Washington – The Department of Education today released a resource guide to help state education, college, and university administrators better serve undocumented students and support their academic success.

The Department of Education’s Resource Guide: Supporting Undocumented Youth provides information on federal laws regarding undocumented students’ access to secondary and post-secondary education, state tuition policies, financial aid and scholarship resources, and the 2012 Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program. The 1.5 million children and youth who currently or will meet the DACA guidelines are ineligible for federal student loans and grants, but they may be eligible for state, institutional, and private student aid.

The Department of Education also announced plans to release in coming months a separate resource guide to support undocumented students in early learning programs and elementary schools.

In response to the Department of Education’s resource guide, First Focus President Bruce Lesley made the following statement:

“Thousands of undocumented students graduate from high school each year hoping to attend college and are left to sort out complicated laws and policies that create significant obstacles to higher education,” said Lesley. “Thousands more turn 15 and become eligible for deferred status under DACA. Educators need roadmaps like this to help their undocumented students navigate the complex path to a degree and access immigration relief.”

“We applaud the Department of Education for this much-needed resource for educators. We are thrilled there are also plans to create a resource guide for early childhood and elementary educators, and look forward to working with the Department in support of our youngest DREAMers.”

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First Focus is a bipartisan advocacy organization dedicated to making children and families the priority in federal policy and budget decisions. For more information, visit www.firstfocus.org.