UC and CSU Schools to Start a Loan Program for Qualified Undocumented Students

Financial help is on the way for qualified undocumented students. The California DREAM Loan Program is the latest program for students who entered the United States illegally as children.

In 2001, those students were able to pay in-state tuition at public universities, last year, they became eligible for grants, and now through the new program, they can get loans.

Lois Kelly is the director of financial aid at Cal Poly. She said, “They’ve been challenged to meet all of their financial obligations with limited funding available.”

Now undocumented students who qualify and attend California at UC or CSU, and who couldn’t get federal loans because of their immigration status, will be able to borrow from their colleges instead.

Mariah Bravo, a student at Cal Poly, said “The fact that undocumented students can get loans now just makes it so much easier.”

“I’ve met students, and I have friends who are undocumented, they go to college, and transfer to big schools, and they need all the support they can get.”

Cal Poly has around 130 students who would qualify for these loans.

“At Cal Poly our fees are $8,919, we can only cover 5,472 through the Cal Grant or state university grant DREAM program,” Kelly said, “This is an additional up to $4,000 of funding a year for students who qualify.”