What are options for undocumented students [regarding colleges]?

I just want to do a research on what an UNDOCUMENTED student can do to get into college, get some kind of aid and / or become a LEGAL resident.

I do want to keep my eye on the DREAM ACT, because I fit all the categories : I am only 16, but I came here in 8th grade [I was 13] and I'm going to graduate from a high school here in the U.S.

So yeah I spent almost 4 years here already.

Schools such as CUNY lets undocumented 9immigrants attend, I am more concerned about becoming a legal alien [yes, green card] or a citizen. I have a boyfriend who's willing to marry me when I'm 19, but i wouldn't want to let him make a sacrafice like that, only if I have a chance of becoming a citizen by marrying him.

Well , Sadly apparently the law forbids Federal Financial Aid for anyone who is undocumented in the USA , therefor Federal Aid is not available to them . However there is several states like Texas which allows State Financial Aid to students with out document which had been in high school for at least three years . This kind of aid is available to them in several states but the large majority ( most states ) do not provide any help to them .

There is also an association called MALDEF http://www.maldef.org/ which provides help to them and several others like this one , unfortunately most Hispanic students ignore about this kind of help and end up in low paying jobs because of this .

I would also recommend keeping and eye on the so called DREAM ACT which would help legalize those students which were brought by their parent being very young and had studied high school and college in the USA . I want to add than the DREAM ACT has been in debate for long and that it faces opposition from groups like FAIR http://vivirlatino.com/2006/04/11/immigr... . in their statements they had said than such legislation would send the wrong message but in my opinion it would only help those who did not ask to be brought and had live all their lives in the USA .

note : there is not a date to resolute the DREAM ACT however one may be coming soon . your options right now are to wait and be patient .

If you are not a legal resident of the US then I would suggest looking into a school visa, with that you can apply for finanacial aid.

For every illegal alien that go into college, one legal resident or American stay behind. I'm not in favor of illegals going into our colleges. This practice have to stop once and for all. About you marrying for legal status, that is very shameful,,, you should only married because you are in love and want to have a family, if you do it for money or any other benefits, what kind of a person are you.. from the start you are doom.. no future. Do you think that with that attitude you are going to be happy in your future or the American people are going to embrace you as one of us... I don't think so... Good luck and be careful..

seszterke:
I'm very sorry if in any way I offended you, that's not in my mind. About being in the USA illegally is not my fault is your parents fault that they made the decision to come illegally, sooner or later the truth was going to catch up with you all and these are the consequences.

About your boy friend, what I said is for real, a lot of you illegals,, married, just to become legals and I don't think that good, this is my opinion and I stand behind it. If you love your boy friend and you want to married him, do it for love and I tell you again think before you take this step, because the consequences of marriage are great. Once you go in and then you want to come out, it is hard, painful and maybe with kids that will suffer more than you. I don't know you but I feel that I should advised you, I'm sorry if you don't like it but I feel good doing it. If you want to go to college, you shouldn't be thinking about marriage. You have a nice day and good luck in your decisions.

A friend,
Alberto

I don't think anyone can get admitted into a legitimate college if he or she is un-documented. Every foreign student is required to score above 500 in TOEFL in order to get a student visa and I-20(admission paper) before he or she can enter in to this country
after
September 11th, 2001, the homeland security department of immigration monitors all foreign students through the SEVIS system to make sure that no one is out of the status.

LUCKY YOU, YOU DIDN'T HAVE TO GO THROUGH ALL THE HOOPS THAT ALL THE REST OF US HAD TO GO THROUGH. WHAT A SMACKING DEAL YOU GOT THERE !
MY PARENTS SHOULD HAVE JUST SMUGGLED ME IN 16 YEARS AGO AND THEY COULD HAVE SAVED THEMSELVES AT LEAST SIXTY GRAND!!!

AND DON'T WORRY, IF YOU ARE PATIENT ENOUGH, EVERY THING IN THIS COUNTRY WOULD BE CHANGED AND DOWN GRADED FOR YOU FOLKS. WE ARE A COUNTRY FOR CHEAP LABOR AND TRASHY GOODS !!

What do you mean by "undocumented"? If you mean that you have some other type of visa, like a B-2 visitor visa, then you are violating the terms of that visa by attending school, and will have difficulty changing your status to F-1 (student visa). Otherwise, a B-2 visitor who has expressed their interest in attending a US school at the time they were obtaining the visa will be able to change status to F-1. If you have no status, and are in the US illegally, it is imossible to change status to F-1. Also, if you are illegal and you leave the country to try to come back in with an F-1, your time spent here in illegal status will make it difficult, if not impossible, to get an F-1 visa, depending on how much time you spent here illegally. In that case, you would be stuck outside the US and unable to return. If, however, you are in some sort of legal status, or are now outside the US and want to enter the US with a student visa, you can do that by applying to any school that is authorized by the immigration service to accept and sponsor foreign students (SEVIS authorization), and also applying for an F-1 visa. Most schools are SEVIS authorized, and you should check their websites to make sure. Although government financial aid is usually limited to permanent residents or US citizens, you will probably be able to get some sort of private financial assitance, like grants or loans, to help with tuition. But, keep in mind that one of the conditions to getting an F-1 visa is proof that you will be able to support yourself financially, or that someone else will support you (like a parent).
Finally, the term "legal resident" can have many meanings, and I don't know which you are referring to. An F-1 visa is legal status in the US for foreign students. But, if you are asking about legal permanent residence, a "green card", you can only get that through a sponsoring employer or relative who has legal permanent residence or citizenship.

MORE INFO: Unfortunately for you, the law now states that somebody who is in illegal status cannot get a green card (adjustment of status to legal permanent residence) or citizenship by sponsorship either by a relative (such as a husband) or by an employer. That means that unless you had another type of case filed for you before April 2001, or unless the government enacts an amnesty that applies you, you can't get citizenship from your boyfriend even if he marries you.
The Dream Act would help you, but it is impossible to know when and if it will pass.
Keep in mind that immigration law changes often, so hopefully something will work for you eventually. (Just don't leave the US or else you won't be able to get back in!)

In Virginia, you cannot get any aid whatsoever if you are here illegally

options... U of Mexico; U of Brazil; U of wherever your criminal self came from