Resources for Undocumented Students

Resources for Undocumented Students

Though federal and most state financial aid is not offered to undocumented students, there may be private scholarships and loans to help undocumented students pay for college. The University of Minnesota, Morris (UMM) financial aid administrators are aware of and sensitive to the needs of undocumented students and will try to assist students as best as they can.

Tuition
UMM offers in-state tuition to all undocumented students regardless of citizenship or state of residence.

State and Federal Grants
State and federal grants are awarded only to U.S. citizens or eligible non-citizens. To apply for a federal and state grant, students must complete the Free Application For Federal Student Aid (FAFSA), which requires the student’s social security number. To qualify, students must be a U.S. citizen, U.S. national or an eligible non-citizen. Students are an eligible non-citizen if students:

are a U.S. permanent resident with an Alien Registration Card (I-551)
are a conditional permanent resident with an I-551C card
have an Arrival Departure Record (I-94) from the Department of Homeland Security with any of the following designations: refugee, asylum granted, parole, or Cuban-Haitian entrant

Student Loans
Federal student loans, such as the Federal Direct Subsidized or Unsubsidized Loans are not available to undocumented students. Minnesota Office of Higher Education offers a loan program called the SELF Loan Program, which is available to citizens and non-citizens. There are Alternative Loan Programs that undocumented students can research for loan options. With the SELF or Alternative Loan Programs, students must have a credit-worthy cosigner who is a U.S. citizen.

Scholarships
Several organizations maintain online lists of scholarships. Here is a partial list of scholarships, both national and based in Minnesota, for which undocumented students would be eligibl