Undocumented Parents: First Steps to College for your Children

• Higher education
  • Education or learning continued after high school at a college or university
• Federal financial aid
  • A form that students fill out to see how much money they can get to help pay for college.
• Technical, Vocational, and/or Trade School
  • School that prepares students to enter career fields that require specialized training
• Community College
  • A college where students can go for two years and get an associate’s degree.
• Tuition
  • The money that students have to pay to go to college.
• In-state tuition
  • The amount of money students pay to go to a college in their home state.
• Out-of-state tuition
  • Amount students pay for a school, college, or university they attend out of their home state

In the United States, all students, no matter where they or their parents are from, have the opportunity to attend college. If your child is a U.S. citizen, their eligibility for in-state tuition or state financial aid will not be affected by your immigration status as their parent.

If your child is undocumented, there are some things you need to know. There is no federal law that says universities can’t accept undocumented students, but each state and university has their own rules about in-state tuition (how much students pay) and state financial aid (what kind of help students can get).

This video explains how a parent’s immigration status does not affect their child’s ability to pursue higher education in the United States.

After high school, your child can keep learning in many ways. They can go to different schools, like trade schools or universities, to study and get a degree. It’s important for your child to think about what they want to do in the future when choosing which school is the best fit for them. Each situation is unique and dependent on your child’s career goals, and what works for one may not work for another. To learn more about these options, you can visit our Options for Undocumented High School Students page. This video explains more about trade schools, community colleges, and universities.

The Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) is a form that helps the government figure out how much financial aid your child is eligible for in order to pay for college. If your child is a U.S. citizen, your immigration status, as the parent, will not affect their ability to get financial aid through the FAFSA. If your child is undocumented with or without DACA, they will not be eligible for federal student aid. But depending on where you live, your child might still be able to get financial aid from their state or college. This video explains more about the different types of financial aid available depending on your child’s immigration status.