');
	document.write('

October 20, 2015

Dear College and University Leaders:

As  the new academic year proceeds and campuses continue to open their doors to welcome  students of all backgrounds, I am writing to provide information about the U.S.  Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals  (DACA) process and to share information about access to higher education for  undocumented youth, including those who have received DACA. Education is a critical pathway to success for  young people, including those who are immigrants and undocumented, and I want  to take this moment to encourage you to explore these resources and utilize  them to better serve and support undocumented youth, including DACA recipients.

Under  DACA, youth who were brought to the United States as children and who meet  certain guidelines – including educational guidelines such as being enrolled in  school, having graduated or obtained a certificate of completion from high  school, or a State-recognized high school equivalency certificate – may request  consideration for deferred action, which constitutes a case-by-case determination by DHS not to pursue an individual's removal from the United States for a  temporary period as a matter of prosecutorial discretion. DACA recipients may  also apply for work authorization.

The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) reports that more than 680,000 individuals from countries all over the world have received DACA since 2012. Many of your institutions have provided critical assistance to DACA recipients, such as helping students to obtain copies of enrollment and other documentation that demonstrates that they meet the threshold educational guidelines. Since 2014, youth who requested DACA in 2012 may request consideration for DACA renewal. Also, individuals who meet the DACA  guidelines and who have not yet initially requested DACA can still do so.

Some  researchers estimate that nearly 1.5 million children and youth currently meet the  DACA guidelines or will do so in the future.**[ 1 ]**As  DACA recipients enter the renewal process and youth request DACA for the first time, your campuses and staff have the opportunity to support students and be a  conduit for pertinent resources to reach youth and their families. Detailed information about requesting DACA is available from DHS here (and in  multiple languages here) as well as in the *DACA Toolkit: Resources for Community Partners* guide that is  designed to help youth, families, and community advocates understand and  navigate the DACA process. There is also  important information about avoiding immigration scams and unauthorized  practitioners of immigration law that is available on the DHS Web site at uscis.gov/avoidscams.

Many  of the same considerations that apply to undocumented students in general with  respect to access to higher education also apply to DACA recipients. Federal law generally does not prohibit the  admission of undocumented students – including DACA recipients – to  postsecondary educational institutions, including public institutions. Similarly, Federal law generally does not require a postsecondary educational institution to determine or request any student's  citizenship or immigration status prior to enrollment.  Only under limited circumstances, commonly pertaining to the Student and  Exchange Visitor Program, would a postsecondary educational institution be  required to report a student's citizenship or immigration status to the Federal  government. However, individual States may have laws or policies relevant to these issues.

Undocumented students, including DACA recipients, are currently ineligible for Federal student  financial assistance authorized under Title IV of the Higher Education Act of  1965. However, such students may be eligible for State, institutional, and private student aid.  Similarly, undocumented students, and specifically DACA recipients, may be eligible to receive in-State tuition under State law for their enrollment in public postsecondary educational institutions. This depends on State laws and policies. More information can be found in the  enclosed Resource Guide and related materials. The ¡Gradúate!  Financial Aid Guide to Success, created by the White House Initiative on Educational Excellence for Hispanics, contains helpful information for  students and families navigating the college application process, including DACA recipients and other undocumented students.

Certain States and institutions have their own procedures and policies regarding student  aid for undocumented students. To assist States and postsecondary educational institutions in determining students' eligibility for State and institutional student aid, any student issued a  Social Security number by the Social Security Administration, regardless of  citizenship or immigration status, may complete the Free Application for  Federal Student Aid (FAFSA), even if the student would not be eligible for  Federal student financial assistance. DACA  recipients with work authorization may be eligible for Social Security numbers – and, accordingly, they can complete the FAFSA. This fact sheet from our  Federal Student Aid office provides additional information on financial aid, and other resources are enclosed.

Sincerely,/s/Arne Duncan Enclosure: "Resource Guide: Supporting Undocumented Youth"
 **_______________________**


**[ 1. ]** http://www.migrationpolicy.org/programs/data-hub/deferred-action-childhood-arrivals-daca-profiles Return to text