by Summer Allen
November 22nd 2022
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photo by Jeremy Chun
Portland State and TheDream.US, the nation’s largest college and career success program for undocumented immigrant students, have announced a new partnership to provide scholarships for young immigrants in Oregon to achieve their higher education dreams.
Many highly motivated undocumented students are unable to afford the cost of a college education because they don’t have access to federal aid, including Pell grants. TheDream.US scholarships help remove this barrier.
“Portland State prides itself on being the premier location for students in Oregon, and especially in the Portland metro area, to reach their education goals,” says Chuck Knepfle, vice president for enrollment management at PSU. “As the most diverse university in Oregon, we know that whoever enrolls they will find themselves at home here — whatever financial situation they find themselves in. Unfortunately, federal student financial aid programs sometimes leave behind the students who need it the most, and by partnering with TheDream.US we know that we can be the bridge to funding a degree for them and opening up their future possibilities.”
The new partnership announcement comes after the recent opening of TheDream.US's new scholarship round for the 2023-2024 academic year, which started on November 1, 2022 and will run through the end of February 2023.
Through the new partnership, Oregon students will be eligible to apply for TheDream.US National Scholarship. Dreamers who are about to graduate high school or earn a GED, current community college students and current university students are all eligible to apply. The award is for tuition and fees of up to $33,000 total for a bachelor’s degree. The scholarships are open to undocumented immigrant students with or without DACA or TPS who came to the U.S. before the age of 16 and before Nov. 1, 2017. Full eligibility information for the National Scholarship is available on the TheDream.US website.
“We are excited to partner with Portland State in supporting Oregon Dreamers in their college and career aspirations,” says Candy Marshall, president of TheDream.US. “Despite the many obstacles they face, these immigrant students continue to persevere and work hard to achieve their education and career goals.” Marshall notes that more than 90% of the 3,000+ graduates supported by TheDream.US are working or have started their own businesses.
“Their successes are proof that expanding Dreamers’ access to higher education and career opportunities is good for our country’s economic growth,” says Marshall. “We are grateful to Portland State and our 80+ other partner colleges across the United States for giving our immigrant youth the opportunity to pursue a college education and contribute to the future of America.”