Rutgers to host first-ever college admissions fair for illegal immigrants
Students at the fair can learn about how to fill out an college application and how to pay for college.
Rutgers’ Newark campus is hosting a college admissions fair strictly for students who are not legal citizens.
The school has promised to keep the confidentiality of all those who register from both private and government offices.
Rutgers University is hosting the first-ever college admissions fair for students who are not legal citizens.
“UndocuRutgers”—a three-hour event on Sat., Feb., 14 at Rutgers’ branch campus in Newark, N.J—is a college fair for undocumented students who may want to learn more about what their college options are.
“The NJ ‘DREAM’ Act and Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals provide more access to higher education for undocumented students than ever before,” the registration page reads. “Come learn what resources and opportunities are available at Rutgers University–Newark.”
The registration page also promises to protect the identities and immigration status of those who sign up for the fair. The fair promises to keep all information confidential from both government and private organizations.
The fair will provide information to students on anything from filling out a college application to figuring out how to pay for college, as students living in N.J. who are residing illegally in the U.S. cannot receive federal financial aid. They may attend public colleges at an in-state tuition rate if they prove that they have begun or are about to begin filing for legal citizenship.
Students have the opportunity to apply for scholarships through TheDream.Us, a “new multimillion dollar National Scholarship Fund for DREAMers, created to help immigrant youth who’ve received DACA achieve their American Dream through the completion of a college education,” according to their website.
Rutgers also offers a scholarship to students to help with the school’s tuition. At Rutgers-Newark, the estimated tuition for off-campus students is $13,297 and $25,806 for on-campus students that are N.J. residents.
"We have not done formal benchmarking to determine how common it is among colleges and universities nationally to offer an information day like this," Peter Englot, Rutgers-Newark's senior vice chancellor for public affairs, told NJ.com. "Our motivation derives from our awareness of the growing presence of undocumented students in our region, underlined by recent studies."
NJ.com also reported that the college fair will include representatives from Bergen Community College, Essex County College, Hudson County Community College, and Union College County besides representatives from Rutgers, N.J.’s state university.
Representatives from Rutgers’ law school will also be on hand Sat., to discuss legal matters with the students and their families.
Besides N.J., 17 other states allow students residing illegally in the U.S. to attend college while paying in-state tuition.
According to research from the Pew Hispanic Center in 2011, New Jersey was one of the top five states with most illegal aliens with 550,000 in 2010. California, Texas, Florida, and New York all ranked higher.
Rutgers-Newark did not respond to a request for comment from Campus Reform.
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