The University of Notre Dame will not only begin accepting illegal immigrants into its undergraduate programs but might also provide them with financial assistance, as The Washington Times reported.
“In making the decision to admit academically qualified men and women who are undocumented, we will strengthen our incoming class and give deserving young people the chance for a Notre Dame education,” Associate Vice President for Undergraduate Enrollment Don Bishop said in a statement released Thursday.
Though the university has never implemented a previous policy that banned illegal immigrants outright, such applicants were treated as international students and were required to have student visas, which served as somewhat of a deterrent.
Undocumented students would not receive federal aid, but the university might cover any expenses that undocumented students or their families are not able to pay as long as they qualify academically.
“Notre Dame is committed to meeting the full demonstrated financial need for all admitted students,” the statement said.
Several public universities across the country have taken similar strides to make things easier for applicants who are not legal U.S. residents. Last month, the University of Michigan announced it would allow illegals to pay in-state tuition if they graduated from state high schools. Previously, illegal students who lived in the state were required to pay out-of-state tuition. The out-of-state tuition for U of M is $40,000 a year while in-state students only need to pay $13,000 a year.
The same applies for at least 16 other schools across the country including the public universities in Texas, California and Colorado.
President Obama’s Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals policy, which was passed last summer, protects immigrants who came into the country illegally as children from deportation.
These university policies have not been without their opponents. In April, the Arkansas Senate rejected a bill that would have allowed illegals in the state to pay in-state tuition. Kansas lawmakers are also attempting to overturn a bill signed in 2004 that allows in-state tuition for illegals.
