Demand equal access to student-generated, institutional aid for undocumented students:

The Connecticut State Legislature

Many undocumented immigrant students cannot afford to go to college and pursue their dreams.

In Connecticut, public colleges and universities set aside a proportion of tuition revenue to be used as ‘institutional aid’ to assist students with a demonstrated financial need. However, immigrant students who have grown up in CT and have graduated high school here are not eligible for this student-generated aid. All Connecticut students, including undocumented students, pay tuition and therefore contribute towards this institutional aid pool of funds. Yet Connecticut does not allow immigrant students access to institutional aid themselves. This aid is student funded, we believe all students who pay tuition should be be eligible to receive it. .

Each year, undocumented immigrant students graduate from our high schools with dreams of college attendance - dreams that are dashed due to financial obstacles.

But it doesn’t have to be this way, our legislators have the power to equalize access to this student-generated, instituional aid all CT in-state resident students, and end the "all pay no aid" system for immigrant students

The time is now for Connecticut to pass legislation that equalizes access to student generated funds for all students regardless of immigration status.  

Now, more than ever, it is crucial for Connecticut to uphold the values of equality for all its residents, and for CTto support the dreams of all its students

To: The Connecticut State Legislature
From: [Your Name]

We, the undersigned, appeal to the Connecticut State Legislature to vote on and pass HB7000: AN ACT EQUALIZING ACCESS TO STUDENT GENERATED FINANCIAL AID and SB17: AN ACT ASSISTING STUDENTS WITHOUT LEGAL IMMIGRATION STATUS WITH THE COST OF COLLEGE

This bill would equalize access to student-generated, institutional financial aid at Connecticut’s public universities and colleges to all in-state Connecticut resident students regardless of immigration status. Passage of this bill would uphold the legislature's stated goal of education equity and be a significant move towards strengthening our state’s economic future.

A portion of the tuition dollars every student pays to attend Connecticut’s public institutions is set aside as institutional financial aid. Undocumented immigrant students’ tuition helps fund institutional financial aid, however undocumented students cannot access the institutional aid they are helping to fund. This legislation would equalize access to the student-generated, institutional aid to all in-state students