When New Jersey debuted a new program last year offering college aid to immigrants living in the country illegally, it was unclear how many undocumented students would sign up.
After a year, advocates and state official say the program has been a success.
During the 2018-2019 academic year, 749
undocumented students were awarded $3.8 million in state financial aid
to attend New Jersey colleges, according to new statistics released by
the state Higher Education Student Assistance Authority.
The
so-called “Dreamers” -- students brought to the U.S. illegally as
children -- had previously been permitted to attend New Jersey state
colleges paying in-state tuition. But they were forbidden to apply for
state-funded financial aid programs.
Gov. Phil Murphy signed a law last year opening up state financial aid programs to undocumented immigrants, offering them the same state grants, scholarships and other aid used by U.S. citizens living in New Jersey.
At the time, Murphy brushed aside criticism from Republican lawmakers who argued taxpayers should not be funding the college education of immigrants living in the country illegally.
“I’d
even invite any of those folks who have that attitude, beginning with
our president, to come on into this room and allow me or any of us to
say, ‘This is the United States of America,’” Murphy said at the May
2018 bill signing ceremony at Rutgers-Newark filled with “Dreamer”
students.
Recent high school graduates and new students beginning college have until Sept. 15 to apply for the aid using New Jersey Alternative Financial Aid Application, which is designed for undocumented immigrants.
There
is no cap on how many undocumented students can received aid. The state
Legislature initially projected the new law would give aid to about 600
students at a cost of $5 million a year.
Undocumented
students remain ineligible for federally-funded financial aid programs,
including Pell Grants and federally-backed student loans.
The
749 undocumented students who received New Jersey-funded college aid
during the Fall 2018 and Spring 2019 semesters enrolled in public and
private colleges around the state.
Here are the schools they attended, ranked by the amount of financial aid awarded to undocumented students: 40 schools at link
(Note:
The number of awards listed is not the number of undocumented students
attending each school. Some undocumented students received multiple
financial aid awards each semester from state financial aid programs,
including Tuition Aid Grants, NJ STARS scholarships, Education
Opportunity Fund grants and County College Opportunity Grants.)
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