Undocumented college students in California now have access to a state student loan program under a measure signed into law this week by Gov. Jerry Brown (D).
Currently some California students without a legal immigration status may pay out of pocket for tuition costs, but are not eligible for federal loan programs.
The new legislation carves out $9.2 million available for undocumented students at the University of California and California State University.
California, along with several other states, has been working toward more forgiving college attendance policies for undocumented students, allowing students who graduated from California high schools to qualify for in-state tuition and Cal Grant scholarships regardless of immigration status.
The students can take up to $4,000 out a year, capped at $20,000 total. The rest of the loan program closely reflects federal student loan rates.
The loans will only be available to undocumented students who fall under California’s Assembly Bill 540, meaning they must have attended a California high school for at least three years and graduated, and signed a statement saying they have applied for legal residency or will do so as soon as they are permitted to.
Former Department of Homeland Security chief and current UC president Janet Napolitano said that she stood strongly behind the bill when it was first introduced in April, since these undocumented students “have done everything right.”
“It’s about opportunity and it’s about fairness,” she said.
