Understory 2018

A Bumpy Road to Higher Education

Mia Jennifer Sison

Abstract
 
Thousands of undocumented students, those living in the United States without the proper, up-to-date citizenship documents, wish to go to a college or university after graduating from high school. However, many do not seek out a higher education because of the different obstacles–admission, tuition, and financial aid–that come with being labeled as “undocumented.” With regards to these three obstacles, there are three different perspective dichotomies for each: equality versus privilege, aid versus burden, and exemption versus liability.
 
 
For many high school seniors, the biggest problems of the near future revolve around college. Students born in the United States that wish to go to college may worry about when to complete the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA), which degree program they should pursue, or even which professor they should learn from or avoid. Undoubtedly, there are several pieces of the transition from high school graduate to university undergraduate that these students have to consider, but what about the 65,000 undocumented students who graduate from U.S. high schools each year? (The College Board, 2017a, para. 1). What do they have to think about when they are the high school seniors who want to go to college?
           
To clarify, the National Immigration Law Center defines undocumented students as the “foreign nationals who entered the U.S. without inspection, with fraudulent documents, and/or legally as nonimmigrants, who then violated the terms of their status by letting their Visas expire” (Best Colleges, 2017, para. 1). Although a good amount of these students come to the states as teens, a great majority are brought by their parents as young kids, thus they have virtually zero control over their migration to the U.S. They assimilate themselves into the American culture by learning English and completing grade after grade. Their education is free from kindergarten through the 12th grade thanks to the Plyler v. Doe Supreme Court case, so they do not worry much about their illegal label during this time frame (Nolo, 2017, para. 8). However, come senior year of high school, anxiety levels start to climb. Those students that want to go to college have to finally face the consequences of their undocumented status. In terms of higher education, these concerns lie in three areas: admission, tuition, and financial aid (The College Board, 2017a, para. 2).
           
A common misconception among undocumented students is that they are not allowed admission into any college. According to the College Board (2017a), “there is no federal or state law that prohibits the admission of undocumented immigrants to U.S. colleges, public or private” (para. 3). Although this is true, higher education institutions are allowed to have their own policies on admitting undocumented students. For instance, the University of Notre Dame did not allow admission to undocumented students until September 2013 (Navarro, 2013, para. 1). Other universities, such as the University of Georgia, Georgia Tech, and Georgia College and State University, do not currently accept undocumented applicants (Fox News, 2016, para. 3). Each institution has a different take on this topic, as well as on the other issues concerning undocumented students and higher education.
           
Yet another important highly debated subtopic of the main issue is that of tuition. Should undocumented students living in a U.S. state be eligible for the in-state tuition rates of that state’s public institutions? Or should they pay the out-of-state tuition rates? Currently, numerous states, including Arizona, Georgia, and Indiana, require their admitted undocumented students to pay the out-of-state tuition fees, which are quite higher than in-state tuition fees. Other states, such as California, Kansas, and Utah, do allow in-state tuition rates for undocumented students as long as they meet certain requirements like proof of residency (The College Board, 2017b, para. 8). These states that allow undocumented students to pay the in-state tuition rate were influenced by the Development, Relief and Education for Alien Minors (DREAM) Act, which Congress has debated on repeatedly, each time resulting in rejection. This act “would provide a legal path to citizenship for undocumented students” and “repeal section 505 of the Illegal Reform and Immigrant Responsibility Act of 1996 (IIRIRA), [which discourages] states from offering in-state tuition or other higher education benefits to undocumented students” (Best Colleges, 2017, para. 10-12). There has not been a clear consensus on this issue of tuition due to the varying viewpoints of each state.
           
As if the issues of admissions and tuition rates did not bring about enough debate, there is yet another problem that stems from undocumented students and higher education: financial aid. First, according to the College Board (2017a), “undocumented students cannot legally receive any federally funded student financial aid, including loans, grants, scholarships, or work-study money.” Therefore, the FAFSA is off limits to these students. Second, in majority of the states, undocumented students cannot receive state financial aid. Third, a large portion of scholarships requires their applicants to be either U.S. citizens or legal residents. Lastly, private institutions have the authority to give scholarships and other forms of aid to undocumented students. While some private institutions do offer financial aid, others do not.
           
Thus, in terms of all three obstacles, there are three different perspective dichotomies. The first is equality versus privilege. Supporters of undocumented students believe that every single person should have equal access to education. The National Conference of State Legislatures (2015), for example, points out that all undocumented students can go to school from kindergarten through the 12th grade, a total of thirteen years. In fact, around 65,000 undocumented students graduate from U.S. high schools every year. If they are allowed to receive an education for this many years of their life, why should their education end the moment they graduate from high school? (para. 12). Documented students and undocumented students go through the same grades in the same schools, so it makes no sense to hinder access to those with an undocumented status.
           
Two other people, columnist Ian Tancun and Suzanne Hutlin of the National Conference of State Legislatures, argue in support of the undocumented students by talking about the consequences of inequality. Hultin argues in support of in-state tuition rates for undocumented students by explaining that paying the out-of-state tuition rate will be much more expensive. Because of this large expense, undocumented students will be discouraged from obtaining a higher education, which could help them obtain a good job. As Hultin says, “‘we know that the majority of students, in order to get some sort of well-paying job, will need some form of postsecondary education’” (Vasilo-gambros, 2016, para. 5). Although it is not impossible to obtain a high-paying job with only a high school diploma or GED, Hultin believes that it is incredibly hard to snag a career that can fully sustain an individual’s, and perhaps that individual’s family’s, needs with only that amount of education. Tancun (2016) similarly argues that because “undocumented students face unusually high levels of stress and anxiety” compared to most students, they should be eligible to receive institutional financial aid to lessen the burden of all of their other challenges (para. 4). In sum, these two advocates favor equality.
           
Meanwhile, there are several opponents of undocumented students who dismiss the arguments about equality and instead argue for privilege. For example, the Board of Regents of the Universities in Georgia argue that since several colleges and universities, especially the Ivy League institutions, are highly competitive in their admissions, spots should be given to legal students since they have the proper documents which prove they are authorized residents (Vasilogambros, 2016, para. 5). Furthermore, the Federation for Immigration Reform (FAIR) (2013) reasons that undocumented students should not be able to pay the in-state tuition rate of the state they reside in because American citizens who do not live in that state still have to pay the higher out-of-state fees (para.1-12). Moreover, on debate.org (2017), one person argued that receiving any financial aid, whether it is federal, state, or from the institution itself, is a privilege that should only be given to those who have obeyed the law. Simply put, these people believe that privileges like admission, a reduced tuition cost, and access to financial aid should go to all American citizens before undocumented residents (para. 4).
           
Another pair of opposing perspectives is about aid versus burden. While some believe that supporting undocumented students will aid the whole United States, others claim that doing so will place a burden on the country. One particular education professor, Robert Teranishi, made the claim that permitting admission for undocumented students would be beneficial since he found “‘that students are majoring in fields that are of great need to the nation’” (Kohli, 2015, para. 8). If giving undocumented students the opportunity to major in science, technology, engineering, or math (STEM) fields would positively affect the country’s economy, then, he argues, this should happen by all means. This view is also supported by Graig Meyer, the head of the North Carolina mentoring program, who argues that undocumented students eager to become teachers “‘should be [encouraged] to go to school’” because there is “‘a huge teacher shortage in the state’” (Ramirez, 2008, para. 7). Lastly, in an American Association for State Colleges and Universities (AASCU) report entitled Access for All, it was found that a large amount of undocumented high school graduates remains in the United States even after their free education ends. Therefore, they argue that making higher education as financially accessible to undocumented students as it is for documented students would most likely lead to an influx of successful workers rather than an increase of, say, criminals (National Conference of State Legislatures, 2015, para. 17).
           
In contrast, there are many who support these obstacles and claim that undocumented students are a burden. For example, the Board of Regents of the University System of Georgia think that access to higher education should be restricted for undocumented students. They reason, “undocumented immigrants could both take seats away from qualified citizens and be a burden on state taxpayers” (Vasilogambros, 2016, para. 3). Additionally, the Federation for Immigration Reform (FAIR) (2013) also uses this tax point to argue against in-state tuition rates for undocumented students in conjunction with the argument that offering these “discounted” rates would be unfair (para. 1-12). Reemphasized by William Gheen of the Americans for Legal Immigration Political Action Committee, “‘At a time of economic hardship for so many Americans, we need to worry about American students’” (Ramirez, 2008, para. 5).
           
One last pair of opposing perspectives is exemption versus liability. Some advocates of undocumented students believe that these students should not be punished for being brought here to the states as kids. They point out that not allowing undocumented students to pay the same rate as U.S. citizens would be like “blaming a bunch of kids of committing a crime they couldn’t control” (Debate.org, 2017, para. 1). This “crime” refers to the migration from a foreign country to the U.S. as young kid. Why make students pay a higher rate as a consequence of their parents’ decision to bring them to the states? According to Jessica Lander (2015), a teacher and writer of the Boston Globe, undocumented students “ask us only for the opportunity to learn. We should give them that chance” (para. 16). She shuts down all of the arguments people make in opposition to allowing undocumented students any financial assistance by saying that these particular students should be given an “equal opportunity” because being deemed undocumented was most likely not the result of their own decisions.
           
Conversely, there are those that believe that all of the responsibility should be placed on the undocumented students regardless of the fact that they were brought to the states as children by their parents. For instance, several people on Debate.org reasoned that since undocumented students, or perhaps their undocumented parents, either did not go through the process of obtaining or renewing the correct documents needed to live in the United States as an authorized citizen, then they should thus be restricted from getting any financial aid. These opponents believe that if students have the time to fill out the long paperwork of the FAFSA, then they definitely should have had time to fill out the paperwork for their own documents to live in the United States (Debate.org, 2017, para. 4). In addition, Giovanni Osorio (2011), a former University of Southern California student, wrote in his article for the Daily Trojan, “Undocumented students are suffering because of the actions of their parents . . . They should not be rewarded for laws broken when others abide by the law” (para. 11). His argument places all of the responsibility on the parents of the undocumented students. By restricting their sons’ and daughters’ access to higher education, parents will, Osorio claims, finally face the consequences of their actions.
           
All in all, an incredible amount of thought has been put into all three of these areas that encompass the issue of undocumented students and their path to obtaining a higher education. While proponents of undocumented students cite equality, aid, and exemption as their main arguments, their opponents fire back at those arguments by talking about privilege, burden, and liability. More than likely, consensus will not be reached amongst everyone in regards to these issues; however, it is also more than likely that change will be brought about to either solidify, modify, or eliminate these obstacles.
 
References
 
Best Colleges. (2017). College guide for undocumented students. Retrieved from
http://www.bestcolleges.com/resources/undocumented-students-guide/

The College Board. (2017). Advising undocumented students. Retrieved from https://professionals.collegeboard.org/guidance/financial-aid/undocumented-students

The College Board. (2017). For undocumented students: Questions and answers about paying for college. Retrieved from https://bigfuture.collegeboard.org/get-started/for-undocumented-students/questions-and-answers-about-paying-for-college

Debate.org. (2017). Should undocumented students who want to attend college be able to pay the same rate as US citizens? Retrieved from http://www.debate.org/opinions/should-undocumented-students-who-want-to-attend-college-be-able-to-pay-the-same-rate-as-us-citizens

Federation for American Immigration Reform. (2013). In-state tuition for illegal aliens. Retrieved from http://www.fairus.org/legislation/FAIR%20Illegal%20Alien%20In-State%20Tuition.pdf

Fox News. (2016, November 25). In reversal, 2 Georgia state universities open admissions to undocumented students. Retrieved from http://www.foxnews.com/world/2016/11/25/in-reversal-2-georgia-state-universities-open-admissions-to-undocumented.html

Kohli, S. (2015, January 31). Why U.S. colleges should welcome undocumented immigrants. Retrieved from https://www.theatlantic.com/education/archive/2015/01/why-us-colleges-should-welcome-undocumented-immigrants/385049/

Lander, J. (2015, August 20). Undocumented students should get college aid. Retrieved from https://www.bostonglobe.com/opinion/2015/08/19/undocumented-students-should-get-college-aid/6ZvEMxCpleSGK20GBF9YZK/story.html

National Conference of State Legislatures. (2015, October 29). Undocumented student tuition: Overview. Retrieved from http://www.ncsl.org/research/education/undocumented-student-tuition-overview.aspx

Navarro, L. (2013, October 1). More universities now admitting undocumented students. Retrieved from http://money.cnn.com/2013/10/01/pf/college/undocumented-students/

Nolo. (2017). Attending U.S. elementary or high school on an f-1 visa. Retrieved from http://www.alllaw.com/articles/nolo/us-immigration/attending-elementary-high-school-f-1-visa.html#

Osorio, G. (2011, June 14). Illegal immigrants should not be rewarded for ignoring laws – counterpoint. Retrieved from http://dailytrojan.com/2011/06/14/illegal-immigrants-should-not-be-rewarded-for-ignoring-laws/

Ramirez, E. (2008, August 7). Should colleges enroll illegal immigrants? Retrieved from https://www.usnews.com/education/articles/2008/08/07/should-colleges-enroll-illegal-immigrants

Tancun, I. (2016, December 1). Undocumented students deserve aid. Retrieved from http://northernstar.info/opinion/undocumented-students-deserve-aid/article_8b24e78e-b69f-11e6-89a1-9fc16302a447.html

Vasilogambros, M. (2016, March 16). The folly of under-educating the undocumented. Retrieved from https://www.theatlantic.com/politics/archive/2016/03/the-folly-of-under-educating-the-undocum
Mia Jennifer Sison received a Baccalaureate of English in 2017.
This piece was selected by Professor Heather Adams.

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