Undocumented Students

Undocumented Students

Group of monarch butterflies

Planning for college can be complex, and there are intricacies for families of students who are undocumented. 

 

Admission

A student’s citizenship status does not impact there ability to apply to and be admitted to a college or university.

Tuition

In Arizona, Proposition 300 (November 2006) restricted access to in-state tuition and state-funded financial assistance for undocumented youth.

Recently, Proposition 308 (November 2022) has allowed some undocumented students to qualify for in-state tuition at state universities and community colleges. In order to qualify for in-state tuition, undocumented students must qualify by having:

  • Attended an Arizona High School, or a homeschool equivalent, while physically present in Arizona for at least two years and
  • Graduated from an Arizona high school, or a homeschool equivalent, or obtained a high school equivalency diploma in Arizona (GED).

Proposition 308 also allows qualified undocumented students to receive state-funded financial aid, including grants, scholarships and tuition or fee waivers.

Undocumented students not having 1) attended an Arizona high school for two years and/or 2) not having graduated from an Arizona high school, may have to pay tuition at a higher rate, usually 1.5 times state tuition.

Federal Financial Aid

Undocumented students are not able to receive federal financial aid via completion of the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA).

It is important to note that a mixed citizenship status family in which the student is a US citizen with a Social Security Number and either or both of the parents are undocumented, would still allow the student who is a US citizen to apply for the FAFSA. 

Scholarship Support

There are many scholarships that do not require a Social Security Number and thus can help undocumented students pay for college or university attendance.

ScholarshipsA-Z is a non-profit that is based and originated in Tucson and has expanded service to undocumented youth in Phoenix. The organization has long sought to advocate for greater college access for undocumented students. One of the first resources that the organization developed was a Scholarship List for undocumented youth.

Understanding that undocumented students do not have access to federal aid, Dream.US offers two scholarships. One for students attending partner institutions such as University of Arizona, Arizona State University, Northern Arizona University, Grand Canyon University or Phoenix College. The second scholarship is available for students seeking to attend Purdue Global, an online college.

Community

Thankfully, there are various layers of support that undocumented students may help to connect with other facing similar challenges, find community, and seek support:

  • There has been an increase in student organizations in high schools that have been formed around students’ identities of being undocumented or of immigrant status.
  • Community-Based Organizations and nonprofits have provided services and advocacy for immigrant and undocumented students and families.
  • Colleges and Universities have worked to establish resource centers, too. These centers have often times been advocated for by Community-Based Organizations.
    • The University of Arizona’s Immigrant Student Resource Center (ISRC) was established in partnership with ScholarshipsA-Z and was the first such center in the state of Arizona established in the 2016-2017 academic year. The ISRC is now located in the Thrive Center.
    • Pima Community College established its Immigrant and Refugee Student Resource Center (IRSRC) in 2019 and works to address the pressing need to provide information, resources, and training for students, faculty, administrators, and staff at Pima Community College.