Starting Thursday, students without legal permission to be in the country will be able to apply for scholarships of up to $6,000 to help pay for tuition at Illinois colleges and universities.
The Illinois DREAM Fund, a not-for-profit organization created under a state law aimed at helping immigrants brought in illegally as children, has so far raised about $500,000 through private donations, the group said Friday.
All immigrant students can apply, but the group is focusing those who are here illegally, said Tanya Cabrera, chair of the Illinois DREAM Fund.
“We want to create access for those students who do not have access to federal or financial aid” because of their illegal immigration status, Cabrera said at a news conference in Chicago.
She said the organization anticipates 5,000 applicants this year. Successful applicants must have at least a 2.5 grade-point average and, for those just graduating high school, an ACT score of at least 17, Cabrera said.
Students attending a two-year college are eligible to apply for $2,000 scholarships. Those attending a four-year university can apply for $6,000.
The program exists under the Illinois DREAM Act, enacted into law last year. Supporters view the fund as a vehicle to help otherwise promising students who have long been hampered by their illegal status from affording college and, then, pursuing meaningful careers. Critics have called it a misguided effort that encourages illegal immigration.
DREAM Fund donations are exclusively private, though local politicians have helped spur contributions. Chicago mayor Rahm Emanuel, for example, raised $275,000, organizers said.
Maria Gonzalez, 24, plans to apply. Her illegal status has kept her from accepting several scholarships and government financial aid in the past, she said.
After briefly attending Harold Washington College, Gonzalez now studies sociology at the Illinois Institute of Technology. Though she already receives a private scholarship, it isn’t enough to pay the $40,000 she needs annually for tuition and other expenses, she said.
“It is very difficult to come up with the resources,” said Gonzalez, who works between classes as a clerk in a Pilsen neighborhood store.
Illinois DREAM Fund: www.illinoisdreamfund.org
