Passing the Dream Act is only half the battle

Now that the controversial California Dream Act and Assembly Bills 130 and 131 have passed, it would seem undocumented students applying to the University of California will finally receive the same financial aid benefits as all other students.

As of Jan. 1, AB 130 is in effect and undocumented students are free to apply for privately funded scholarships and grants. The only thing students need to do is submit the financial aid application.

The catch? There is no application.

Many undocumented students do not have a Social Security number and are unable to complete the Free Application for Federal Student Aid.

So although the passage of these bills was a significant victory for undocumented students and supporters of immigration rights, the UC and the California Student Aid Commission have yet to devise a financial aid application they can use.

Because financial aid is supposed to be accessible to these students at this time, an application should already be available.

Most students applying to college can submit their FAFSA, which schools use to determine need for both private and state-funded financial aid. Right now, it is unclear how students who are unable to complete the standard form will be able to apply for aid within the UC system. Dianne Klein, media specialist for the UC Office of the President, said the state commission has tentative plans to have an application ready for next fall’s UC applicants.

However, no date has been set.

So far only AB 130 has gone into effect, and AB 131 will not be effective until Jan. 2013. Students applying for aid this year are only eligible for privately funded scholarships and grants, but still there is no comprehensive way for them to do so.

The commission, which only announced tentative plans for drafting the application, said it will hold its first meeting Nov. 18, 2012, less than two months before undocumented students become eligible for state-funded financial aid.

The lack of a standardized California financial aid application ““ to include both UC and California State University systems ““ puts undocumented students at a disadvantage.

Whereas all other college applicants are able to put their financial aid forms behind them at any time, undocumented students hoping to apply for financial aid are left in limbo, waiting on Sacramento yet again.

Klein said undocumented students should go ahead with their college applications, adding that allowances will be made if an application is not ready on time.

But this information isn’t readily available to applicants. An undocumented high school senior applying to the UC cannot send a universal application to all campuses and may not receive information regarding their financial aid awards as soon as it is needed. And as everyone who has applied to college knows, financial aid offers are often some of the, if not the greatest, factors in selecting a school.

Of all the UC campuses, UCLA appears to be ahead of the pack in terms of encouraging undocumented students to apply for financial aid. UCLA is, as of now, the only campus that has its own application available for these students online.

The other campuses may be waiting for the CSAC to devise its application, Klein said.

This process, however, may take months to come to fruition, according to UCLA’s Director of Financial Aid Ronald Johnson.

UCLA was able to create its own application quickly because it is not tethered by state regulations like the CSAC, Johnson said.

Additionally, the UCLA Financial Aid Office and the Bruin Resource Center are planning to hold a workshop for Dream Act students to go over the new legislation and offer tips for applying for financial aid.

Although UCLA has been effective and timely in its response to the new legislation, the UC as a whole is moving too slowly, creating confusion for undocumented students who want to take advantage of their new opportunities.

Soon a postcard will be sent to Dream Act students applying to the UC, asking the question: “Think you can’t get financial aid to attend the University of California?”

“Think again,” it answers.

A website is provided at the bottom of the postcard for students to visit to learn more about financial aid made possible by the Dream Act, but the website doesn’t exist yet.

While the site is still in the works and an application is being devised, the question still remains: Why are these resources still not available in the weeks, and in the case of the application, months after students are finally made eligible for aid?

Because the UC advocated for the passage of the Dream Act, it should have been prepared for its passage with plans for an application prior to the date that aid became accessible to undocumented students. Now the UC should work quickly to ensure that students will actually receive the aid they are now eligible for.

Think applying for financial aid as an undocumented student will be easy? Think again.

What do you think about the UC’s follow-up on the Dream Act? Email Clark at
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