Supporting Undocumented Students

Learn about undocumented students at UC San Diego, and how best to support them.

Defining the Population

Students who entered the United States without a lawful status or who entered lawfully but overstayed their visas (student visa, tourist visa, etc.).

Country of Origin
- Mexico: 6.2 million
- Guatemala: 723,000
- El Salvador: 465,000
- Honduras: 337,000
- China: 268,000
- India: 267,000
- Korea: 198,000
- Other countries: 2.1 million
Eligible for DACA
- 9 million eligible (of total undocumented population)
- 3 million eligible immediately
- ~398,000 eligible for education purposes
- ~800,000 current recipients
DACA Eligible Populations, Top 5 Countries
- Mexico: 1.2 million
- Guatemala: 100,000
- El Salvador: 62,000
- Korea: 52,000
- Honduras: 43,000

Country of Origin (data not available)
Population size by campus, based on Dream Act Applications 2016–2017
- Los Angeles: 716
- Irvine: 648
- Berkeley: 557
- Davis: 489
- Riverside: 469
- Santa Cruz: 445
- Merced: 375
- Santa Barbara: 334
First Year/ Transfer (data not available)

Estimated number of students for academic year 2017–2018: ~363
Countries of Origin
- Canada, China, Costa Rica, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, Japan, Korea, Mexico, Nicaragua, Nigeria, Peru, Philippines, South Korea, Taiwan, Thailand, Argentina, Belize, Colombia, Egypt, Guatemala, Indonesia, Iran, and Vietnam
College
- 15% Marshall College
- 24% Muir College
- 17% Revelle College
- 12% Roosevelt College
- 16% Sixth College
- 16% Warren College
First Year/ Transfer
- 23% enrolled as first-year students
- 77% enrolled as transfer students
First in immediate family to attend college
- 60% Yes
- 405 No
Eligible for DACA, TPS or other form of immigration relief
- 84% Yes
- 16% No

Securing employment/ internship positions on and off UC San Diego campus (either no work authorization or lack of citizen status)
Securing scholarships/ grants/ financial aid from UC San Diego
Studying abroad
Having access to mental health services
Finding spaces where they feel welcomed
Finding programs that offer support for undocumented students
Identifying as undocumented

Familiarize yourself with resources and refer to appropriate departments/ centers/ offices:

Learn the appropriate language/ terminology (i.e. illegal vs. undocumented, sanctuary, etc.).
Familiarize yourself with state, federal, and campus policies:
- California Dream Act
- DACA
- AB540
- UC-policies reaffirming rights/ responsibilities to community
Reaffirm support/ confidentiality for students to feel secure sharing their status.
Exercise flexibility:
- Undocumented students find themselves in situations that are out of their control, such as immigration appointments that may require them to skip school or class assignments. View this group of students with a similar lens we view students in the military — there are events out of their control that they need to tend to.