The College Board yesterday released a new report, Young Lives on Hold: The College Dreams of Undocumented Students, at a briefing on Capitol Hill. The report, authored by Roberto G. Gonzales, assistant professor at the School of Social Work at the University of Washington in Seattle, supports the passage of The Development, Relief, and Education for Alien Minors (DREAM) Act.

The DREAM Act, first proposed in 2001 and reintroduced in the House and Senate on March 26, 2009, would allow undocumented immigrant youth who were brought to the country as children to obtain legal permanent resident status if they remain in school through high school graduation and go on to college or military service. While federal law does not prohibit undocumented students from attending college, these students face major obstacles in admissions, access to in-state tuition and access to financial aid.

College Board President Gaston Caperton said, "The College Board is working to remove the barriers to a college education for all students. Undocumented students deserve the same chance to go to college and fully participate in our society as other students. The DREAM Act would provide a way for them to fulfill their dreams and legally contribute to U.S. society. We must not turn our backs on these deserving young people."

Nearly 40 percent of undocumented children live below the federal poverty level, compared to 17 percent of native-born children. Numerous studies demonstrate that legal status brings fiscal, economic and labor-market benefits to individual immigrants, to their families and to society in general. Given the pressures of global migration many countries are experiencing, the problem of unauthorized immigration is not likely to go away. Giving undocumented students a chance to achieve the American Dream will help the United States to realize its goal of a better educated, more competitive workforce.

Media Coverage

Colleges push tuition aid for illegal immigrants Associated Press

Dare to DREAM... in 2009? Inside Higher Ed

College Board Announces Support for Immigration Bill The Chronicle of Higher Education

U.S. Colleges Say Illegal Immigrants Should Be Eligible for More Financial Assistance HispanicBusiness.com

Posted 04/22/09 to www.NASFAA.org. Redistribution to non-NASFAA institutions is prohibited. Please submit Web site questions or comments to Web@NASFAA.org.