Financial aid applications from undocumented California students plunged this year

In California, students who need help paying for college have two options: U.S. citizens can complete the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA). Undocumented students fill out the California Dream Act Application (CADAA) to get state-funded support.

FAFSA completion rates went down this year, a dip largely attributed to glitches and other obstacles that arose after a U.S. Department of Education revamp last December.

But Dream Act application numbers took an even harder fall. According to the California Student Aid Commission, as of July 22, there has been a nearly 16% drop in applications (4,940), compared to just about 6% for FAFSA. Among new filers and high school seniors, CADAA completion is down by 20% (1,877).

Completing the Dream Act application allows students to be considered for state aid, scholarships, and loans. For many students, these financial aid packages determine where, or even if, they go on to pursue higher education.

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Courtesy California Student Aid Commission

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Problems unique to 2024

Unlike FAFSA, Dream Act completion has fallen year-to-year since at least 2019, with an especially significant drop during the pandemic.

Marcos Montes, policy director at the Southern California College Attainment Network, said this year’s drop was likely impacted by the chaos that surrounded FAFSA.

“Students were hearing from their peers that the FAFSA was giving them a lot of problems,” Montes said. And “a high school senior often doesn't distinguish between one application and another — they're just hearing about all these negative experiences. And many get discouraged.”

Denise Luna, director of Higher Ed Policy at The Education Trust-West, said it didn’t help that the Dream Act application was released in December, instead of its traditional release date in October.

According to California Student Aid Commission spokesperson Shelveen Ratnam, “the Commission needed time to be able to program the CADAA and test the application to ensure it was consistent with the new changes to the FAFSA,” and reliable for students.

Still, college access advocates want to avoid repeating this year’s financial aid fiasco. Along with 24 other organizations representing counselors, college administrators, and college access advocates, The Education Trust wrote to the U.S. Department of Education, asking the administration to commit to the traditional launch date for the upcoming FAFSA application cycle. The organization is asking state officials to do the same for CADAA.

Montes also pointed to the political climate as a possible factor. “With the 2024 election, we have candidates who are promising strict enforcement and mass deportations,” he said, and that can make students wary of “submitting very personal information to government agencies” — even though California has promised not to share it with the federal government.

Looking toward the future, Montes added: “We also know that the [number] of 18-year-olds is going to start decreasing over the next couple of years,” and that could have an impact on college enrollment.

Common, ongoing problems

Alouette Cervantes-Salazar oversees the Dream Resource Center at East Los Angeles College, where undocumented students can get help completing the financial aid form. Over the years, she’s noticed that students sometimes encounter problems that can be easily prevented.

High school seniors, for instance, often use their school emails for their CADAA. But when they graduate, they lose access to those emails — and to the account they created. Another common issue is when students don’t use the same name on their CADAA as they do on their ID, such as “Juan” and “John.”

This might seem trivial, Cervantes-Salazar said, but to fix it, students have to call the California Student Aid Commission and share their ID.

“It could be one little thing, one little thing that doesn't match, and it could just stop the process,” she said.

Cervantes-Salazar has also noticed that many students assume they don’t qualify for aid. At ELAC’s Dream Resource Center, she’s worked with students who are fresh out of high school. Others have been away from school for years, or even decades.

For some of those older students, finding out that they qualify for financial aid can be an emotional experience. “We’ve had people crying, saying things like: ‘All this time I’ve wasted,’” she said.

What’s being done to help students?

To boost financial aid application rates, the California Student Aid Commission advocated for AB 469, the universal completion law that requires all high school seniors to submit a financial aid application or formally opt out.

The agency also sought to make college more affordable and make it easier for students to get the aid they need by merging the CADAA and the AB 540 affidavit, which allows eligible undocumented students to pay in-state tuition. That turns a two-step process into one step.

The commission is also in the process of launching a new campaign with culturally relevant messaging and partnerships with social media influencers.

Aranza Mejia is a third year political science major at Cal State Fullerton.

She completed the CADAA for the first time a few years ago, when she was a senior at Schurr High School in Montebello. Back then, the process took “a couple days,” she said.

“I was new to it, so I was asking questions from my high school teachers and gathering the documents for my parents,” Mejia added. This year, it took her less than an hour to complete her application, which she described as “more accessible and straightforward.”

Thanks to the aid she’s received, Mejia has so far managed to get through college without taking on any debt.

As the deadline for community college students to apply for financial aid approaches, college access advocates are doubling down on their summer outreach.

Ahead of September 3, the California Student Aid Commission will continue offering virtual webinars. The Southern California College Attainment Network is also providing dozens of in-person clinics, and Dream Resource Centers across the region are likewise offering their support.

“If you’re not sure if you qualify [for CADAA], ask,” said ELAC’s Cervantes-Salazar. If students find it hard to meet in-person, she and her staff are willing to meet over Zoom.

“Most [high school graduates] are not in school, so they don’t have access to their teachers or counselors,” Montes added. “We want to keep the momentum going.”