For the past seven years, Kat has been helping people make the best financial decisions for their unique situations, whether they're looking for the right insurance policies or trying to pay down debt. Kat has expertise in insurance and student loans.
Kat Tretina Personal Finance WriterFor the past seven years, Kat has been helping people make the best financial decisions for their unique situations, whether they're looking for the right insurance policies or trying to pay down debt. Kat has expertise in insurance and student loans.
Written By Kat Tretina Personal Finance WriterFor the past seven years, Kat has been helping people make the best financial decisions for their unique situations, whether they're looking for the right insurance policies or trying to pay down debt. Kat has expertise in insurance and student loans.
Kat Tretina Personal Finance WriterFor the past seven years, Kat has been helping people make the best financial decisions for their unique situations, whether they're looking for the right insurance policies or trying to pay down debt. Kat has expertise in insurance and student loans.
Personal Finance Writer Kennedy Edgerton Personal Finance EditorKennedy Edgerton is a personal finance editor, leveraging his passion for writing and personal finance to produce stimulating content that empowers readers to enhance their lives through advised decision-making. He has written for several publication.
Kennedy Edgerton Personal Finance EditorKennedy Edgerton is a personal finance editor, leveraging his passion for writing and personal finance to produce stimulating content that empowers readers to enhance their lives through advised decision-making. He has written for several publication.
Kennedy Edgerton Personal Finance EditorKennedy Edgerton is a personal finance editor, leveraging his passion for writing and personal finance to produce stimulating content that empowers readers to enhance their lives through advised decision-making. He has written for several publication.
Kennedy Edgerton Personal Finance EditorKennedy Edgerton is a personal finance editor, leveraging his passion for writing and personal finance to produce stimulating content that empowers readers to enhance their lives through advised decision-making. He has written for several publication.
Updated: Jan 26, 2024, 9:04am
Editorial Note: We earn a commission from partner links on Forbes Advisor. Commissions do not affect our editors' opinions or evaluations.
Getty
Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) students aren’t eligible for federal financial aid, although they can qualify for other aid, including state grants and scholarships. DACA students can also receive in-state tuition and additional loans to cover any remaining college costs.
Completing the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) can be difficult for DACA students. However, following a streamlined process can make completing the form easier.
Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals, or DACA, is an administrative relief program that defends eligible immigrants from deportation, provides a work permit and other benefits.
DACA students can attend college since they aren’t required to disclose proof of citizenship to apply.
To qualify for all federal financial aid, applicants must submit the FAFSA with a valid Social Security number (SSN). Federal aid for college costs, including grants and federal student loans, is only for U.S. citizens and permanent residents. Since DACA students are eligible immigrants to the U.S., they’re ineligible for federal student loans.
Some private student loan lenders will work with DACA students, though some lenders may need to have a co-signer who is a U.S. citizen or permanent resident to qualify.
DACA students cannot receive federal financial aid, but that doesn’t mean there aren’t other options. As a DACA student, you could qualify for one or more of the following forms of aid:
In-state tuition is nearly half the cost of out-of-state rates, allowing you to save a substantial amount of money. Some states provide in-state tuition rates to DACA students, including:
To find out if your state offers in-state tuition rates to DACA students, visit your state education agency’s website.
Unlike student loans, grants and scholarships don’t require repayment, so they can drastically reduce your education expenses. In some states, there are grants and scholarships available to DACA students. For example, DACA students in California can qualify for several grants and scholarships, including the California Cal Grant, Chafee Grant and the Middle-Class Scholarship. To qualify, students must complete the California Dream Act application.
You can use a nonprofit resource like the Higher Ed Immigration Portal to find out what state-based financial aid is available in your area.
Colleges and universities often operate their own scholarship and grant programs, and they may issue them to DACA students. A few examples include:
Contact your college’s financial aid office to learn about available programs.
There are thousands of scholarships and grants that are issued by nonprofit organizations and private companies. Some of them are specifically designed to help DACA students pay for college, such as:
Although federal student loans aren’t an option, DACA students may be eligible for a private student loan. Here are a few lenders that offer loans to DACA students:
To fill out the FAFSA as a DACA student, follow these steps:
Once you finish filling out the form, you can submit it online.
If you cannot complete the FAFSA, reach out to the college’s financial aid office and ask if they have an alternative financial aid application for students who aren’t eligible for federal aid.
Find the best Student Loan Refinance Lenders for your needs.
Was this article helpful?
Share your feedback Send feedback to the editorial team Thank You for your feedback! Something went wrong. Please try again later. Find The Best Student Loan
By Caroline Basile
By Caroline Basile
By Taylor Medine
By Natalie Campisi
By Natalie Campisi
By Caroline Basile
Information provided on Forbes Advisor is for educational purposes only. Your financial situation is unique and the products and services we review may not be right for your circumstances. We do not offer financial advice, advisory or brokerage services, nor do we recommend or advise individuals or to buy or sell particular stocks or securities. Performance information may have changed since the time of publication. Past performance is not indicative of future results.
Forbes Advisor adheres to strict editorial integrity standards. To the best of our knowledge, all content is accurate as of the date posted, though offers contained herein may no longer be available. The opinions expressed are the author’s alone and have not been provided, approved, or otherwise endorsed by our partners.
Personal Finance WriterFor the past seven years, Kat has been helping people make the best financial decisions for their unique situations, whether they're looking for the right insurance policies or trying to pay down debt. Kat has expertise in insurance and student loans, and she holds certifications in student loan and financial education counseling.
© 2024 Forbes Media LLC. All Rights Reserved.
Are you sure you want to rest your choices?The Forbes Advisor editorial team is independent and objective. To help support our reporting work, and to continue our ability to provide this content for free to our readers, we receive compensation from the companies that advertise on the Forbes Advisor site. This compensation comes from two main sources. First, we provide paid placements to advertisers to present their offers. The compensation we receive for those placements affects how and where advertisers’ offers appear on the site. This site does not include all companies or products available within the market. Second, we also include links to advertisers’ offers in some of our articles; these “affiliate links” may generate income for our site when you click on them. The compensation we receive from advertisers does not influence the recommendations or advice our editorial team provides in our articles or otherwise impact any of the editorial content on Forbes Advisor. While we work hard to provide accurate and up to date information that we think you will find relevant, Forbes Advisor does not and cannot guarantee that any information provided is complete and makes no representations or warranties in connection thereto, nor to the accuracy or applicability thereof. Here is a list of our partners who offer products that we have affiliate links for.
