Admission, Tuition, and Financial Aid The Journey to College for the Undocumented Student

Key Questions Asked by Undocumented Students 1.Will colleges admit me? 2.How much will my tuition be? 3.Where is there financial help for me to go to college?

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Admission to College There is no federal or state law that prohibits the admission of undocumented immigrants to U.S. colleges, public or private. Federal and/or state laws do not require students to prove citizenship in order to enter U.S. institutions of higher education. Institutional policies on admitting undocumented students vary.

Researching Colleges How does the school work with undocumented students? What is the school’s success rate with undocumented students? Who can I talk to for emotion and financial support?

Tuition in Washington State Washington State House Bill 1079 allows undocumented students to pay in-state tuition at state colleges and universities. You must have: Been a resident of WA for at least 3 years Attained high school diploma or GED Continuously resided in Washington since graduating from high School Signed an affidavit.

Tuition Process for Undocumented Students Research colleges and complete application paper work Sign and submit the affidavit with your application Once you are identified as in-state tuition eligible, the affidavit is stored or destroyed

Evaluation of Your Application: Colleges will evaluate your application the same way as non-1079 students!

Resident Status Resident status for in-state college tuition does not change your citizenship or immigration status.

Financial Aid Realities Federal Support Undocumented students cannot legally receive any federally funded student financial aid including loans, grants, scholarships or work study money. State Support Students in Washington are not eligible for state financial aid.

Financial Aid Strategies 1.People and Organizations that can help 2.Earning College Credit in High School 3.Earning community college credit and uses the Washington State Automatic transfer to four-year colleges 4.Scholarships 5. Work

Strategy 1: People and Organizations that can help High School Counselors Members of your community Financial Aid Office at the college Washington Dream Act Coalition Washington State Educational Access Coalition for HB 1079 Students LEAP – Latino/a Educational Achievement Project

Strategy 2: College Credit in High School Career and Technical Courses that allow for dual high school and college credit AP courses

Strategy 3: Community Colleges Running Start Washington State’s community and technical college system provides educational course work and degree programs which “transfer” to upper- division institutions, both public and private.

Strategy 4 : Scholarships Make looking for scholarships your “job” while in high school Finaid.wsu.edu/1079. html provides information about financial aid for undocumented students Start here scholarship sites: theWashboarg.org Campanaquetzal.org

Strategy 5: Work It is very clear that college students who work often have higher grades than those who do not. Financial aid offices have long lists of jobs on campus and the community that do not require citizenship proof.

What’s the Message? You may have to be more creative than most students to find the money for college! “There is hope. It is hard but other undocumented students have made it to college and you can too!