Help collect college scholarship information to support the efforts of all students, regardless of citizenship status, to afford higher education

Legal Momentum is creating a comprehensive list of scholarships that do not require information about immigration status for the 2012-2013 school year, so that all immigrant students will be able to access scholarship information to further their own education. Federal law does not require non-governmental organizations to require immigration status information on scholarship applications. We are in the process of encouraging more foundations and organizations to make their scholarships available to undocumented students and adding these scholarships to the scholarship list. We are seeking your help and knowledge to contribute to this list in order to create a resource that crosses ethnicities and geographic location, to improve access to higher education.

Each year approximately 65,000 undocumented immigrants who have lived in the United States for five years or longer graduate from U.S. high schools. They are honor roll students, student leaders, star athletes, and award winners who aspire to be teachers, health care providers, scientists, technological entrepreneurs, doctors, and lawyers. But without outside aid or scholarships, it is extremely difficult for undocumented students to afford higher education. Without access to educational opportunities, undocumented immigrant high school graduates across the U.S. are relegated to a life of economic insecurity that precludes their ability to contribute fully to our communities. They must instead work in the informal economy where they earn less and are vulnerable to exploitation, sexual violence, and abuse.

The Immigrant Women Program (IWP) at Legal Momentum is dedicated to protecting and expanding the rights of immigrant women and their children. Access to higher education is a vital part of our vision of a society in which all women and girls are economically secure, empowered to make their own choices, and can live and work free of discrimination.

Please join IWP in collecting scholarship information to ensure that the full range of scholarships is available to all immigrant students in the U.S. We are looking for scholarships from non-governmental organizations that do not ask for information about immigration or citizenship status. To send information about scholarships, contact Abby Sun at asun@legalmomentum.org or (202) 326-0065 through August 5. Call Leslye Orloff at (202) 326-0040 after that date.

Revised: July 30, 2011

Vice President for Diversity, Equity, and Multicultural Affairs
Bryan Hall 115, Bloomington, IN 47405-7000, USA
(812) 856-5700

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