‘Young Lives on Hold: The College Dreams of Undocumented Students’ — why we need
the DREAM Act

College Board policy brief supports comprehensive resolution to plight of undocumented students

NEW YORK — More than 65,000 undocumented students who have lived in the U.S. for five years or more will graduate from high school this spring. For their native-born classmates, graduation represents a rite of passage into adulthood. For too many undocumented students, it’s a dead end. That is the urgent message in a compelling report released today by the College Board at a briefing on Capitol Hill.

In “Young Lives on Hold: The College Dreams of Undocumented Students,” Roberto G. Gonzales, assistant professor at the School of Social Work at the University of Washington in Seattle, makes the case to Congress and the American people that the untenable status of these students is a humanitarian and civil rights issue, as well as an economic one, and debunks the myths that undocumented students limit opportunities for others.

The report contends that the initial investment in the K-12 education of these students, mandated by the Supreme Court in 1982, is lost if we continue to curb their ability to contribute to society after they graduate from high school. Without educating these students to their full potential, the report suggests, we are wasting their talent and imposing economic and emotional costs on undocumented students and on U.S. society as a whole.

These young people, American in identity and spirit, have often attended elementary and secondary schools in the U.S. where they have been encouraged to excel academically by their teachers and parents. While federal law does not prohibit undocumented students from attending college, these students face major obstacles in admissions, access to in-state tuition and access to financial aid. As the U.S. seeks to fill the need for a college-educated workforce, it should not turn its back on youngsters who can strengthen our country’s economic and social well-being.

College Board President Gaston Caperton said, “The College Board is working to remove the barriers to a college education for all students. Undocumented students deserve the same chance to go to college and fully participate in our society as other students. The DREAM Act would provide a way for them to fulfill their dreams and legally contribute to U.S. society. We must not turn our backs on these deserving young people.”

Reintroduced in the 111th Congress, and co-sponsored by a bipartisan group of senators and congressmen that includes Sens. Richard Durbin (D-IL), Richard Lugar (R-IN) and Robert Menendez (D-NJ), and Reps. Howard Berman (D-CA), Lucille Roybal-Allard (D-CA) and Lincoln Diaz-Balart (R-FL), the DREAM Act is designed to allow undocumented immigrant youth who were brought to the country as children to obtain legal permanent resident status if they remain in school through high school graduation and go on to college or military service. Estimates suggest that the DREAM Act would provide 360,000 undocumented high school graduates with a legal means to work and secure additional resources for college, and could provide incentives for another 715,000 youngsters between the ages of 5 and 17 to finish high school (to fulfill the act’s eligibility requirements) and pursue postsecondary education.

Congressman Michael Honda (D-CA) said, “The DREAM Act legislation I am co-sponsoring may well reinvigorate public furor over immigration, and will no doubt receive even greater attention with the College Board release of their groundbreaking report, ‘Young Lives on Hold: The College Dreams of Undocumented Students.’  There is cause for clarification, since many concerns are unfounded. In fact, the projected results of this legislation may be surprising to skeptics. The DREAM Act would provide a serious shot in the arm to our struggling economy, and, if it is passed, our educational investments would see substantially better returns. While there is a host of moral reasons why we should help undocumented students legally pursue their dreams in college and beyond, the financial benefits alone seem sufficient to warrant a serious discussion on the merits of the DREAM Act. And at a time when our economy is desperately seeking solace in every possibility of stimulus, the gains here are too inviting to ignore, and these students’ dreams too promising to pass up.”

Antonio Flores, president and CEO of the Hispanic Association of Colleges and Universities, said, “The DREAM Act will benefit those deserving students who have met the same rigorous academic requirements as their college-bound peers, but are now denied the financial aid and lower in-state tuition provided to other students. The nation as a whole would benefit from the education of these young people, who will be able to make their fullest contribution as future taxpayers, professionals and leaders in areas of critical importance to the nation's economy and security.”

Nearly 40 percent of undocumented children live below the federal poverty level, compared to 17 percent of native-born children. Numerous studies demonstrate that legal status brings fiscal, economic and labor-market benefits to individual immigrants, to their families and to society in general. Given the pressures of global migration many countries are experiencing, the problem of unauthorized immigration is not likely to go away. Giving undocumented students a chance to achieve the American Dream will help the United States to realize its goal of a better educated, more competitive workforce.

For more information, please visit www.collegeboard.com/advocacy.

The College Board

The College Board is a not-for-profit membership association whose mission is to connect students to college success and opportunity. Founded in 1900, the College Board is composed of more than 5,600 schools, colleges, universities and other educational organizations. Each year, the College Board serves seven million students and their parents, 23,000 high schools and 3,800 colleges through major programs and services in college readiness, college admissions, guidance, assessment, financial aid, enrollment, and teaching and learning. Among its best-known programs are the SAT^®, the PSAT/NMSQT^® and the Advanced Placement Program^® (AP^®). The College Board is committed to the principles of excellence and equity, and that commitment is embodied in all of its programs, services, activities and concerns. For further information, visit www.collegeboard.com.

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