States
are using various approaches to help undocumented students fulfill
their college aspirations. Community college systems, which typically
serve as the first point of entry into postsecondary education for many
of the nation's underserved and low-income populations, are key
stakeholders in these approaches. This policy brief, created for
Achieving the Dream, a national initiative to increase the success of
underserved groups in community colleges, explores and highlights some
of the actions being taken by states and institutions to improve the
access of undocumented students to postsecondary opportunities,
particularly in public community colleges. The brief focuses on the
five states currently participating in the Initiative, all of which
have large or rapidly growing immigrant populations. It also reports on
developments in several other states and at the federal level. Achieving the Dream is funded by the Lumina Foundation for Education.
Access to Community College for Undocumented Students originally appeared in 2005. A 2007 update analyzes activities in a number of states that moved toward introducing and enacting legislation that would award in-state tuition and other benefits to undocumented students who meet common criteria.
