Our Proposal
The current need-aware policy, accompanied by the fearful and secretive environment for undocumented students, de facto denies most of these students the opportunity to attend Duke. Through discriminating against financially disadvantaged undocumented students, our university is drawing a line between students holding U.S. citizenship or permanent residency and the equally high-achieving youth who, though without legally authorized status, call this country their home. These proposed policy changes aim to change that. View our full proposal here.
01
Need-Blind Admission for Undocumented Students​
The university should treat undocumented applicants as domestic applicants and grant them need-blind admission. Undocumented students should have the same chance of being admitted as domestic students whether or not they express financial need.
02
Eligibility Through Proof of Residence / DACA
Undocumented applicants should be considered for need-blind admission as long as they can prove state residency, according to the specific requirements of the state in which they reside at the time of their application, or can prove eligibility for the DACA program.
03
Supplemental Materials
The admissions office should develop a mechanism to assist undocumented students in submitting supplemental materials to prove eligibility.
04
Press Release Announcement
The university should issue a press release explicitly stating that undocumented students are granted need-blind admissions, before the admissions process begins for the class of 2019.
05
Assistance in the Admissions Process
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Detailed instructions on how undocumented students should apply should be displayed in the Duke Admissions and Financial Aid web pages. The instructions should also be incorporated into brochures, leaflets or any other materials the university uses to recruit prospective students.
06
07
Recruiting Immigrant Communities
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Recruitment efforts should be extended to immigrant communities. Admissions officers, when hosting recruitment fairs, should explicitly state that undocumented students are admitted on a need-blind basis and encourage prospective students to apply.
Staff Specialists​
One or two staff members in the admissions office and the financial aid office should be given a specialty in handling applications of undocumented students.