Building bridges for undocumented students to attend Delaware State University.

“I’m grateful that Delaware State accepted us to attend. They provide great resources and classes that would help me on my degree” Marcos Castillo, 2023 Senior.

In 2012, the U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) issued a policy entitled Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) to protect undocumented youth from deportation. These individuals are referred to as DREAMers, who despite the many challenges they face demonstrate constant resilience and desire to grow. The policy has opened doors of employment and pursuit of higher education for these young immigrants. Furthermore, the DREAM.US, a nonprofit organization has made it their mission to financially support the higher education of this population by granting partial and full ride scholarships. Delaware State is one of many Universities partnered with the DREAM.US that supports the higher education of DREAMers.

Delaware State has a total of 115 DREAMers 33 graduated in the Spring of 2021 with a cumulative of 3.3 GPA.

DREAMers constantly fear deportation. In the 2016 presidential campaign trail, then-candidate Trump made ending DACA a priority, and his administration stopped processing applications for undocumented youths in 2017. In response, advocates for the DACA program took the battle to the courts.

Despite the Supreme Court’s refusal to end the DACA program, the program has not been the same since it was first put in place, and DREAMers are at constant worry of its termination and loss of privileges brought forth by the program. For now, it is possible for DREAMers to attend a four year university but doing so comes with a unique set of challenges.

One challenge that DREAMers face in pursuing a higher education is affording its cost. Due to their undocumented status, these students do not qualify for financial aid, grants, or other types of governmental assistance, making paying for their education a challenge since they are required to cover the cost out of pocket.

Recent estimates show that nearly 100,000 undocumented students graduate from high school each year in the U.S.; however, less than 10% pursue a higher education. Though they can apply to universities, the uncertainty they face when it comes to being accepted and their ability to afford it may prevent them from attending.

“If DACA is ultimately phased out, thousands of undocumented students could face deportation or lose access to education, work, and other benefits.” – Tami Robinson

Delaware State urges everyone to support the DREAM.US by sending donations to support the higher education of this special population. This scholarship fund will support many undocumented students to attend Delaware State University.

The DREAM.US

The program supports undocumented students that are not supported with governmental financial aid to paid for their higher education.

The scholarship covers:

• Tuition
• Fees
• Campus housing
• Partner Meal Plans 

To get more information you can contact:

Email: TheDream.US@applyISTS.com

Call: 1-(855) 670-ISTS (4787) and ask for the TheDream.US Scholarship Program

Publish Resources

TheDream.US Opportunity Scholarship – Scholarships.com