Social Work Corner – Making Higher Education Attainable – October 2024

By CILA's Social Work Team

Adolescent unaccompanied youth, much like their peers, often hold dreams, goals, and aspirations that center around higher education and economic security. Despite the challenges they face, such as instability, trauma, and limited resources, many are determined to succeed academically and secure a better future for themselves. Access to higher education opportunities is a key factor in empowering them to reach their potential.

Unaccompanied youth often perceive higher education as unattainable or not meant for them, partly due to a lack of awareness about the educational opportunities and resources available to them. As an advocate you can provide them with key information to help them succeed in achieving this goal. As we know, securing a higher education involves multiple steps, from admission applications to orientation, housing, and graduation requirements, it can be a complex process to navigate.

There is no federal law that prevents U.S community colleges and universities from admitting students who are without lawful immigration status. Some states are more supportive than others, providing financial aid opportunities and even offering in-state tuition to students regardless of immigration status. Private colleges and universities set their own institutional polices for admitting students. In short, local research is necessary, as there is variance by state and by higher learning institution as well.

Actions you can take as an advocate to guide unaccompanied youth

• You want to develop a collaborative plan with the youth. In this plan we recommend you develop goals along with a timeline, highlighting deadlines to accomplish these goals. Keep in mind the deadlines for community college and university admissions, application requirements (recommendation letters, essay-writing samples, resume), examination deadlines (SAT/ACT/school administered exams), financial aid, and scholarship deadlines.^[1]
• Unaccompanied youth will have to meet the testing and academic requirements for admission. As such, you will want to be knowledgeable of their high school graduation status or equivalent requirement such as completion of their GED (General Equivalency Diploma).
• You want to inform the youth there is an application fee required to most colleges/universities. However, there are ways to get this fee waived. One way is by seeing if they qualify for the SAT Fee Waiver.^[2] Those who qualify and take the SAT test for free may not only have the test fee waived but may also be eligible to have their college application fees waived at participating colleges. While taking the SAT is optional for admission at schools, it might be worth considering, as it can potentially save them money.

• You will want to explain to the youth, institutions will typically classify them as residents, non-residents, or international students. Classification is important for tuition rate purposes and types of financial assistance provided to the student, varies from school to school.
• You want to encourage them to apply for financial aid and scholarships. Unaccompanied youth can receive state and institutional financial assistance depending on various factors including the state and school they’re attending as well as their immigration status at the time they apply. You want to advise youth to contact by email, phone or set up an appointment with a financial aid representative from the college to inform themselves about the institutional and state grants, and scholarships for which they might qualify.

Some students might qualify for the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) under eligibility for non-U.S. Citizens guidelines.^[3]

For student’s ineligible for FAFSA, some states offer state aid to which students will have to complete the application and submit required documents. For example, Texas offers TASFA, California offers the CA Dream Act, New York offers the New York State Dream Act, Washington offers WASFA, and about 25 states provide in-state tuition for students without lawful immigration status, some with limited access and others with more comprehensive access.

Below are two helpful websites with more information for states that do offer in-state financial aid.

• https://www.higheredimmigrationportal.org/states/.
• https://www.nasfaa.org/state_financial_aid_programs
• You want to educate youth, enrolling at a Community College might be a great place to start for them, depending on their educational goals. Local community colleges have great educational associate degree programs to pursue, as well as they might offer technical and trade career paths. Community colleges are more affordable and provide various forms of financial aid opportunities to their students.

In conclusion, in supporting unaccompanied youth in their pursuit of higher education as an advocate you want to address the challenges while equipping them with the knowledge and resources to start their higher education journey. Whether they pursue a 2- year community college program or a 4- year university degree, unaccompanied youth deserve the opportunity to succeed and secure a brighter future through education.

[1] Big Future-College Board: https://bigfuture.collegeboard.org/plan-for-college/get-started/6-things-undocumented-students-need-to-know-about-college#:~:text=Yes.,aid%2C%20including%20grants%20and%20loans.

[2] SAT Fee Waiver-College Board: https://satsuite.collegeboard.org/sat/registration/k12-educators/fee-waivers/get-waivers.

[3] FAFSA: https://studentaid.gov/understand-aid/eligibility/requirements/non-us-citizens.