Enhanced undocumented website launched

There are more than 450,000 undocumented students in the United States, according to a report from the Presidents’ Alliance on Higher Education and Immigration. Michigan State University, like many other major universities, admits and supports students according to their academic qualifications, regardless of immigration status. MSU President Samuel L. Stanley Jr., M.D., has been explicit in his advocacy for increasing public understanding of how immigration policies and practices impact our students, campuses and communities, and has joined other university presidents and chancellors around the nation in voicing this support through the aforementioned alliance.

MSU recently launched an enhanced version of its website dedicated to supporting undocumented, Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA), and mixed-immigration status students, undocumented.msu.edu.
 
The website provides parental resources, contact information for many relevant campus services and details about financial aid and admissions. There is also a robust Frequently Asked Questions section that covers MSU’s legal duties and policies regarding undocumented and DACA students. 

“We recognize that there are students who are interested in attending MSU who, despite their immigration status, want to exercise their right to access education,” says Jabbar R. Bennett, Ph.D., vice president and chief diversity officer at MSU. “We hope this website will help prospective students in deciding on joining MSU by showing them what supports are in place if they do matriculate.” 

It can be a challenge for institutions to navigate their legal duties and stay true to their missions, which, in the case of MSU, is to provide the best and broadest education possible. Recognizing that undocumented students are not eligible for federal financial aid, MSU is proud to offer a wide range of financial support tools to all its students, including aid from the state and private scholarships. All students are encouraged to apply for MSU’s merit-based scholarships, which are available to students of any immigration status. 

“We are happy to provide this website as a resource to help prospective students and their families navigate what is already a complicated system of higher education in the United States,” says Bennett. “We know that issues of financial aid and admissions are barriers to members of underrepresented groups in general, so we hope that providing this information in one, central place can serve as a bit of a roadmap.”