Dear Oscar,
It may be better to go to an actual 4-year college since many scholarships are awarded to students who attend a college or university.
If you wish to continue with this center of employment, you may need to ask them if they have a payment plan that will allow you to work and pay as you go.
Here are a few things to consider as an undocumented student:
1) There are eleven states that allow in-state tuition for undocumented students; however, you must check their requirements because each one differs. Most require that you attend a certain numbers of years in high school within that state. The eleven states are the following: California, Connecticut, Utah, Washington, New York, Wisconsin, Illinois, Kansas, Maryland, New Mexico, and Nebraska.
2) Public universities or state colleges should not ask for proof of your citizenship or immigration status. They are not required to report undocumented students. You are allowed to leave the SSN space on the application blank.
3) Private colleges DO NOT receive federal funding, therefore, they are able to accept and give financial aid to undocumented students (depending on the school’s policy). Students interested in private universities should speak to the Admissions Office about their status.
4) Organizations such as MALDEF offer scholarships to undocumented students. Please visit them at www.maldef.org or call (213) 629-2512. Also, check out Latino College Dollars at www.latinocollegedollars.org.
4) While you are not able to apply to general scholarships, you should consider applying to private scholarships. While there may not be an abundance of private scholarships available to undocumented students, it is worth trying to apply to private sources. When filling out the application, leave the "Social Security" box or line blank.
5) Go to our main page and click on Paying for school. Here you will find the category, UNCOVENTIONAL WAYS TO PAY FOR COLLEGE where you will find helpful suggestions to fund your studies.
5) Finally, I encourage you to visit Dr. Paz Maya Olivérez's blog - [drpazmayaoliverezforlatinosincollege.blogspot.com]. She provides a lot of helpful tips and information for undocumented students.
Please message us if you have more questions.
Best of luck!
Jazmin Cameron, LIC Advisor
