For 500 undocumented students, higher education is now within grasp. Delaware State University and Eastern Connecticut University have partnered with TheDream.US – the U.S.’s largest scholarship program for DREAMers – to give undocumented immigrants the opportunity to earn a college degree debt-free. Though the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) provided a way for students to work their way to college, 16 states make it impossible for students to attend college.
“In four states, they are banned from some or all state college,” said Graham Holdings Company Chairman and TheDream.US co-founder Donald Graham, according to the Washington Post. “Even if they pay, the doors are shut. In others, they are barred in practice because the states deny them in-state tuition.”
The scholarships – worth approximately $20,000/year for four years – will go to students who are “locked-out of college opportunities” in Alaska, Arkansas, Georgia, Idaho, Indiana, Iowa, Louisiana, Mississippi, Missouri, North Carolina, North Dakota, Pennsylvania, South Carolina, South Dakota, West Virginia, and Wisconsin. The scholarships can enroll in DSU, Eastern Connecticut State University or other universities that partner with TheDream.US. (Check them out here.) An additional 100 scholarships will be awarded to undocumented students in Delaware and Connecticut. Apply here by June 9, and get more information here.