TheDream.US, the nation’s largest college access and success program for immigrant youth, recently opened its new round of scholarship applications for the 2019-2020 academic year.
The program’s scholarships, worth up to $14,500 for an associate degree and $29,000 for a bachelor’s degree, are available to Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals and TPS students who meet eligibility criteria. The application deadline is Feb. 28. To date, the organization has committed more than $140 million in scholarship money.
Currently, there are 714 CUNY students attending the university on full-tuition scholarships from TheDream.US. CUNY’s scholars arrived in the United States at an average age of 5 years old. Hailing from more than 70 countries, they earn an average cumulative GPA of 3.2. Sixty-eight percent are working while in school. Eighty-seven percent are enrolled full time.
“TheDream.US scholarship has enabled hundreds of CUNY’s DREAMers to pursue their goals and achieve academic success,” said Interim Chancellor Vita Rabinowitz. “We could not be prouder of our DREAMers. The CUNY community values their contributions to our campuses and to our city, state and nation. The university will continue to nurture the ambitions of its immigrant students as it has done with great pride for more than 170 years.”
“We remain fully committed to helping DREAMers access a college education,” said Donald E. Graham, former publisher of The Washington Post and co-founder of TheDream.US. “But, let’s be clear, the most powerful commitment continues to be from DREAMers themselves. As described ‘In Their Own Words,’ and as demonstrated by the record number of scholarship applications TheDream.US received last year, DREAMers hold steadfast to the belief that no one can take a college education away from them.”
The new scholarship opportunity announcement was preceded by the TheDream.US’s release of “In Their Own Words,” a report summarizing the responses and implications from a national survey of 1,400 TheDream.US scholars. The survey results underscore how important educational gains are to scholars’ dreams and futures, while painting a portrait of the uncertainty and anxiety that scholars face in a difficult immigration climate.
Folks can learn more about the new round of TheDream.US scholarships at https://www.thedream.us/scholarships/.