Hampshire Council for the Social Studies, he said that civics education often takes a backseat to other academic disciplines.
Bourque also teaches civics at Windham High School. The test and answers are broadly available to the public, so students are able to study ahead of time. He said his students prepare for the test, but it’s not a comprehensive assessment for the class, either.
“If a kid can come up and explain what a social contract is, if a kid can explain what their natural rights are or limited government self-government – these are core principles,” he said. “I want the kid to know that – whether I'm mandated to by law or not.
To actually administer the test, the Department of Education developed an assessment platform that was made available to school districts last school year. Schools are encouraged to use this new portal to administer the naturalization exam and report the results back to the department. The reporting requirement didn’t take effect until July of 2024, which means the first series of results will be available this summer.
Since the high school testing requirement has been in place for a few years, Moffett said that most New Hampshire students moving to CCSNH or USNH would have already satisfied the civics requirement. In that case, college or university registrars would simply confirm that for transcripts. However, the college requirement would address the test for older students or out-of-state students who haven’t already demonstrated that they passed the test.
The cost of the bill for the universities is difficult to determine, but USNH and CCSNH estimate the legislation would increase USNH operating expenses between $100,000 and $500,000 every year. This includes buying software to administer the test and hiring people to keep track of it.
A previous version of the bill was already passed by both the House and Senate in 2022, but was vetoed by Gov. Chris Sununu.
“I am optimistic that this time around the New Hampshire Legislature will again pass the college USCIS testing requirement, and that this time the governor will sign it,” Moffett said. “Time will tell.”
