I graduated high school in 2018 and have not enrolled into any school since. I only applied to two in state schools my senior year and got into both but I was unable to go because of my immigration status. I am now seriously applying to colleges though but I’m unsure of what to do in some places. I was never close to my counselor at all but a lot of colleges require a letter. Should I just email him and ask if he can write me one although he never knew much about me? And also how would I go about getting fee waivers? Since I am no longer in high school but I did have free lunch and meet the financial requirements?
You might find a lot of useful info in this thread, by a student who has since acquired residency.
http://talk.qa.collegeconfidential.com/college-admissions/2131364-reject-train-going-full-speed-p1.html
What is your immigration status now?
@Lindagaf Thank you for the link, I’ll check out the thread. My immigration status has not changed, I am still undocumented. I’ve been mainly looking at private colleges or colleges known for offering a a lot of aid to immigrants and reaching out to them.
@MYOS1634 , do you have suggestions for this student?
While waiting for @MYOS1634 to respond, I’d offer these schools that seem to be open to undocumented applicants–
First issue is that you’ve been out of HS for awhile and schools may want to see that you’re ready to tackle college. They may want to see that you’ve taken course at community college to get back on track. In that case, look at the policies of your local CCs regarding immigration status. Also look into CCs that offer housing. Guttman CC, part of the CUNY system in NYC offers housing through CUNY. If you haven’t taken any college level courses at all, then it’s a great choice. They are online only this fall. They have a unique entrance process. But – it’s a super lefty liberal college in a super lefty liberal city. There’s a great chance that they would accept you – and it’s super cheap. That’s one CC. if you use COLLEGE NAVIGATOR you can find other CCs that offer housing and then look at their policies for undocumented. TCCC near Cornell has housing and since it’s in Lefty NY state it also may have room for uncocumented students.
Second–I’d look at senior / four-year colleges for transfer that are also super Lefty. If you identify as female, look at the various women’s schools such as Wellesley, Mt. Holyoke, Smith, Bryn Mawr, Barnard , Agnes Scott etc. Many have programs for older students. with some funding.
Otherwise look at other lefty/ activist colleges that offer excellent FA such as–
- Williams
- Haverford
- Amherst
- Hamilton
- the Ivy league
- The consortium including Scripps and Pomona
- Grinnell
- Vassar
I’ve looked into CC’s around me and they all are very strict with what they require to apply (as in identification i don’t have). I live in Arizona so definitely not as left and helpful to immigrants compared to other places. But i am planning on moving even if I do not get into any colleges. I definitely am looking into more left schools, they just tend to be private and harder to get into so I’m a bit nervous
Some conservative states like Texas and Utah allow high school graduates from the state who had enough years of attendance to use in-state tuition even if an undocumented immigrant.
Arizona offers 150% of in-state tuition to high school graduates from the state with at least three years of attendance, but does not specifically mention whether anyone, regardless of immigration status, can use it.
However, it looks like any state financial aid in Arizona is conditional on verified immigration status:
However, be careful before committing to taking courses at a community college, since many colleges consider students who have taken college courses after high school graduation to be transfer applicants rather than frosh applicants.
If your high school record was excellent, you may have a better chance of admission to more selective colleges with good financial aid* as a frosh than a transfer. However, if your high school record was not that good, two years of community college enrollment with a stronger college record could lead to better options as a transfer than as a frosh.
*Obviously, they also need to be willing to admit and offer financial aid even with your undocumented immigration status.
@ucbalumnus I’m waiting to hear back from my high school about my transcripts but from what i remember my grades were not bad but not outstanding either. I was about the top 15% of my graduating class and got a 32 on my ACT. Right now I am only applying to schools that will admit me as a domestic student and offer aid
A 32 on your ACT will get you some merit aid, even full tuition, at some colleges but rarely a full ride.
Attending a CC would void that opportunity so you’d have to be very careful in determining what your best opportunities are.
Rigor and GPA will matter a lot for highly selective colleges, as well as essays.
You’re likely to have to move.
Unfortunately it’s not as easy as blue/red state, but rather whether the state has a pragmatic approach (we need college graduates to grow our economy, this person graduated one of our high schools) or ideological (this persom shouldn’t be here). That complicates matters because it means finding the best states for you will be difficult especially since the pandemic and the economic crisis that comes from it make moves difficult. Dustyfeather is right that NYS may be hospitable but I dont know whether you’d get instate tuition if you’ve lived there undocumented.
The NACAC fee waiver is only available if you are still in high school but the common app fee waiver will work even for high school graduates.
NY allows those who attended high school in NY for two years and graduated in NY to get resident tuition: https://www.suny.edu/smarttrack/residency/ . However, this would not help the OP who did not graduate from high school in NY.