Undocumented Students in Higher Education

Socioeconomic Challenges

About three quarters of the undocumented immigrant population are from Latin America, and more than half are from Mexico. Other significant sources of undocumented immigrants include Central and South America and Asia. Most undocumented immigrants have the lowest levels of educational attainment among the foreign-born and are often confined to the lowest end of the socioeconomic spectrum.

Since they were raised in the United States during their formative years, undocumented students consider themselves Americans. Most do not know a culture other than that of the United States, as their ties with their native countries were severed long ago. Students often do not even become aware of their undocumented status until their final years of high school. Upon graduating, higher education becomes a difficult endeavor. Under current law, they are not eligible to receive state or federal financial aid to pursue higher education. In most states undocumented high school graduates are required to pay higher international student tuition rates despite having received all their schooling in the United States. As a result of these and other barriers, undocumented students are far less likely than their native-born peers to graduate from high school or attend college.

Higher Education Context

To address the lack of higher education access to a growing number of undocumented high school graduates, starting in 2001, individual states began to take matters into their own hands and passed laws that allow undocumented students to pay in-state tuition rates at public colleges and universities. As of October 2011, 12 states—California, Connecticut, Illinois, Kansas, Maryland, Nebraska, New Mexico, New York, Oklahoma, Texas, Utah, and Washington—allow undocumented students to pay in-state tuition. Texas and New Mexico also make students eligible for various grants under their state financial aid programs. In-state tuition laws have a significant positive impact on whether undocumented students enroll in postsecondary education. They are more likely to enroll in college if they reside in a state that offers in-state tuition. Despite these in-state tuition benefits, undocumented young adults are still not able to work, even if they earn a college degree.

The largest challenge for undocumented students in their pursuit of higher education is the limited access to financial support to pay for tuition and other course materials. They can apply for only a few private scholarships since most require a Social Security number or legal resident status. Most pay their own way, but in order to do so they have to take on extra jobs and work long hours, leaving little time for studying or forcing them to take time off from school to save money. As the number of undocumented students enrolled in public colleges and universities has increased over the years, they have begun to develop their own support networks to raise funds, advocate for tuition assistance, and increase their access to resources.

...