Middlesex Community College

***New***Dreamers student support group: Email Student SUCCESS Mentor, Sarah Alzate-Perez to join.

***New***Dreamers Club for MCC students: Email club president, Oriana Lara to join.

Digital Resource Guide for Undocumented and DACA Students

Undocumented students:

Refers to students who do not hold legal documentation. Although, no law prohibits undocumented students from gaining admission into U.S universities, due to their lack of immigration status, they cannot access financial aid, certain scholarships, study abroad opportunities, or in-state tuition.

DACA:

Within undocumented students, there is a subgroup called DACA. Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) is an administrative relief from deportation. DACA students are eligible immigrant youth who came to the United States when they were children. Under the DACA status, young undocumented immigrants not only receive protection from deportation, but also qualify for a work permit. Through the work permit, DACA recipients can acquire a social security number and a driver’s license. The relief expires after two years, subject to renewal.

1. Were under the age of 31 as of June 15, 2012;
2. Came to the United States before reaching your 16th birthday;
3. Have continuously resided in the United States since June 15, 2007, up to the present time;
4. Were physically present in the United States on June 15, 2012, and at the time of making your request for consideration of deferred action with USCIS;
5. Had no lawful status on June 15, 2012, meaning that:
   1. You never had a lawful immigration status on or before June 15, 2012, or
   2. Any lawful immigration status or parole that you obtained prior to June 15, 2012, had expired as of June 15, 2012;
6. Are currently in school, have graduated or obtained a certificate of completion from high school, have obtained a general education development (GED) certificate, or are an honorably discharged veteran of the Coast Guard or Armed Forces of the United States; and
7. Have not been convicted of a felony, significant misdemeanor, or three or more other misdemeanors, and do not otherwise pose a threat to national security or public safety.
8. For more information about eligibility and completing the necessary forms to apply, please visit: https://www.uscis.gov/DACA

In-state Tuition Benefit: In November 2012, the governor of Massachusetts announced that Massachusetts students who have been granted DACA Status after August 2012 would be eligible for in-state tuition and fees. In order to be eligible for in-state tuition, applicants must submit a copy of the C-33/DACA card or a copy of the I-797 Notice of Action to the online application. Please be advised that this legislation may change.

For more information, please visit: https://studentaid.gov/apply-for-aid/fafsa/filling-out/undocumented-students

Upon passage of the Commonwealth’s “High School Completers” Tuition Equity Law on July 1, 2023, Massachusetts has expanded access to in-state tuition rates, as well as to state financial aid programming, for all students who have attended high school in the Commonwealth for at least three (3) years, obtained a high school diploma or its equivalent in Massachusetts, and met certain other documentation requirements.

Tuition Equity Law notably carves a pathway to in-state tuition rates and state financial aid for certain non-US citizen students, including undocumented students, who have attended high school in Massachusetts for at least three (3) years and earned a high school diploma (or the equivalent) in the Commonwealth.

1. Try to get involved
   1. Join or start a club;
   2. Look for community service opportunities;
   3. Find your passion and do something about it, for example: Do internships, create an event, start a movement…be creative!
2. Maintain a high GPA
   1. Are you struggling to maintain a high GPA? Get a tutor from the ACE department;
   2. Talk with your professors: They can provide you with the necessary tools to succeed in your classes.
3. NETWORK/ Foster relationships
   1. Networking is necessary for any student, but as undocumented or DACA student you can rely on these networks to access career opportunities, scholarships, recommendation letters, or good references. The opportunities are endless.
   2. How can you network? Getting involved in your college campus and community at large is the best way to meeting people and developing long-lasting relationships.
   3. Fostering a relationship with your professors is also a way of networking. Speaking with your professors consistently can be crucial to succeeding in your classes. But also, in the future, your professors can serve as your recommenders and references.

Public

City of Boston Free Tuition Program for Community College Students

https://www.bhcc.edu/admissions/cityofbostonfreetuitionprogram/

UMass Lowell:

https://www.uml.edu/thesolutioncenter/financial-aid/Receiving-Aid/Types-Aid/undocumented-students.aspx#answer334247_1

UMass Boston:

https://www.umb.edu/campus-life/diversity-inclusion/multicultural-affairs/undocumentedsupport/

UMass Dartmouth:

https://www.umassd.edu/hr/policies-and-laws/undocumented-daca/

Private

Amherst College

https://www.amherst.edu/admission/apply/firstyear/undoc

Tufts University:

https://admissions.tufts.edu/apply/undocumented-students/

Bryn Mawr College:

https://www.brynmawr.edu/pensby/daca-and-undocumented-students

Hampshire College:

https://www.hampshire.edu/news/2012/08/24/learn-more-about-the-undocumented-student-scholarship-fund

Harvard University:

https://undocumented.harvard.edu

MIT:

https://mitadmissions.org/apply/firstyear/undocumented-applicants/

Smith College:

https://www.smith.edu/about-smith/immigration-policy-resources

Wellesley College:

https://www.wellesley.edu/careereducation/resources/resources-undocumented-students-and-students-qualified-daca

Suffolk University:

https://www.suffolk.edu/career-center/equity-and-access/students-with-undocumented-daca-status

Emerson College:

https://www.emerson.edu/departments/financial-aid/undocumenteddaca-students

Northeastern University

https://careers.northeastern.edu/article/undocumented-daca-dreamers/

Williams College

https://www.williams.edu/admission-aid/apply/daca/

Massachusetts College of Art and Design 

https://massart.edu/immigration-resources

Gordon College 

https://www.gordon.edu/heerf

The Dream

https://www.thedream.us

Red Pine Scholars program:

https://tpi.org/scholarships-college-success/

Fastweb:

Fastweb.comBottom Line Scholarship Database:

https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1XVOhqT3vtLCNT6pKIePNoYa3c5Jh_h8ign8pBy0Q5cU/edit#gid=1876190058

Golden Door Scholarship lights the way for undocumented students to invest in their education and to achieve their career goals beyond what they might imagine.

Niche

https://www.niche.com/

MEFA

Mefa.org

Scholarship America –Only DACA

https://scholarshipamerica.org/students/browse-scholarships/apply-for-the-dream-award/

Hacemos Scholarship

https://learnmore.scholarsapply.org/hacemos/

Scholarship America- List of Scholarships

https://scholarshipamerica.org/students/browse-scholarships/?fwp_availability=available-now&fwp_state_territory=massachusetts

The Philanthropy Initiative

https://tpi.org/scholarships-college-success/

College Board

https://signup.collegeboard.org/scholarship-search/?excmpid=vt-00045

College Scholarships.org

http://www.collegescholarships.org/financial-aid/

Red Kite

https://myredkite.com

US Department of Labor Database

https://www.careeronestop.org/toolkit/training/find-scholarships.aspx

Peterson’s

https://www.petersons.com/scholarship-search.aspx

Dreamer’s Road Map:

http://dreamersroadmap.org

The Cooke Undergraduate Transfer Scholarship

https://mydocumentedlife.org/2022/10/20/26594/

Unafraid Scholarship:provides financial support for students who are not eligible to receive financial aid from the federal government due to their immigration status.

Pocket DACA:

Provides information, resources, and tools to help individuals understand and apply for Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA).

Dreamer’s Road Map:

Helping undocumented and DACA students find scholarships.

DACA Scholars:

Provides connection between undocumented college students and scholarship opportunities.

Notifica:

With a press of a button, undocumented immigrants who are the subject of a raid by Immigration and Customs Enforcement will be able to use the Notifica app to send customized messages to 15 personal contacts.

Arrived:

A hub for immigration resources, Arrived, displays the latest immigration news and educates users on the deportation process. It also offers English lessons, answers popular queries like "how to write a resume" and offers a map with every non- governmental organization, law clinic and sanctuary city in the United States.

Targimly:

A Facebook messenger bot that connects a community of 2,000 volunteer translators with immigrants and refugees in real time.

Cell 411:

Allows users to contact close friends and family when being confronted by ICE officers.

REDADALERTAS:

Delivers verified and crowdsourced data on ICE raids, checkpoints or other confrontations happening nearby.

• 144 Merrimack St., Lowell, MA 01852 Phone: 978-454-0666

• 144 Merrimack St., Lowell, MA 01852 Phone: 978-459-9031
• www.iine.org
• Offers Pro Bono services

• 35 John Street, Ste. 302, Lowell, MA 01852 Phone: 978-458-1465
• Email: info@mvlegal.org http://www.northeastlegalaid.org

• Together We Dream (Massachusetts resources for undocumented students): https://www.togetherwedream.net
• U.S. Citizenship & Immigration Services (USCIS): www.uscis.gov
• American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU): aclu.org
• Brookings Institute: brookings.edu
• Center for American Progress: americanprogress.org
• Migration Policy Institute (MPI): migrationpolicy.org
• My Undocumented Life: mydocumentedlife.org
• National Immigration Law Center (NILC): nilc.org/issues/daca
• United We Dream: unitedwedream.org

• Lowell Community Health Center 
  • MassHealth Limited: Emergency Health Services
• MCC's Mental Health Services
• SUCCESS Scholars Program: Student support group
  • Email Student SUCCESS Mentor, Sarah Alzate-Perez to join.
    
• Immigrants Rising
  • Grounding and self-care toolkit