Undocumented students in Colorado are now eligible for state financial aid.
Gov. Jared Polis signed a bill into law this spring approving the change. The new policy builds on prior legislation that extended in-state tuition rates to undocumented students.
Continue reading Colorado Extends State Financial Aid to Undocumented Students
Undocumented students in New Jersey now have access to state financial aid.
The new law went into effect last month and media reports cite anecdotal evidence that newly eligible students are taking advantage of the benefit.
Continue reading New Jersey Becomes 10th State to Offer Financial Aid to Undocumented Students
Amid ongoing uncertainty and what may feel like legal whiplash, supporting DACA students is as important as ever.
In a statement released Friday, NACAC urged Congress and the White House “to find common ground and move forward with policies that support DREAMers and promote student mobility across borders.”
Talks are expected to continue this week as policymakers from both sides of the aisle unpack the president’s immigration plan and craft their own proposals.
Continue reading ICYMI: NACAC Urges Trump and Congress to Find Common Ground on Immigration
The benefits of extending in-state tuition to undocumented students in Virginia far outweigh the costs, according to a new report from The Commonwealth Institute for Fiscal Analysis.
The organization found that the policy, enacted in 2014, does not create a cost burden to the state and has not resulted in overcrowded classrooms.
“The cost to colleges and the state of providing access to in-state tuition for students with Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) immigration status is small compared to the potential economic benefits,” the institute noted in a press release highlighting the report’s findings.
Continue reading Report: In-State Tuition for Undocumented Students Yields Economic Benefits
It’s a time of uncertainly and fear for undocumented students.
DACA recipients will lose protection from deportation in March. And although lawmakers on both sides of the aisle have voiced support for the DREAM Act, disagreements over border security and other issues have stalled legislative action.
Yet despite current conditions, college counselors and admission officers are uniquely positioned to offer support and hope to young immigrants, author/activist Julissa Arce noted during a Tuesday #NACACreads chat.
Continue reading #NACACreads Author Shares Resources to Help Undocumented Students
An estimated 65,000 undocumented immigrants graduate from US high schools each year.
In 2001, Julissa Arce was one of those students.
Join us Tuesday for a #NACACreads discussion of her book: My (Underground) American Dream. The author/activist will participate in the hour-long Twitter discussion, and there will be plenty of opportunities for you to share your own thoughts and discuss strategies to help undocumented youth access higher education.
An estimated 65,000 undocumented immigrants graduate from US high schools each year.
In 2001, Julissa Arce was one of those students.
“I graduated in the top 5 percent of my class,” she wrote in her memoir, My (Underground) American Dream. “I was all smiles. My whole family was proud of me. And all of us were worried.”
Join us Jan. 9 for a #NACACreads discussion of Arce’s book and the challenges undocumented students face as they make their way to and through higher education. Arce will participate in the hour-long Twitter chat, which kicks off at 9 p.m. ET.
Continue reading ‘My (Underground) American Dream’ Selected for #NACACreads
Campus leaders who want to support undocumented students have a new place to turn for information.
Earlier this month, the Protect Dreamers Higher Education Coalition, of which NACAC is a member, created a new website highlighting facts about undocumented students and providing advocacy resources.
The coalition is encouraging colleges and universities to recognize Oct. 16-20 as Protect Dreamers Week. New resources created to help educators and others advocate on behalf of DREAMers include a fact sheet and talking points.
Continue reading New Advocacy Resources Available to Support Undocumented Students
Editor’s note: Admitted’s op-ed columns offer NACAC members the opportunity to share their take on the day’s news and events. The views and opinions expressed in Member View columns are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect the official policies or positions of the association.
Throughout his tenure as president, Barack Obama frequently quoted Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.’s famous line, “The arc of the moral universe is long, but it bends toward justice.” In 2012, the Obama administration implemented the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) policy, which temporarily allowed qualified undocumented immigrants to the United States, who entered the country as minors, to receive a renewable two-year period of deferred action from deportation and eligibility for a work permit. Additionally, DACA allowed some of these students access to in-state tuition.
DACA’s establishment was controversial, but the path toward DACA was paved decades before. In fact, the implementation of DACA coincided with the 30th anniversary of Plyler v. Doe, a 1982 Supreme Court decision that barred K-12 public schools from charging undocumented students tuition. In may have taken 30 years, but undocumented students in the United States had increased opportunities for not just primary and secondary education, but higher education as well. DACA was, essentially, part of the long arc bending toward justice.
