Undocumented Students or Dreamers
General Information
According to Illinois House Bill 60, an undocumented student in Illinois may receive in-state tuition at all public colleges and universities, provided they meet the following requirements:
- The student has resided with his or her parent or guardian while attending public or private high school;
- The student has graduated from an Illinois public or private high school or received a GED from Illinois;
- The student has attended an Illinois high school for at least three years; and
- The student provides the university with an affidavit stating that he or she will file an application to become a permanent resident of the United States once he or she becomes eligible. Download a copy of the affidavit.
For more information
If you want to register in college credit courses please contact:
Goli Rahmani, Enrollment Advisor / High School Recruiter / International Students, 709-7809
If you have not yet obtained a High School diploma or GED please contact:
Teresa Guia, Transition Specialist / Adult Education, 709-3721
If you are looking for tuition assistance please contact the PSC foundation:
Deborah Smith Havighorst, Executive Director, Institutional Advancement and the PSC Foundation, 709-7918
What If I Never Attend?
Course attendance is important to academic success. You must attend the courses you
register for at Prairie State College. If you register for a course and never attend,
you run the risk of being dropped from the course(s). If you will be unable to attend
any courses in which you enrolled, you must drop them. Refer to the academic calendar and the college refund table for applicable dates. Use the A-Z index where information is arranged alphabetically.
Scholarship Opportunities
Undocumented students may be eligible to receive privately funded merit scholarships or grant aid. They are not eligible to receive state and federal financial aid.
- Students should begin looking for scholarships as early as possible.
- Contact individuals, groups, or colleges/universities about resources that may be available.
The Illinois DREAM Fund Scholarship: The goal of The Illinois DREAM Fund Scholarship is to create access to financial funding to further the educational growth and development for undocumented students. It provides scholarships to undocumented students who are incoming freshmen or current undergraduates that have at least a 2.5 GPA (on a 4 point scale).
Find out how to apply for The Illinois DREAM Fund Scholarship by downloading this undocumented student's guide (PDF).
The Illinois DREAM Act also makes the State’s 529 college savings and prepaid tuition programs available to Illinoisans with Individual Taxpayer Identification Numbers, regardless of whether they have social security numbers. This means that those undocumented Illinoisans with ITINs will be allowed to participate in both the College Illinois! Prepaid Tuition Program and the Bright Start and Bright Directions college savings plans.
Other Resources
- Scholarship and other immigration information: Illinois Coalition for Immigrant and Refugee Rights (ICIRR)
- Information about the Illinois Dream Act: Illinois Student Assistance Commission (ISAC)
- Information on advising undocumented students (this is more for educators): College Board
- U.S.-Mexico Foundation (USMF)