To all Undocumented Students,
I am a student at City College of San Francisco. I am writing this open letter to encourage all undocumented students, who graduated high school in California, to apply for college regardless of their status. As someone who has a close relative that is in the same situation, I understand your difficulties. Due to their situation, most undocumented students may think that getting into college may be hard, however it's not impossible. There are resources that is available all undocumented students in order for them to succeed in college. Therefore, undocumented students should take full advantage of those resources.
Undocumented students should go to their college's Admission and Records and apply for the California's Assembly Bill 540 (AB540). The AB540 was passed in 2001 to allow all students, regardless of their citizenship, to go to college without paying out-of-state tuition. The AB540 will give undocumented students the opportunity to go to college without paying so much for their classes.
However, some undocumented students may still be overwhelmed with the college expenses despite of acquiring the AB540. Their lack of legal status bars them from having a job. As a result, they may not have the money to help them pay for their classes. This may be true but, there is a way for them to get some financial help.
Once they have the AB540, undocumented students are now eligible to apply for the California Dream Act Assembly bill 130&131. The AB 130 and 131 are California laws that was passed in 2011 to allow undocumented students to receive state financial aids. These laws are designed to help undocumented students with their college expenses. These financial aid includes; Cal Grants A, B, C and BOG waiver fee. Also, this bill allows undocumented students to apply for private scholarships. Having all of these resources available, undocumented students should take advantage of it.
I understand that their immigration status puts them in a very difficult situation. But, it shouldn't be a reason to give up on their education.
