Latino Ed Beat, News Report, Posted: Dec 13, 2012

Many elite colleges and universities quietly are providing financial assistance to undocumented immigrant students.

But perhaps the highest profile announcement of support for such students to date came this week, when the University of California, Berkeley, announced that it had received $1 million specifically intended to support scholarships for undocumented students. University officials believe it is the largest such gift of its kind to take place at an American higher education institution.

The awards will begin in 2013.

The Evelyn and Walter Haas, Jr. Foundation is funding the gift, saying that it will “level the playing field” for such students. Such students are not eligible for federal financial aid, such as Pell Grants, federal loans or work-study jobs.

Many states, including California offer in state tuition to undocumented immigrants. But they still struggle to pay tuition, as they do not qualify for federal financial aid. Private scholarships and in some cases state aid — such as in California –are filling the gaps. The California Dream Act of 2011 allows students to apply for and receive non-state funded private scholarships to attend public universities and also allows them to apply for and receive state-funded financial aid.

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