Resources for DACA or Undocumented Students


Scholarships/Financial Aid

Good news! DACA和无证学生可以获得GMercyU优秀奖学金 as long as you meet eligibility requirements as listed on our Scholarships page.

While federal and state financial aid resources for undocumented students are limited in type and amount, we encourage you to explore the sites below and then meet with Financial Aid if you have any further questions. These resources explore a variety of scholarship opportunities and frequently asked questions concerning financial aid eligibility, requirements, and resources for undocumented students:

  • Financial aid information for undocumented students regarding eligibility and completing the FAFSA form: studentaid.gov (see below on applying for aid without a social security number)

  • 作为无证学生获得高等教育的资源，如要知道的术语, 有关无证学生高等教育政策的州法律, things to consider during the college search, and options to pay for college: informedimmigrant.com

  • 为无证大学生提供的基本信息和资源, including scholarship opportunities, advice from fellow undocumented students, and information on how to apply to graduate school: mydocumentedlife.org

  • 该资源为DACA和无证学生提供特定的大学奖学金, place to locate scholarships, 在奖学金申请过程中需要考虑的事项:  bestcolleges.com

  • 本科生和研究生奖学金名单(经常更新): immigrantsrising.org

  • Dreamers Roadmap is a mobile app created to help undocumented students find scholarship opportunities, making this highly accessible in real-time: dreamersroadmap.org

Appying for Aid Without a Social Security Number

This process outlines the steps needed in order for an individual without an SSN to have their identity verified and studentaid.gov account created.

Step 1: An individual should visit studentaid.gov, select “Create Account” and complete all steps, 包括通过TransUnion®回答1-4个基于知识的验证问题.

Step 2: Upon completing the Create Account process, 个人将看到一个确认页面，其中包含其身份验证的结果. 如果他们未能通过TransUnion®流程，FSA将自动为个人分配一个案件编号.

Step 3: Once the case number is created, FSA将用他们喜欢的语言(英语或西班牙语)向他们发送验证电子邮件。, which will include their case number, along with guidance on how to submit copies of unexpired acceptable documentation (listed below) to verify their identity. Individuals will also be required to submit an attestation and validation of identity form along with their approved identity documentation. This form will be available on http://studentaid.gov/forms-library.

提供以下文件中的一(1)份以证明身份:

  • U.S. Driver’s License
  • U.S. State/City Identification Card
  • Foreign Passport

or

One (1) set of documents below to establish identity:

  • Municipal Identification Cards + utility bill
  • Community ID + utility bill
  • 领事身份证/领事材料+水电费

Step 4: 在收到电子邮件后，FSA无法验证他们的身份, an individual is then required to submit one or a combination of their acceptable documentation from the list above and a signed attestation form to: IDVerification@ed.gov.

Step 5: FSA will review an individual’s submitted documentation and signed attestation form to ensure it is acceptable and matches the account information provided during the Create Account process. 如果匹配成功，部门将完成账户创建. The individual will receive an email indicating their identity has been verified and that they may now use their account username and password (FSA ID) to log in at studentaid.gov 并完成学生经济援助计划的申请.

 

Legal Support

If you are an undocumented or immigrant student, 不断变化的法律和政策会直接影响到大学和研究生院的计划. It’s important that you understand the recent history and stay updated on ongoing changes to immigration laws in the U.S.尤其是因为它们会影响你上大学的方式和地点. If seeking support, advocacy, 和/或下面的表示，你可以找到一些目录，可以帮助你的搜索:

  • 了解如何找到一个免费的移民律师和低成本的法律帮助, why to get help, when to get help, who can provide legal help, and how to represent yourself: usahello.org

  • The Pennsylvania Immigration Resource Center (PIRC) provides high quality legal services so that vulnerable immigrants and their families have access to justice and a more secure future: pirclaw.org

  • 按州、县或拘留所搜索移民法律服务提供商. Only nonprofit organizations that provide free or low-cost immigration legal services are included in this directory: immigrationadvocates.org

  • 在AILA(美国移民律师协会)网站上查找移民律师: ailalawyer.com

  • Directory of free or low-cost immigration attorneys created by Temple University’s International Student and Scholar Services Office: isss.temple.edu

Health Support

无证移民比其他美国移民更有可能.S. 居民没有保险，这对医疗保健造成了障碍. Even without insurance, 无证移民可以在某些卫生设施接受医疗服务, and many of these locations charge on a sliding scale. 无证移民也有资格获得紧急医疗补助, 哪些涵盖了紧急医疗状况下的医疗服务. Explore the following resources to have a better understanding of your healthcare options and right to insurance as an undocumented student:

  • 了解更多摆脱电子游戏mg官方网站无证移民的医疗保健选择，包括你的保险权利, care, and privacy: goodrx.com

  • 我的“无证生活”博客旨在为无证移民提供资源. 随着更多信息的加入，他们还在不断扩展这个与健康相关的页面, so be sure to return to it periodically: mydocumentedlife.org

  • 社区卫生中心是宾夕法尼亚州最大的初级卫生保健提供者网络. 这个保健中心网络包括社区保健中心, Rural Health Clinics and other like-mission providers providing care for underserved rural and urban areas throughout Pennsylvania. 使用此数据库搜索您附近的健康中心: my.pachc.org

  • Philadelphia Refugee Health Collaborative (PRHC) is a regional coalition consisting of Philadelphia’s three refugee ressettlement agencies and eight refugee health clinics. The core mission of the Collaborative is to create an equitable system of refugee health care in the Philadelphia region that ensures a consistently high standard of care for all newly arrive refugees. Each year, PRHC provides domestic health screenings, primary care, and access to laboratory, radiology, 并为800名新来的难民提供亚专业服务. 人口保健中心还为难民病人提供持续的初级保健和妇女保健服务: philarefugeehealth.org

Financial Support

对于DACA接受者和无证学生来说，财务规划和支持是不同的. We encourage you to explore these resources to have a better understanding on financial planning and support, 以及一份摆脱电子游戏mg官方网站宾夕法尼亚州移民享有公共福利权利的指南:

  • Financial planning and support for DACA recipients including information on: financial systems and challenges, legal fees for immigration, building credit, finding tuition assistance, purchasing a home, and traveling: moneygeek.com

  • Community Legal Services of Philadelphia’s guide to immigrant’s rights to public benefits in Pennsylvania, such as TANF, SSI, SNAP, and MA: clsphila.org

Advocacy

At Gwynedd Mercy University, 我们致力于为移民学生创造更美好的未来. Advocates and allies are invited to keep up to date about legal landscape impacting undocumented students in higher education, including the changing status of DACA and on effective practices for supporting undocumented students at the college level. We encourage you to explore the following resources to understand how to aid students who are immigrants:

  • 就违反宪法的事项提供指导, institutional discrimination, 以及导致对任何群体不平等待遇的其他做法或政策, including immigrant or undocumented Americans: aclu.org

  • The American Immigration Council promotes education, advocates for judicial protections, 促进与移民问题和需求有关的文化交流; americanimmigrationcouncil.org

  • 寻求庇护者倡导项目为家庭团聚提供支持和服务, 特别是那些被执法人员分开的人，尽管他们是寻求庇护者; asylumadvocacy.org

  • Immi帮助移民了解并考虑他们留在美国的选择. Immi提供教育、资源和法律支持: immi.org

  • Freedom for Immigrants is a nonprofit organization that manages the nation's largest immigration detention hotline, drafts legislation, 并为拘留中心的个人组织探视机会; freedomforimmigrants.org

  • Immigration Advocates Network offers free and accessible online resources to connect leading immigrants' rights organizations with one another. This network improves communication and collaboration between groups and advances service capacity and access to justice for immigrants: immigrationadvocates.org

  • International Refugee Assistance Project (IRAP) organizes law students and lawyers to advance legal and human rights for refugees. 它专门从事对现行移民法的法律和司法挑战: refugeerights.org

  • Kino Border Initiative (KBI) collects supplies and distributes humanitarian aid for refugees and migrants on both sides of the U.S.-Mexico border: kinoborderinitiative.org

  • National Immigrant Justice Center (NIJC) provides advocacy and representation for immigrants facing removal, people struggling to gain access at the borders, 以及因激进的执法手段而失散的家庭; immigrantjustice.org

  • This organization provides shelter and humanitarian support for migrant families and individuals during their often-perilous travels to the U.S. border: pueblosinfronteras.org

  • 妇女难民委员会为妇女提供支持和宣传, children, and youth seeking asylum in the U.S. to flee violence, persecution, and abuse: womensrefugeecommission.org

Other Resources

Knowing resources available to students who are immigrants and undocumented are important steps when considering higher education. 了解不同的资源可以为有需要的人提供更好的支持. Here are a few more resources you may want to consider exploring that discuss overcoming common barriers, a college guide for DACA and undocumented students, and more:

  • 一个移民资源库，包括移民帮助(法律帮助), know your rights, DACA, detention and deportation, TPS, and LRIF), health (mental, healthcare, COVID), life in the US (driver’s license, government benefits, employment), and education: informedimmigrant.com

  • 为无证大学生提供的资源，包括宣传资源, campus safety, support for online learning, and more: informedimmigrant.com

  • 国籍服务中心(NSC)提供全面的语言服务, legal protection, community integration, employment and health and wellness: nscphila.org

  • 资源汇编，以帮助无证学生克服共同的障碍, such as legal help, advocacy help, government agencies, educational support, and financial support: thebestschools.org

  • College guide for DACA and undocumented students, such as navigating campus life, career assistance and employment: bestcolleges.com

  • 作为DACA或无证学生申请大学的指南，包括奖学金等: collegeconsensus.com