By RACHEL

Check out these private colleges that admit undocumented students as domestic students instead of international students! Please note that the application deadline for regular decision for most colleges on this list is January 1^st, 2017. And please refer to this page for a full list of 15 private colleges that admit undocumented students as domestic students. We strive to keep this list of private colleges updated and complete so please let us know if we are missing any colleges!

***These policies might not apply to transfer students, so if you are a transfer student please ask the college what their policies are for transfer students. We will try to provide more information for transfer students soon.

Private Colleges that are Need-Blind for Domestic Students and meet Full Demonstrated Financial Need of Admitted Students

Many elite private universities are “need-blind” for domestic students and “need-aware” for international students*, which means that they do not take financial need into consideration in the admissions process for domestic students, but they do take financial need into consideration for international students. The admissions process is therefore especially competitive for low-income international applicants. But since these colleges are “need-blind” for undocumented students, undocumented students do not compete with other applicants with their financial need taken into consideration. Moreover, these colleges meet the full demonstrated financial need of all admitted domestic students.

*A small handful of private universities, including Harvard, Yale, and Princeton University are “need-blind” for both domestic and international students.

Northwestern University near Chicago, Illinois

Northwestern University, a prestigious private university north of Chicago, is “need-blind” for undocumented students (students with and without DACA) and considers undocumented students in the same applicant pool as US citizens and US permanent residents.

For more information about Northwestern’s admissions policies for undocumented students, please see this webpage.

For information about Northwestern’s financial aid packages for undocumented students, please see this webpage.

Application deadlines for first-year students:

Early Decision: November 1^st, 2016

Regular Decision: January 1^st, 2016

Application deadline for transfer students: (decisions are made on a rolling basis- deadline is March 15^th, 2016)

Rice University in Houston, Texas

Rice University is a prestigious, private university located in Houston, Texas with almost 4,000 undergraduate students. Rice University admits undocumented students (with or without DACA) as domestic students and is “need-blind” for undocumented students. According to their press release this fall, “Rice has a need-blind admissions policy for domestic students and meets the full demonstrated need of admitted students through a combination of scholarship awards, work study and loans. Domestic students include people who are U.S. citizens, permanent residents, undocumented students who have been granted DACA status at the time of admission, and undocumented students who do not have DACA status but are long-term residents in the U.S. and who will have graduated from a U.S. high school by the time of matriculation.”

For more information about Rice University’s admissions policies for undocumented students, please refer to this webpage.

Application deadlines:

Early Decision: November 1^st, 2016

Regular Decision: January 1^st, 2017

For more information for transfer students, please see this webpage.

Bowdoin College in Maine

Bowdoin is a private liberal arts college in Maine with almost 2,000 students. Bowdoin considers undocumented students to be domestic students in the admissions process and is “need-blind” for undocumented students.

For more information, please see this webpage.

Application deadlines:

Early Decision 1: November 15^th, 2016

Early Decision 2: January 1^st, 2016

Regular Decision: January 1^st, 2016

Transfer Admissions: March 1^st, 2016

Amherst College in Massachusetts

Amherst is a private liberal arts college in Massachusetts with almost 2,000 students. They are “need-blind” for undocumented students (with and without DACA) and accept undocumented students as domestic students. According to their website, “Amherst seeks to enroll an intellectually talented and diverse student body and therefore welcomes first-year and transfer applications from all interested students – U.S. citizens or non-U.S. citizens, living domestically or abroad, including undocumented students and students granted Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) status.”

For more information please visit this webpage.

Application Deadlines:

Early Decision: November 1^st, 2016

Regular Decision: January 1^st, 2017

Private Colleges that take Students’ Financial Need into Consideration in the Admissions Process

Smith College in Massachusetts

Smith College, a private women’s college in Massachusetts with almost 3,000 students, considers undocumented students in the same way as US citizens and permanent residents. In addition, “Smith meets 100% of the demonstrated need of all admitted students who apply for financial aid by the published deadlines. Because federal financial aid is not available for undocumented and DACA students, Smith provides institutional, need-based financial aid in its place,” according to their website.

For more information, please refer to this webpage.

Application Deadlines:

Early Decision I: November 15^th, 2016

Early Decision II: January 1^st, 2017

Regular Decision: January 15^th, 2017

DePauw University in Greencastle, Indiana

DePauw University is a private liberal arts college in Indiana with an enrollment of approximately 2,400 students. DePauw University considers undocumented students as domestic students in the admissions process. At DePauw University, “financial aid is administered with a commitment towards equity, consistency and transparency. It’s important to note that the direct cost may not be the true cost to your family. We offer merit scholarships for academic achievement, accomplished leadership and involvement.  We also offer financial aid based on need.  Paying for college is a partnership between students, their families and the University. We carefully look at each student’s unique financial circumstances and offer each student the best package we possibly can.”

For more information about their admissions process and financial aid, please refer to this webpage.

Application Deadlines:

Early Decision: November 1^st, 2016

Early Action: December 1^st, 2016

Regular Decision: February 1^st, 2017

Rachel is currently pursuing a PhD in Social Sciences and Comparative Education at UCLA’s Graduate School of Education and Information Studies. She has worked closely with undocumented youth activists in several states, the Bhutanese refugee community and LGBT community in Oakland, California. Rachel taught in two public high schools in Okinawa, Japan for two years and has worked in the community college and higher education sector for Bunker Hill Community College, MassBay Community College, Harvard’s Graduate School of Education, Achieving the Dream, and Jobs for the Future. She received her Masters in Higher Education from Harvard’s Graduate School of Education and her Bachelors in Philosophy from the University of Chicago.

DON’T FORGET TO SHARE THIS PAGE WITH YOUR FRIENDS!

Don’t miss out on the latest resources available for undocumented students, make sure to “like” our page on Facebook. Please consider donating to our platform so we can provide more information and resources to help undocumented students and their families. Any amount helps!

At My Undocumented Life we provide up-to-date information and resources for undocumented immigrants and allies. We post scholarship opportunities that are open to undocumented students, strategies for navigating the educational system, information on how to apply for DACA/Advance Parole, news on DAPA, and much more. Most importantly, we want to provide a sense of community to our diverse group of readers. Learn more about our work here: “About Us“

Categories: Applying to College

Tags: DACA, education, Immigration, undocumented