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Karla Bravo
Professor Moberly
Research Proposal Essay
Dec 12, 2014
Undocumented Students In Need of Financial Aid

Abstract
In my research proposal essay, Undocumented Students In Need of Financial Aid, I
argue that expanding a similar law like the California Dream Act to other states would be a fair
way to help undocumented students struggling financially attend college. I support my argument
by showing how the Dream Act has worked in California and its requirements for undocumented
students and examples of why it would be good idea to aid undocumented students in college.
My purpose is to let the readers see undocumented students struggle trying to further their
education and clarify why them receiving higher education in this country matters.

Background
The United States of America is known as the country where people immigrate to make
their dreams come true. Thousands of immigrants come illegally to the country in search of a
better future for them and their families because there are many more opportunities to be
successful than in their native countries. Immigrants bring their children to the country
involuntarily and leaving them with no option but to adapt to the language, education system,
and customs in the United States. Based on USC Center for Higher Education Policy Analysis
guide for college students in the process of attending college edited by immigration laws expert,
Dr. Paz M. Olivrez, undocumented students include those students born outside of the United
States, many of whom have lived in this country for a significant portion of their lives, and who
reside here without legal permission of the federal government (8). In many cases, children
grow up unaware of their legal status in the country until they have to apply to college and
realize their application process is a tad more complicated. They live in the country illegally, but

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have access to free education all the way through high school. However, after high school, in
many states, its hard for them to continue their education because they are not legal citizens in
the United States.
According to the College Board website, which has professional information for every
students in all schools, there are an estimated 65,000 undocumented students who graduate
from U.S high schools each year. These children are guaranteed an education in U.S public
schools through grade 12, but may face legal and financial barriers to higher education
(Advising Undocumented Students). These are students who attended school from an early age
and meet all the requirements to apply to a 4-year college. However, even though they meet all
the requirements, their legal status in the country prevents them from being funded financially to
attend a college theyve academically worked hard to get into. It leaves them with few options to
help them further their education after 12 years of school. As immigrant law professional Paz M.
Olivrez explains through her research, Flor, an undocumented student who was about to
graduate from high school and got accepted into multiple colleges but due to her legal status, she
doesnt qualify for financial aid. Her parents barely make enough to get by and the savings she
has from her weekend job is still not enough to completely cover her tuition (3). A lot of
undocumented students just like Flor face the same difficulties in the United States. Flor is only
1 of the 65,000 undocumented students that have to worry about their future after high school.
They have the potential to attend college but not the tools necessary to continue in the country
after high school.

Problem
There is no law that states that they cannot attend college after high school, yet its hard
for undocumented students to even go through the process of filing a college application due to
lack of social security number or proof of legal status, which is one of the main requisites.
Students in college, legally in the country or not, do not receive financial help from their parents

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for different reasons. Students legally in the country qualify for federal student loans; however,
not all undocumented students are eligible for loans in the United States. A lot of undocumented
students graduate from high school meeting the requirements to go to a 4-year university but
cant receive financial aid for tuition because they are not legal citizens in the United
States.making the loans that they have to take out to be higher. In Flors case [her] dad was laid
off temporarily and [shes] afraid that the scholarships [shes] applying for wont cover
everything. [She] will transfer to a university later. (Olivarez 1). Many undocumented students
like Flor are forced to prolong their education and stay in a community college, a higher
education they can actually afford. Financial aid makes a significant difference for
undocumented students whose family income is not stable. The longer they put their education
aside for later in the future, the longer it takes them to succeed. The Development, Relief and
Education for Alien Minors, passed in 2011, allows undocumented students to receive financial
aid to attend college as long as they meet certain requirements, also known as The Dream Act.
This law has helped undocumented students attend college and only in a few states to receive
financial aid through federal funds (College Board). Qualifying for financial aid through the
Dream Act in certain states means that they can take out loans and have access to limited
scholarships. Some institutions, even with the Dream Act already passed, still charge
undocumented students out-of-states fees.
Being charged with out-of-state fees and not enough federal financial aid, leaves
undocumented students with no option but to take out loans. Taking out loans is an easy solution
for undocumented students who really want to pursue further education at all cost. Nevertheless,
loans mean future debts, which leaves undocumented students in a more difficult position than
being illegally in the country. Robert Applebaum, attorney in Staten Island, New York, and
founder of the petition for student loan debt forgiveness, states that, tuition rates continue to
soar and students are required to go further and further into debt each year, merely to obtain an

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educationwe continue to treat education as a commodity that benefits only the individual
obtaining the education, rather than what it truly is: a public good and an investment in our
collective future as a country (223). Undocumented students wouldnt be facing only the
problem of being illegally in the country but also being in debt for many years after college. It
would be challenging for undocumented students to progress in the country with a debt behind
them that they would have to pay. As Applebaum states, education is a public good investment
in our collective future as a country and undocumented students that are trying to further their
education through college, are part of the country.
The Dream Act has not been implemented in every state in the United States. This law
being active in only a few states keeps thousands of undocumented students in the United States
from furthering their education. It is also unfair because they are in the same situation but not in
the same state. Leaving so many students without an education due to financial leaves them
without many job opportunities they could potentially have through higher education. They have
lived their whole lives in the country and as part of the country already, they would help it
economically after college, nevertheless, it is impossible to reach that point when they cant
afford college.

Solution
A solution to help more undocumented students attend college would be to implement the
same regulations that have worked with the California Dream Act throughout the rest of the
states in the United States. In California, the Assembly Bill 540 signed by Gray Davis allows all
students pursuing higher education in the state to be exempted from paying out-of state fees. This
applies to all students regardless of their legal status in the country (Abrego 2). Out-of-state
tuition is usually two to seven times more for undocumented students attending college than for
documented students. If undocumented students were to be given the same right through AB540,
it would make the fees and requirements for them to attend college fair enough. The loans that

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they would have to take out to complete their tuition fees would not leave undocumented
students in debt. They are not legal citizens in the country, which prevents them from having
access to a good job even after graduating from college. However, if the loans they take out are
not large amounts, they would be able to afford them and pay in time to prevent being in debt for
longer than its necessary.
The AB540 law, like any other law has social effects in different particular groups. Leisy
Abrego, an international migration scholar and author from UCLA, analyzes that opponents of
rights-granting laws are able to draw on the myth of meritocracy to frame legal rights as unfair
advantages in what is, otherwise, presumed to be a level field of opportunitiesThey brand
potential beneficiaries as weak or undeserving and opportunistic (Abrego 3). There are people
in states where the rate of undocumented students is low and not enough support for those laws
exist. People may say that since they are not born in the country and are not legally part of it,
they do not deserve those rights.
In the state of New York, the NY Dream Act was passed in 2011 to help undocumented
students get an education. But as a result later, the financial aid to attend college still remained as
an issue. However, former presidential candidate of the United States, Mitt Romney was against
the Dream Act when it was in process of getting approved. He wanted the Dream Act to apply
only to illegal immigrants that joined the military, but not for college students. The Dream Act
would allow illegal immigrants to stay in the country legally and give them opportunities that
they didnt have as illegal immigrants (Ruiz). Many Republicans like Mitt Romney oppose to
laws that help illegal immigrants in the country. It is like Ruiz stated, they see helping
undocumented students as them taking advantage of what the country has to offer. They are not
legal citizens of the country and therefore all the rights do not apply to them.
Nevertheless, undocumented students that deserve the opportunity to further their
education through college can find a way through private programs that are willing to aid them

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financially. A way of accomplishing this would be by funding money through programs to help
undocumented students with tuition. Donald Graham, former owner of The Washington Post
along with other Democratic Partys fund raisers established a fundraiser to raise $25 million to
help low-income undocumented students cover their federal financial aid (Maxwell). If more
people like Donald Graham who are supporters of the Dreamers, qualifiers of the Dream Act,
and helping undocumented students further their education, could help raise money to help them
financially, the money could be distributed. The money would be given in scholarships and just
like the Dream Act, it would have certain requirements that undocumented students would have
to meet in order to receive them. Such requirements, like other scholarships, would be a good
grade point average and proof of necessity of the scholarship like a personal statement.
Many opponents of the Dream Act and of ways of aiding illegal immigrants financially in
the United States are concerned with immigrants taking away available jobs. They believe that
there are enough illegal immigrants in the United States already and giving them any cue of
acceptance such as financial aid to help them succeed in college would be a passport for them to
reside in the country for a long period of time. More immigrants would come into the country
illegally in order to receive the benefits. However, According to David Cole, law professor in
George Town University Law Center and who is knowledgeable about the Dream Act and civil
rights, states that 13% of the immigrants in the country are undocumented, therefore they do not
take over many job opportunities. If anything, they help create jobs in the country and even help
the economy (185). A lot of immigrants that are in the country illegally, immigrate seeking a
better future and succeed. They try to reach their goals by establishing their own businesses.
Even though many opponents say that illegal immigrants in the country just take away the
job opportunities and affect the economy negatively, illegal immigrants could actually benefit
the country through the rise of more businesses. David Cole, through his research shows that,
immigrants are highly productive, run their own businesses, and employ both immigrants and

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citizens (185) and through a study done he found that Mexican immigration to Los Angeles
County between 1970 and 1980 was responsible for 78,000 new jobs immigrants own more
than 40,000 companies in New York, which provide thousands of jobs and $3.5 billion to the
states economy every year (186) showing the benefits that undocumented people bring to the
country. Even though that was in 1970 through 1980 in Los, Angeles, California, it would bring
even more benefits in more states if the Dream Act was expanded and implemented in more
states throughout the United States. If less undocumented students struggled with financial aid,
the only thing keeping them from higher education, they would create more jobs helping the
economy.

Conclusion
For undocumented students in the United States adapting to a new society and culture
when coming into the country is a struggle, especially when they are brought at an early age. The
need to succeed is big and facing the struggle of not being able to afford college and have a
better future makes it more difficult. Even though they are illegally in the country, if they have
received an education and have made it far enough to make it to college, just like any other
student in the United States, they should be eligible to receive financial aid if they need it. With
all the qualifications that the Dream Act requires, that being a good grade point average, proof of
financial need, proof of being an early arrival in the country through their parents, and a clean
record in the country. Giving undocumented students the opportunity to receive the financial
benefits necessary would benefit the country with more educated people that would help the
country economically creating more jobs in the future. Giving them access to higher education
when they show that they deserve it through their high school career despite their legal status,
would educate them and give them a purpose to stay in the country. Just like anyone trying to
succeed in the country, undocumented students who have the potential to improve our country

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through education, they should be given the opportunity along with the tools needed, such as
financial aid.

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Works Cited
Abrego, Leisy. "Legitimacy, Social Identity, And The Mobilization Of Law: The Effects Of
Assembly Bill 540 On Undocumented Students In California." Law & Social Inquiry
33.3 (2008): 709-734. Academic Search Complete. Web. 13 Dec. 2014.
Cole. David. Five Myths About Immigration. Contemporary & Classic Arguments.
Bedford/St. Martins. 2005.
"College Board." Advising Undocumented Students. N.p., n.d. Web. 29 Oct. 2014.
Maxwell, Lesli A. "N.Y. Lawmakers Reject College Aid for DREAMers." Education
Week 26 Mar. 2014: 5. Opposing Viewpoints in Context. Web. 28 Oct. 201
Oliverez, Paz Maya. "Ready but Restricted: An Examination of the Challenges of College
Access and Financial Aid for College-Ready Undocumented Students in the United
States." Order No. 3257819 University of Southern California, 2006. Ann
Arbor:ProQuest. Web. 25 Oct. 2014.
Oliverez, Paz M., et al. "The College & Financial Aid Guide for: AB540 Undocumented
Immigrant Students." Center for Higher Education Policy Analysis, University of
Southern California (2006).
Ruiz, Albor. "Romney and Gingrich DREAM Act Support Smells of Demagoguery and Notso-subtle GOP Racism." NY Daily News. N.p., n.d. Web. 28 Oct. 2014.