Undocumented Students’ Uneven Access to Financial Aid Resources - How Existing Resources Reinforce Deservingness

Oct 15, 2026

Uploaded by dawugda

Federal policy excludes undocumented students from federal aid for postsecondary education, creating major barriers to covering tuition. Because fewer need-based funding options exist for college, accessing scholarships becomes even more critical. Drawing on a Chicago-area case study, the paper analyzes scholarship access patterns and the challenges school agents face. Evidence comes from interviews with 50 school agents and content analysis of 34 scholarships.

LanguageEnglish

CategoryResearch & Report

FormatPDF

Pages26

Reading Time1 h 6 min

AccessFree to download

Abstract

Policy exclusions and barriers

Role of school agents

Case study design and evidence

Findings and implications

| education policy analysis archives
A peer-reviewed, independent, open access, multilingual journal | | | --- | --- | | Arizona State University | | | Volume 33 Number 22 March 18, 2025 ISSN 1068-2341 | | Undocumented Students’ Uneven Access to Financial Aid Resources: How Existing Resources Reinforce Deservingness DaysiXimena Diaz-Strong The University of Illinois Chicago & Dennise G. Moreno The University of Illinois Chicago United States Citation: Diaz-Strong, D. X., & Moreno, D. G. (2025) . Undocumented students’ uneven access to financial aid resources: How existing resources reinforce deservingness. Education Policy Analysis Archives, 33(22). [https://doi.org/10.14507/epaa.33.8804](https://doi.org/10.14507/epaa.33.8804) Abstract: Federal policy excludes undocumented students from federal aid for postsecondary education, creating tremendous barriers to their ability to cover tuition costs. Starting with fewer need-based funding options for college elevates the importance of accessing scholarships for undocumented students. The existing literature has established the crucial role of school-based institutional agents, or school agents, in assisting students to locate and apply for scholarships. School agents, accordingly, are knowledgeable about the trends and barriers in undocumented students’ access to scholarships. Drawing on a case study in the Chicago metropolitan area, this paper examines the patterns in access to scholarships and the challenges school agents encounter in assisting undocumented students in locating scholarships. The paper draws on interviews with 50 school agents who work with undocumented high school students and a content analysis of 34 scholarships. The findings reveal that undocumented students must compete for resources in ways that reinforce dominant forms of cultural capital and are framed Journal website: [http://epaa.asu.edu/ojs/ ](http://epaa.asu.edu/ojs/ Manuscript)[ Manuscript](http://epaa.asu.edu/ojs/ Manuscript) received: 18/6/2024 Facebook: /EPAAA Revisions received: 27/1/2025 Twitter: @epaa_aape Accepted: 17/2/2025 Education Policy Analysis Archives Vol. 33 No. 22 2 by the “Dreamer” narrative, creating uneven patterns in access to scholarships and limiting school agents’ ability to support some segments of students. The findings contribute to expanding and nuancing knowledge about the financial aid landscape undocumented students navigate in transitioning to college. Keywords: undocumented immigrants; postsecondary education; student financial aid; high schools Acceso desigual de los estudiantes indocumentados a los recursos de ayuda financiera: Cómo los recursos existentes refuerzan la percepción de merecimiento Resumen: La política federal excluye a los estudiantes indocumentados de la ayuda federal para la educación postsecundaria, lo que genera enormes barreras para su capacidad de cubrir los costos de matrícula. Comenzar con menos opciones de financiamiento basado en lanecesidad para la universidad eleva la importancia del acceso a becas para los estudiantes indocumentados. La literatura existente ha establecido el papel crucial de los agentesinstitucionales escolares, o agentes escolares, en ayudar a los estudiantes a identificar y solicitarbecas. En consecuencia, los agentes escolares tienen conocimiento sobre las tendencias ybarreras en el acceso de los estudiantes indocumentados a las becas. Basándose en un estudiode caso en el área metropolitana de Chicago, este artículo examina los patrones de acceso abecas y los desafíos que enfrentan los agentes escolares al ayudar a los estudiantes indocumentados a encontrarlas. El estudio se basa en entrevistas con 50 agentes escolares que trabajan con estudiantes indocumentados de secundaria y un análisis de contenido de 34 becas. Los hallazgos revelan que los estudiantes indocumentados deben competir por recursos de maneras que refuerzan formas dominantes de capital cultural y están enmarcad

FAQs

What federal policy barrier affects undocumented students’ ability to pay for postsecondary tuition?

Federal policy excludes undocumented students from federal aid for postsecondary education, preventing them from accessing needed funding for tuition costs.

Why are scholarships particularly important for undocumented students?

With fewer need-based funding options available for college, scholarships become a key route to securing financial support.

How did the study evaluate scholarship access and school-agent challenges?

The study used interviews with 50 school agents working with undocumented high school students and a content analysis of 34 scholarships.

Oct 15, 2026

Uploaded by dawugda