Introduction

What is going on everyone this is Kevin Muñoz today is Monday, June 21st and you’re listening to the LEO podcast a podcast created with the purpose of breaking down barriers within the Latin American community and shed light on topics that aren’t typically brought up in our households like finances, mental health, politics, and many more.

Alright let’s get this going,

The migration policy institute estimates that approximately 98,000 unauthorized immigrants graduate from U.S. high school every year. Furthermore, Forty-four percent of these graduates reside in just two states: California and Texas.  As someone who has had to navigate the education system in the U.S. as an undocumented student, I can tell you there are many roadblocks we face. 

One of the first major roadblocks a young undocumented student living in the U.S. might face because of their status is learning that they don’t qualify for federal financial aid like student loans and the Pell Grant that is used to pay for college.

But before we get into the episode I want to reach out to the students in search of a private loan, refinancing, and even scholarships. I’ve recently partnered with Juno a great resource for students that uses group buying power to negotiate better student loan rates.

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With that being said let’s dive into today’s episode.

What options do undocumented students have when it comes to paying for college?

The majority of undocumented students rely on private scholarships and out-of-pocket payments to cover their remaining tuition bills. Having faced this myself I know it becomes frustrating and difficult because this is when the burden of being undocumented really starts to settle in. Even achieving a community college education requires sacrifices. 

Working 12-hour weekend shifts instead of spending time with friends and eating fast food on a daily basis to cut back expenses so you can afford the mandatory textbooks for class and be able to do the homework. 

We want to be educated, to contribute, and we want the United States to view us as people who work hard. Yet oftentimes we get this negative image placed on us to no fault of our own. We simply want to prove that we deserve to be here, that we deserve citizenship, and that we deserve more. 

So even though there are many roadblocks we dreamers still have to face today there are still options out there for us to be able to attend college. In this episode, I’ll be covering some of those options and maybe it’ll help you, a friend or a family member look more into these options and get started on their journey towards pursuing that degree.

There are three main areas on the path to higher education where undocumented students may have special concerns or face obstacles: admission, tuition, and financial aid.

Undocumented students may incorrectly assume that they can’t legally attend college in the United States. However, there is no federal or state law that prohibits the admission of undocumented immigrants to U.S. colleges, public or private. Federal or state laws do not require students to prove citizenship in order to enter U.S. institutions of higher education. Yet institutional policies on admitting undocumented students do vary. 

For example, In South Carolina and Alabama, they still don’t allow undocumented students to apply to public universities.  In many other states, public institutions accept undocumented students but treat them as foreign students; they are therefore ineligible for state aid and the lower tuition charged to state residents.

First, let’s go over some popular scholarships for undocumented immigrants

As the nation’s largest scholarship program for undocumented immigrants, TheDream.US provides a national scholarship worth up to $16,500 for an associate degree and $33,000 for a bachelor’s degree. This scholarship, which is renewable each year, can also include an additional annual stipend of $1,000 for books, supplies, and transportation.

TheDream.US also offers an Opportunity Scholarship for students in states that don’t offer in-state tuition to undocumented youths or don’t allow them to attend college. Covering tuition, fees, on-campus housing, and meals at a partnering college, this award of up to $80,000 for a bachelor’s degree is renewable annually.

Many undocumented students are extremely motivated to attend college but then the sticker price hits us and we’re not eligible for FAFSA, not eligible for certain scholarships. But according to the program director at TheDream.US, students that receive scholarships from TheDream.US typically pay little to nothing for college. 

Other scholarships to consider include the Hispanic Scholarship Fund’s award, which is open to citizens, permanent legal residents, DACA or eligible noncitizens, and Golden Door Scholars, which is open to students who have DACA status. There are also increasingly some small, local scholarships throughout the country that no longer require citizenship.

While there are other options for financial aid from private sources, seeking private loans can be a challenge, because an undocumented student may have limited access to family members who have a Social Security number and can co-sign a loan.

Let’s address the college tuition policies 

The issue that usually generates controversy today is the question of whether undocumented students residing in a U.S. state should be eligible for the lower tuition rates that state residents pay for their state’s public institutions. Many state institutions charge undocumented students out-of-state tuition fees (even if the student is a longtime resident of the state), and this policy can put college out of our reach financially.  

Some states have actually passed laws that permit undocumented students to pay in-state tuition rates under certain conditions. Counselors should familiarize themselves with their state’s specific prerequisites. If your counselor Isn’t aware of this (which they should be)  A good starting point is by referencing them to The Repository of Resources for Undocumented Students. 

Now let’s address the federal, State, and Institutional financial aid policies

Undocumented students cannot legally receive any federally funded student financial aid, including loans, grants, scholarships, or work-study money. In most states, we are not eligible for state financial aid. Some states do grant eligibility for state financial aid to undocumented students who qualify for in-state tuition. However, this is something that’s always being debated so the situation is subject to change. 

Most private scholarship funds and foundations require applicants to be U.S. citizens or legal residents, but there are some that do not. Private institutions set their own financial aid policies. Some are willing to give scholarships and other aid to undocumented students. Recently, states like New York, Connecticut, and New Jersey have made moves to join a handful of other states in allowing eligible undocumented students to access state financial aid.

In New York, for example, undocumented students who meet the eligibility requirements can apply for state awards like the Excelsior Scholarship, a free-tuition program; the New York State Tuition Assistance Program, which awards students up to $5,165 annually; and other state scholarships. 

California is one of the friendliest states for undocumented students planning to apply to college. Undocumented students have access to legal services and other supports, regardless of their immigration status. If you’re a DACA recipient in California your fear might be the cancellation of the program and that therefore you’d be essentially kicked out and lose financial aid. However, this is not true in California they don’t take into account whether you are documented or not to get financial aid.

Take Advantage of In-State Tuition Opportunities

Some states allow undocumented students to pay the in-state tuition rate at public colleges, such as in California and Texas, the latter of which was the first state to offer this benefit. If you live in a state like Alabama or North Carolina, you might be thinking okay well Texas and California sound great then I’ll just call up their colleges and see if I can pay the in-state tuition. Well, it’s not that simple because Twenty states and the District of Columbia have varying laws allowing undocumented students to access in-state tuition rates. In those states, students often must have resided in the state for a number of years before becoming eligible to pay in-state tuition. 

Accessing financial aid all depends on where you might live and on the institutions themselves. It’s not anywhere near where your average American student who is low income and low resources can go to any of these institutions and apply for the Pell Grant. 

Community Colleges & Dual-Credit Programs

Something else worth looking into is Community Colleges and dual-Credit programs. Hundreds of community colleges around the U.S. allow students to enroll in classes for college credit before they even graduate from high school. Because these courses also count toward high school graduation requirements, they help students save both time and money.

Community colleges typically have the same admissions and tuition policies regarding undocumented students as other institutions in the state. If a state has its own version of the DREAM Act, qualified undocumented students can enroll in and pay for community college courses at in-state tuition rates. Otherwise, these students would be treated as international students and would pay out-of-state tuition.

Conclusion

While it is true that undocumented status limits a student’s choices, it is possible to find a college or university that accepts undocumented students and provides enough funding to make attending feasible. However, students need to do a fair bit of research to determine if a school can accommodate them. Part of this research will involve directly contacting the school and asking questions about the school’s policy on undocumented students and if it does recognize and accept them, the standard enrollment procedure.

Thanks to the Family Education Rights and Privacy Act, it is against the law for school officials to disclose a student’s immigration status without their express permission. Undocumented students should start their college search by asking their high school teachers and counselors for advice. Such mentors may be able to direct students to college admission counselors or pair them with other undocumented students who have either successfully enrolled in college or are aspiring to enroll.

In addition to college opportunities that offer in-state tuition, it is important to start searching online for schools with special programs or student body organizations that support undocumented students. For instance, many of the schools in California, such as UCLA and UC Berkeley, have undocumented student programs that provide services, resources, and support. They also provide information on how students who are ineligible to file the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) can fund their education. 

Many of the resources available online involve the states that grant in-state tuition rates to undocumented students. However, contacting the admissions offices of schools in other states could still lead to resources and assistance not explicitly offered on the schools’ websites.

Finally, as usual, in order to maximize our potential for academic success, it’s important to verse ourselves In the legal rights we have and be aware of the resources available to us. Even without the passage of the federal DREAM Act, undocumented students are entitled to certain protections and opportunities on our paths to earning a degree. 

Perhaps the most crucial fact for undocumented students to remember is that there is no federal law that requires proof of citizenship status for admission or matriculation at any U.S. college or university. Because of a common misconception to the contrary, millions of undocumented individuals are missing out on the opportunity to gain an education, improve their employment prospects, and participating in the economy.

In addition to our rights under state mini-DREAM Acts and DACA, undocumented students have the right to block disclosure of their education records by schools (except in special circumstances) under FERPA (The Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act). It forbids schools from disclosing most confidential student information to non-school persons, including government agents without parental permission. 

Under the law, any government authority seeking access to such information needs a court order or a warrant.   Thanks to FERPA, students don’t have to worry about hiding their undocumented status from school officials — even during the application process.

Among these personal details, the Office of Civil Rights (OCR)—which is part of the Department of Education—notes that a public school or district should not ask about, nor is a student under any obligation to disclose information on, immigration status. The status of a student’s citizenship and documentation are not considered relevant to establishing district residency, nor is it Constitutional to use this information in determining access.

That said, there are certain exceptions to FERPA’s privacy protections that do have a direct bearing on undocumented students. According to the OCR, while FERPA generally prohibits public schools and districts from disclosing certain student information without prior consent, there may be circumstances in which federal immigration laws require districts to provide specific information about a student to another federal, state, or local government entity.

According to the OCR, this may occur “where the issuance of a non-immigrant visa to a student—and the maintenance of that student’s nonimmigrant status—is conditioned on the student’s attendance at a specific school. Note that in that case, a school district would have preexisting information about the student that he or she would have presented to the school in order to obtain the underlying visa, and so the school would not have any reason to initiate a request for information about immigration status.”

The language suggests that this condition largely applies to those who have traveled to the United States with the stated intent of seeking only temporary student residency. For undocumented students who don’t possess student visas, the implication of FERPA is that there is no need or reason to disclose your immigration status, and further, that a school is prohibited from inquiring on the matter such that you can’t be made the subject of discrimination, intimidation, or deportation as a consequence of your desire to access to education.

So to finish this episode off I just want to say that if you want to pursue higher education don’t let your status be a crutch. It’s not easy for us undocumented students but there are increasingly more resources for us as long as we go looking for them.