The Dream Act

The Situation:

• Right now, 50-65,000 undocumented students graduate each year from high school in the U.S. only to face a dead end. The students have no opportunity to work legally or receive a higher education at a reasonable cost because they don’t qualify for in-state tuition. At Iowa State University, non-resident tuition is nearly three times the cost of in-state tuition per year. This is NOT including room and board.
  
  
• This is disheartening and frustrating for our undocumented youth – the problem creates a population of youth who are unmotivated to continue even their high school education. These youth may be tempted to join gangs, sell drugs or participate in other forms of delinquency since there appears to be no other option. This is a problem that affects us all – not just our youth, because our youth are our future in Iowa.
  
  

The DREAM Act:

The DREAM Act offers an opportunity of a promising future for undocumented students.

• It allows undocumented students to qualify for instate tuition and other scholarships/financial aid offered by the state. Once again, nonresident tuition to Iowa universities cost several thousand dollars MORE than resident tuition.
  
  
• The DREAM Act also allows long-term immigrant students with good moral character apply for legal residency.

What you can do to help:

Stay tuned for action alerts
We will let you know when to contact your Senator or Representative to support the DREAM Act.