Access to higher education varies across states for undocumented students (with or without Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals [DACA]). In-state resident tuition policies (ISRTs) provide eligible undocumented students to pay in-state tuition rates at public universities and colleges. This qualitative study examines interviews from institutional…

The United States is home to 45 million foreign-born inhabitants, including naturalized citizens, resident aliens, visa holders, and undocumented immigrants with and without DACA authorization (U.S. Census Bureau, 2019). Safeguarded by "Plyler v. Doe" (1982), nearly 65,000 undocumented students finish high school each year (Eusebio &…

The aim of this dissertation is to understand the impact of the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrival (DACA) students have while attending higher education. In 2012, President Barack Obama signed DACA that allowed eligible undocumented students residing in any of the 50 states the ability to qualify for in-state tuition at public institutions.…

Undocumented students face numerous hardships in their pursuit of higher education. Those who are part of the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program experience some improved college access and tuition affordability, but many administrative and financial barriers continue to impede their educational pursuits. This qualitative work…

Undocumented college students in the United States encounter a number of structural barriers to postsecondary education success, including disparate in-state resident tuition (ISRT) policies across the country. Texas, the first state to establish ISRT benefits for undocumented college students, has been a site of tension respective to this issue…

Social work ethics oppose discriminatory practices and policies, yet little is known about social work students' awareness of such discrimination. In some U.S. states, education policies discriminate against undocumented youth and recipients of Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals, by limiting access to higher education or imposing prohibitive…

Immigrant students, including Dreamers, face significant barriers in accessing a postsecondary education and have faced increased hardship as a result of the pandemic with little access to additional supports. As part of the ongoing negotiations of the Build Back Better Act, the America's College Promise program, which would have guaranteed two…

"Liberal Education" spoke with two higher education policy experts on what they expect and hope for from the Biden administration. Viviann Anguiano is an associate director for postsecondary education at the Center for American Progress. Eric R. Felix is an assistant professor at San Diego State University, specializing in higher…

College opportunity is key to ensuring that California can meet its economic goals, maintain its global standing, and keep up with technological advances. As California's economy becomes increasingly reliant on a better-educated workforce and further connected to a global marketplace for its services and products, immigrant students are poised to…

The COVID-19 health crisis has laid bare the structural inequity in the financial aid system. The pandemic has hit the lowest-income students hardest, with many struggling to afford the basic technology for online learning on top of new or exacerbated food and housing insecurity. Federal and state dollars predicated on Pell Grant eligibility, time…