THE DREAM ACT
An undocumented student refers to an individual who is not a legal citizen or resident of the United States and thus receives no financial assistance for a college education. Several advances have been made in allowing undocumented students equal access to education, such as AB 540, AB 130 and 131 (the California DREAM Act) and the Federal DREAM Act. However, the playing field is still very much uneven, discriminating against students who by chance happened to be born somewhere else, but were raised in the United States. It is unfair for a student to be hindered due to the status of their citizenship, and legislation against such is an important step in eliminating inequality.
Before 2001, undocumented students were required to pay out-of-state tuition fees in California due to their citizenship status. This created great burdens for students in paying for education; not only were undocumented students ineligible for grants, but they had to pay much more for classes. For example, if AB 540 was not passed, a current undocumented student at Porterville College would be required to pay $236 per credit they are enrolled, while those eligible for in-state tuition would be required to pay $46 per credit. According to the California Dream Network (CDN), an organization aimed at educating undocumented students on their rights, AB 540 applies to students who meet certain requirements. These requirements verify that a student is indeed deserving of in-state tuition by requiring the student “attended a California high school for three years, graduated from a California highs school, is currently enrolled at an accredited institution of public higher education, sign a statement (Affidavit) with the college or university and not hold a valid non-immigrant visa.” Currently, the only 11 states that offer in-state tuition to undocumented students are California, Illinois, Kansas, Nebraska, New Mexico, New York, Texas, Utah, Washington, and Wisconsin. However,...