GMU's 'Undocumented Scholars Award' helps illegal immigrant students get past 'barriers'
The George Mason University scholarship was created in 2016 to assist 'students whose immigration status might otherwise hinder them from accessing higher education.'
'Please share how your current immigration status (undocumented, DACA, TPS or pending status) has impacted access to funding for your education,' an application prompt reads.
George Mason University in Fairfax, Virginia is offering a scholarship designed primarily for illegal aliens.
Established in 2016, the “Undocumented Scholars Award” aids “students whose immigration status might otherwise hinder them from accessing higher education,” as seen on George Mason’s website.
According to George Mason’s website, the dollar amount of the award varies by recipient, but the award prioritizes those students “struggling with financial obstacles due to barriers from immigration status,” according to the university’s Undocumented Student Resources page.
“Students must have a minimum cumulative 2.75 GPA for the semester prior (ex.: for Spring 2024, students will need a cumulative 2.75 GPA at the close of the Fall 2023 semester),” a description on George Mason’s website states. “Both in-state and out-of-state students may qualify, as may both documented and undocumented immigrant students, regardless of their Visa, DACA [Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals], and TPS [Temporary Protected Status].”
To apply for the scholarship, students must respond to two supplemental questions, as seen on the website. The first question, to which students must respond in a maximum 600 words, covers immigration status—explicitly referencing groups of people who reside in the U.S. illegally.
“Please share how your current immigration status (undocumented, DACA, TPS or pending status) has impacted access to funding for your education,” the prompt reads. “Moreover, can you please share how will Undocumented Scholars Award will help you directly (tuition, fees, books, course materials, etc.).”
The Undocumented Scholars Award is not the only resource at George Mason for students who are residing in the country illegally.
The university also offers “UndocuAlly Training” in order for “for participants to understand some of the history of our undocumented communities, past and present legislation, and the lived realities and barriers our undocumented communities are fighting through with strength and resilience,” according to the Undocumented Student Resources page.
[RELATED: UVA lets illegal immigrant students skip out on enrollment deposit]
George Mason also offers to pay students’ fees to renew their DACA paperwork.
“In the event that a student faces a financial hardship related to the renewal of their DACA paperwork, they can receive $495 to renew their application,” George Mason’s Undocumented Student Resources page states. “The DACA renewal award is now a part of the emergency fund. Students apply stating that they are undocumented and need the aid in ‘x’ amount of time to renew their DACA in a timely manner.”
Campus Reform has contacted George Mason University for comment. This article will be updated accordingly.
