Category: scholarships for undocumented students

Scholarships for Illegal Immigrants or Undocumented Students

There are some unknown scholarships for illegal immigrants or undocumented students. Some are private illegal immigrant scholarships.

scholarships for illegal immigrants
Scholarships for Illegal Immigrants

While financial aid may not always be available for undocumented students, there are some unknown scholarships for illegal immigrants. Most federal student aid does require the recipient to be a citizen of the United States or a permanent resident with a green card or an eligible non-citizen. In a few states, some students may be able to qualify for in-state tuition even if they are undocumented. In addition, there are also a few unknown private scholarships that are available to illegal immigrants. These private scholarships for illegal immigrants do not require the recipient to be a resident or U.S. citizen or to have a social security number.

Scholarships for Illegal Immigrants Sources

Excellent sources for such unclaimed scholarships include the Mexican American Legal Defense and Educational Fund and the Salvadoran American Leadership and Educational Fund. Another potential source for such illegal immigrant scholarships includes the Latino College Dollars Scholarships for Latino Students.

The Mexican American Legal Defense and Educational Fund sponsors a law school scholarship as a way of supporting the new generation of attorneys who will help to advance the civil rights of members of the Latino community. This fund provides illegal immigrant scholarships of varying amounts to a number of students each year. The little known scholarships for undocumented students are awarded based on student commitment to serving the Latino community in the field of law as well as their prior achievements and potential for future advancement and achievement along with financial need. Prospective students must be currently or will be enrolled full-time in a law school that is accredited in the United States.

Core First Annual Que LLueva Cafe Scholarship for Illegal Immigrants

The Core First Annual Que LLueva Cafe Scholarship ranges in value from $500 to $1,000 and is sponsored by Chicano Organizing & Research in Education. This award is available to students who are in California. To be eligible, the student must be an undocumented student of either Chicano or Latino descent who is a graduating senior and who will be enrolling in an accredited university or college in the United States or Puerto Rico. This illegal immigrant scholarship was founded with the purpose of providing a direct response and assistance to aspiring scholars who might otherwise be prevented from continuing their education due to their undocumented status. Interested applicants for this unclaimed scholarship for undocumented students should be either a high school student or GED graduate who will be enrolling for the first time in an accredited university or high school. Applicants must not be current college students. All applications for this immigrant scholarship must be postmarked by February 25th.

SALEF Fulfilling Our Dreams Scholarship for Undocumented Students

The SALEF Fulfilling Our Dreams Scholarship is also available to illegal immigrants who are Latino or Central American and who are from the Los Angeles, San Fernando Valley or San Francisco Bay Area. Students from L.A. should specifically be from Pico Union, South Central Los Angeles or East Los Angeles. Students must have a minimum GPA of 2.5 to be eligible and must also be active in community involvement. Students should plan to enter the fields of technology, health care, philosophy or certain other areas. The deadline for this little known about scholarship for Illegal Immigrants is June 3rd.

Santa Ana College in Orange County College Scholarship for Illegal Immigrants

Students planning to attend Santa Ana College in Orange County, California may wish to apply for their scholarship for illegal immigrants; which is awarded to foreign nationals, including illegal aliens. This memorial scholarship has a value of $2,500. The purpose of this immigrant scholarship is to honor Tan Ngoc Tran, who was a student activist.

California Dream Act Scholarships for Illegal Students

Undocumented immigrants in the state of California will also now be eligible to receiver further unknown scholarship assistance following the passage of a bill into law that will allow illegal immigrants to receive scholarships that are privately funded in order to attend public colleges and universities in the state. Known as the California Dream Act, the law aims to assist illegal immigrants who have earned a diploma after they have attended a minimum of three years of high school in California. California students who are not documented are also eligible to qualify for in-state tuition.

Unusual Scholarships for Undocumented Students

Scholarships for undocumented students are a necessity for immigrants who have not legally registered as citizens or residents in the country they reside in.

scholarships-for-undocumented-students
Undocumented Student Scholarships

Scholarships for undocumented students are, in many cases, a necessity for who have not legally registered as citizens or residents in the country they reside in. Many unique scholarships are available for legal residents only, making finding financial aid for undocumented immigrants at times incredibly difficult. Fortunately there are some unusual college scholarships for undocumented students available through various programs which help get around this problem for those interested in pursuing a degree from a college.

While not all of these undocumented student scholarships are specific, their lack of residential requirement makes them open to all students from a diverse background. Most of them are available specifically to migrant students or workers, so the application pool is not going to be so large as to be daunting. Though there are not nearly as many scholarships for undocumented students as there are for residents of a given country, this should not deter those interested in higher education from seeking financial aid.

Since students loans often require citizenship or valid tax identification numbers, undocumented students are going to have a harder time finding student loans which would otherwise help offset the need for undocumented scholarships. Because of this, undocumented students should seek out migrant oriented minority scholarships and apply to as many for which they are eligible, maximizing their chances for financial aid in the long run.

One of the best college scholarships for undocumented students out there has to be the Chicano Organizing and Research in Education (CORE) Que Llueva Café Scholarship. Their third annual minority scholarship specifically targets undocumented students who have not yet entered college but are interested in higher education. In their first year, CORE gave out up to $7,000 to needy students and then up to $9,000 in their second. CORE constantly tries to give out as much money as they can, though they are limited by the amount of donations to their migrant scholarship program which they receive. They strive to increase their amounts every year and though awards have not been announced for 2011, it is expected that they will either maintain previous amounts or go above them. Though targeted at undocumented students, the CORE scholarship requires that all applicants be of Chicano or Latino descent. Students must have been born outside of the US, but reside in the country without the legal consent of the government. All students must be enrolled in high school or have attained their GED and are enrolling in college for the first time at the moment of applying. On top of these factors, students must also demonstrate a financial need and show academic strength in their transcripts. When submitting their applications, students should submit a personal statement outlining their individual story and detailing their academic interests while also submitting at least one letter of recommendation. The deadline for the CORE scholarship is Febraury 25, 2011.

Another unusual scholarship for undocumented students would be the Migrant Farmworker Baccalaureate Scholarship. This program offers migrant workers who have already spent some time in college up to $2,000 in financial aid. Students must show a recent history of movement for migrant work, academic achievement, a sincere financial need and be able to provide an example of the successful completion of at least one year of higher educational studies. When applying for the program, applicants should find three letters of recommendation, write a personal essay indicating why they are seeking the migrant scholarship, and provide a Migrant Education Certificate of Eligibility. The deadline for this program is July 1 every year.

Students should always keep their eyes peeled for additional scholarship opportunities because there are many out there beyond those listed in this article. It is important to find and apply to as many undocumented student scholarships as possible, less you find yourself denied for a few you applied to and left without much some needed financial aid. It can be difficult at times to be both undocumented and a student in the United States, or anywhere for that matter, so making higher educational goals more easily attainable by finding decent unusual scholarship programs should be a top priority.