Undocumented students at UIUC are students who are not U.S. citizens or permanent residents of the U.S., who do not hold a visa to reside in the U.S. and who have not applied for legal residency in the U.S. or are not eligible to do so, according to UIUC’s Undergraduate Admissions “Resources for Undocumented Students.”
I-CAUSE, Illinois-Coalition Assisting Undocumented Students’ Education, the largest student-run organization who’s mission is to create an alliance of undocumented students on campus, defines undocumented people as individuals residing in the country without legal documentation; who entered without inspection or fell out of a lawful visa status.
Undocumented students typically do not qualify for Federal Financial Aid and are not eligible to complete the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA). They may be eligible for in-state tuition, but they are not eligible for the Illinois Commitment, “a financial aid package that provides scholarships and grants to cover tuition and campus fees for students who are Illinois residents and have a family income of $67,100 or less.”
Although the exact number of undocumented students at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign is unknown, a 2021 report from the New American Economy estimates that over 427,000, or 2% of all students in higher education, are undocumented.
Through the information, data, timeline, interviews, and stories presented on this website, we hope to show the experiences of undocumented students at UIUC and help both documented and undocumented people learn more about this topic. – JJSP