The Presidents’ Alliance on Higher Education & Immigration (Presidents’ Alliance), in collaboration with university and organizational partners, established the Undocumented Graduate Student Initiative in September 2019 to develop resources for institutions seeking to recruit, enroll, and support undocumented graduate and professional students, as well as for undocumented students seeking to pursue graduate or advanced degrees.
We are excited to announce that we have created our inaugural Advisory Board for the Undocumented Graduate and Professional Student Initiative, comprised of campus leaders, faculty, administrators, undocumented students, and organizational experts, will inform and guide the work and objectives promoting and supporting undocumented students’ greater access to and through graduate and professional programs.
The goal of this initiative is to produce and highlight resources that can be shared with students, and used by faculty, campus departments, and institutions to address and resolve obstacles that faculty and departments encounter when they try to recruit, admit, and support undocumented graduate and professional students. The initiative also highlights obstacles faced by undocumented students seeking to enter graduate programs. A number of the participating institutions and organizations have produced guides, developed effective practices, and other useful resources. Their work forms the basis of our collaborative initiative.
University partners include deans, faculty, administrators, and students at UCLA, UC Merced, UC Davis, Cornell, and Brown, and organizational partners, including the TheDream.US, Immigrants Rising, Council of Graduate Schools, Pre-Health Dreamers, and Define American.
This is an ongoing initiative, to read more about the past and current work of the initiative click here. If you are interested in learning more or contributing resources, please contact info@presidentsalliance.org.
The following products and resources of the initiative can be found here:
- Undocumented Graduate and Professional Students Handbook (UCLA, 2019). A guide on how undocumented students can access certain graduate programs.
- Campus Handbooks for Supporting Undocumented Graduate Students (UC Merced, 2019).
- FAQs on Tuition & Financial Aid for Undocumented Students (Presidents’ Alliance, 2019).
- Building Your Own Institutional Toolkit (Presidents’ Alliance & Council on Graduate Schools, 2019).
- Higher Education Fellowships and Funding Guide (Presidents’ Alliance, 2020).
- Stories on Navigating Graduate School as an Undocumented Student (MyUndocumentedLife, 2020).
- Developing an UndocuSupport System: Enrichment Assessment Report of Campus Support for Undocumented Students (Pre-Health Dreamers, November, 2020).
- Undocumented Graduate Student Scholarship List (Immigrants Rising, December, 2020).
- Undocu-Grad School Guide (New York State Youth Leadership Council (NYSYLC), April 16, 2021). A guide for DACA recipients and undocumented students who are considering pursuing graduate school, including how to apply, pay for graduate school, and prepare for standardized tests.
- Law School Resource Guide for Undocumented Students: Getting to Law School. This guide provides an overview of the application. admissions, and financial aid processes for law school, with a focus on immigration-specific considerations. (Immigrants Rising, September 2021).
For more information about the initiative or to add resources, contact info@presidentsalliance.org.
