Yongbin Chang, a junior economics major at UC Berkeley, came to California from South Korea at age 3 and graduated from Pleasant Grove High School near Sacramento with a grade point average well over 4.0. Thanks to DACA, he can work as a resident assistant in a dorm, which pays for his housing and food, and has a part-time job that pays $900 per month.
Students in California who meet certain requirements have access to the same state aid available to California residents.
This includes in-state tuition, Cal Grants, UC grants, State University Grants, community college fee waivers and scholarships administered by public colleges. To qualify, unauthorized-immigrant students generally must have spent at least three years at a California high school, but there are a few exceptions.
All students have until March 2 to apply for Cal Grants and Middle-Class Scholarships for 2017-18 by filing either the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (citizens and permanent residents) or the California Dream Act Application (unauthorized immigrants). Many campuses use these applications to award aid from their own funds.