Utah immigrant youth to benefit from new Weber State scholarship
Dec 1, 2022, 4:50 PM
FILE: Universities across the state are working to improve student safety on and off campus now that they are heading back to the classroom. (Colby Walker | KSL NewsRadio)
(Colby Walker | KSL NewsRadio)
OGDEN, Utah — Weber State University has joined with more than 70 colleges across the United States to offer scholarships to immigrant youth that are undocumented and who want to go to college.
The scholarships will be offered to Utah immigrant youth in partnership with TheDream.US which describes itself as “the nation’s largest college access and success program for DREAMers.”
Specifically, the scholarships are offered to undocumented immigrant students without the administrative status of DACA (Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals) or TPS, Temporary Protected Status.
In most cases, students who have received this scholarship have gone on to work or begin their own businesses. According to the president of TheDream.US, 93% of their more than 3,000 graduates have achieved their education and work goals.
According to the Higher Ed Information Portal, Utah is classified as a ‘comprehensive access state’ which offers in-state tuition and state financial aid for undocumented students.
Of Utah’s 360,000 students currently in higher education, 10,000 are first-generation immigrant students and 17,000 are second-generation immigrant students.
Requirements for Utah immigrant youth to apply
To apply, a student must have come to the U.S. before the age of 16 and before Nov. 1, 2017.
According to a press release, the scholarship is available to multiple types of students. They include those about to graduate from high school or earn a GED, as well as current community college and university students.
“This is going to open doors for so many students,” said Brad Mortensen, WSU president in a press release.
“Weber State is all about providing opportunities to people from all walks of life, to anyone who dreams of pursuing higher education.”
