Applying for financial aid when facing immigration challenges
About this video
Undocumented students face a tricky financial aid landscape that depends on the school and the state. Some, like eligible students under the California Dream Act, can receive state and federal aid; many private schools offer aid and may use the CSS Profile instead of the FAFSA. Students with DACA may be able to work, while others may rely on merit scholarships, family help, or alternating semesters of study and work.
You'll be able to
- explain why aid options for undocumented students vary by school and state.
- describe steps undocumented students can take when choosing and applying to colleges.
- explain why merit-based scholarships are often a good option for undocumented students.
Key words
- undocumented student
- A student living in the US without legal immigration status.
- California Dream Act
- A California law that can let eligible students who grew up and went to school in California apply for aid.
- DACA
- A program that can give some undocumented young people permission to work.
- CSS Profile
- A financial aid form some schools use for undocumented students instead of the FAFSA.
- merit-based scholarship
- A scholarship awarded for achievement rather than financial need.
Transcript
- So the lay of the land for an undocumented student can be really tricky. Some schools have money for you, some schools don't. It might depend on the state that you live in. So in California, if your from California, you've gone to school in California, you might be eligible under the California Dream Act and you can apply and receive federal and state aid.
But if you're not, it can be really tricky to apply for aid. Certainly every student who's academically excellent should apply to colleges just in case there's aid for them somewhere. Most private schools have aid for undocumented students. It might be worth contacting schools in advance to ask them their policy when you're choosing which schools to apply for.
A lot of schools will use the CSS profile as an aid application instead of the FAFSA. It can be different too depending on your personal circumstances, so a student with DACA might be able to work and might even be able to get institutional work study to help support their education, whereas a student without a work permit might have to be more clever borrowing from relatives, hoping for merit based scholarships.
Merit based scholarships are often an excellent option for undocumented students. Some students find they need to alternate, go to school for one semester, don't go the next semester, gather up more scholarships and work and then go again and it can be very tricky and difficult but certainly the education is worth it.
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