El Pueblo, Inc.

4N. Blount St. Suite 200 Raleigh, NC 27601 tel: 919.835.1525

My dream is to go to college, but I’ve encountered some roadblocks…
What can I do?

FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS
ABOUT THE COLLEGE PREPARATION PROCESS

Preparing for College during High School

Q. –What do I need to do during high school to meet the minimum entrance requirements of institutions of higher education?

A. First, make sure you tell your guidance counselor right away that you want to go to college and make sure they put you on the four-year university prep track during high school. Even if you are planning to go to a community college first or your guidance counselor tells you another track would be better for you, tell them you want to be on the four-year university prep track anyway just in case you change your mind senior year and decide to apply to a four-year university.
Next, check to see what the minimum entrance requirements are for NC public universities. Click here to see what those requirements are. Private schools and public schools in other states have their own requirements, which you can find on their schools’ admissions websites.
Make sure you fulfill those requirements during your four years, get involved in extracurricular activities, and during your junior and senior years of high school, take the standardized tests (the SAT or ACT) that are required in order to apply to most colleges and universities. To see a more detailed timeline of what to do during high school to prepare for college, click here.
Q. – I would like to go to college, but I just realized I have not completed the minimum requirements to be able to enter a four-year institution. What should I do?

A. Don’t give up yet! There may still be time to make up for it. Also, many schools are flexible with those requirements and it only takes some time of talking to their admissions representatives to find out alternative ways to meet those requirements. For help in finding that information out, feel free to contact El Pueblo’s Higher Education Coordinator Amanda Giese at (919) 835-1525, ext. 227, or email her at amanda@elpueblo.org.

College Applications
Q. – I would like to apply to some colleges, but I do not have the money to pay for the application fees. Is there any way to have the fees waived?

A. It depends, but many times there is a way! If you are part of the free or reduced lunch program at your high school, you can talk to your guidance counselor to see if you can have the application fee waived for up to four colleges you are applying to. Most high schools in NC have some policy similar to that. If you are not a part of that program, you can always talk to your guidance counselor as well as the admissions counselors at the schools you want to apply to, explain your financial situation to them, and see if they would be willing to waive the fee for you. Many times, they are more than willing to help.
Q. – I am an undocumented student. Can I go to college?

A. Yes! You can attend any of the 16 public universities in North Carolina as well as any community college in North Carolina. However, they will consider you an out-of-state student, meaning you will have to pay the out-of-state tuition rate. Private colleges and universities are different. Each one can decide whether or not they will allow undocumented students to attend their schools. Most will, but some will not. It is best to call (or have a teacher or your guidance counselor call) the admissions office of the schools you are interested in and ask one of their admissions representatives if the school accepts undocumented students. For private universities, not being a citizen will usually disqualify you from receiving institutional grants or scholarships because they will usually view you as an international student. Still, do not get discouraged by all of this, because there are plenty of private scholarships out there for Latino students that do not request information about immigration status. (See the Financial Aid / Scholarships section below.)
Q. – I am applying to college, but I am undocumented and don’t have a social security number. What do I fill out when the application asks for my citizenship status and social security number?

A. Do not lie on these forms about your citizenship status because it is against the law and could get you into a lot of trouble with the government. Simply mark the box that says non-U.S. citizen. If you do not feel comfortable doing so, then you may choose to leave it blank, but never mark that you are a U.S. citizen if you are not. When schools ask for your social security number on their applications, leave the line blank because you already said you are not a U.S. citizen so they know you do not have one. The school should not give you any trouble for this. If you do experience trouble with the schools you are trying to apply to, feel free to contact us at El Pueblo at (919) 835-1525, and we will try to help you in whatever way we can or refer you to someone who can be of more help to you.
Q. – I have lived in North Carolina for a few years but am undocumented. Will I be able to pay in-state tuition at a North Carolina community college or public university?

A. No. Unfortunately, in North Carolina, you have to be a U.S. Citizen or Legal Permanent Resident (LPR) to qualify for in-state tuition. Instead, they will consider you an out-of-state student, meaning you will have to pay the out-of-state tuition rate. Still, do not get discouraged by all of this, because there are plenty of private scholarships out there for Latino students that do not request information about immigration status. (See the Financial Aid / Scholarships section below.)

Standardized Tests
Q. – I am trying to register for the ACT/SAT online, but I am undocumented. What do I fill out when it asks for my citizenship status and social security number?

A. Do not lie about your citizenship status because it is against the law and could get you into a lot of trouble with the government. Simply mark the option “non-U.S. citizen” or “citizen of another country”. Leave the part blank that asks for your social security number because you already said you are not a U.S. citizen so they know you do not have one. The test administrators should not give you any trouble for this, but if you do experience trouble, feel free to contact us at El Pueblo at (919) 835-1525, and we will try to help you in whatever way we can or refer you to someone who can be of even more help to you.
Q. – I would like to prepare for the SAT or ACT, but I do not have the money to pay for prep classes or online practice tests that charge. Are there any free resources I can use to help prepare for the test?

A. We recommend that you first talk to your guidance counselor to see if your school offers any free materials to help you prepare. Additionally, the College Foundation of North Carolina (CFNC) offers a lot of helpful test prep information including courses, tips, and practice sessions. To find out more, go to https://www1.cfnc.org/Student_Planner/College_Test_Prep.aspx. If you do not already have a CFNC account, you will need to create one. It is free!

Also, you can find free SAT practice test questions at http://www.satprepplan.com/testapp/html/SAT-Practice.html.

You can take a free SAT practice test at http://www.princetonreview.com

To receive an email with a daily practice SAT question, go to http://www.collegeboard.com/student/testing/sat/prep_one/prep_one.html. You will need to create a free account in order to get the useful preparation information and the daily questions emailed to you.

You can find free ACT practice test questions at http://www.testprepreview.com/act_practice.htm and http://www.docnmail.com/tests/highschool/act.htm

You can take a free ACT practice test at http://www.kaptest.com/Kaplan/5/College/ACT/Practice-ACT/Free-ACT-Practice?ProductId= and http://www.petersons.com/testprep/practice_test.asp?id=354&sponsor=1&path=ug.pft.act.

We suggest browsing each of the above sites because some of them also send you an email with a daily practice test question. They also offer good articles and advice on taking the tests. Most schools in this region prefer that you take the SATs, but it can’t hurt to take the ACTs as well. Just remember if you do take the ACTs, we recommend you take the ACT with the optional writing section. Without the writing section, many schools will not accept the scores.

Financial Aid / Scholarships
Q. – What types of financial aid are available for me as a Latino student?

A. There are thousands of private scholarships out there for Latino students, including many that do not ask information about immigration status. For a list of scholarship and financial aid resources for Latino students, including a list of extensive scholarship lists and scholarship search engines online, click here.
Besides private scholarships, look into the schools you are considering attending, and check to see if they offer scholarships you qualify for. If they do, contact the schools’ financial aid offices to find out how to apply for them. Also, many schools have a financial aid application for their institution that you should fill out and get in well before the deadline in order to try to receive institutional aid before it is all distributed.
Finally, if you are a U.S. citizen or Legal Permanent Resident (LPR), you qualify for federal financial aid and should go to www.fasfa.ed.gov to fill out the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA). To be able to receive federal financial aid for each year that you plan to attend a college or university, you should fill out the FAFSA as soon as possible after January 1st of every year well before the start of the school year. (The deadline for the FAFSA is the 15th of February each year.) You have to wait until January 1st because you need to be able to report income information taken from your and your parents’ W-2 forms.
Q. – I am a U.S. Citizen applying for federal student aid, but my parents are undocumented. What do I put on the FAFSA when it asks for my parents’ information?

A. We recommend you put 000-00-0000 for your parents’ social security numbers. When the FAFSA asks whether or not your parents will or have already filed their taxes for the year, answer truthfully. If your parents are not going to file taxes then mark WILL NOT FILE. We do encourage your parents to use their ITIN taxpayer identification numbers to file and pay their taxes if at all possible since it is a requirement of the federal government. Finally, for reporting your parents’ income, if they do not file their taxes and lack information about their total income for the year, you should just do the best you can to estimate your parents’ total income, being as truthful as possible.
Q. – I am about to graduate from school with a professional degree, and I would like to obtain the required license for my profession. However, I am undocumented and the board exam registration requires a social security number. I have worked so hard and done very well in my classes. Is there anything I can do to become licensed?

A. With Congress’ continued refusal to vote for the DREAM Act, the injustices for students like you will continue to take place. Unfortunately, unless you have a social security number, you will not be able to take the exam to get your license, no matter how well you have done in school. Sadly, there is just no way around it for now, at least in North Carolina. We are all hoping that the federal government will realize the extent of these injustices and finally commit to seeing comprehensive immigration reform take place. We continue to call on our legislators to address these issues and are hoping to see laws passed in the future that will allow you and others like you to obtain the licenses you have worked so hard for.
If you have more questions about legislative or legal matters, feel free to contact the Immigration Legal Assistance Project at the NC Justice Center at 1-888-251-2776 (toll free) or (919) 856-2159. (They have Spanish-speaking representatives if needed.)

For more information on the DREAM Act, click here.

For an analysis of the DREAM Act, click here.

Other Questions
Q. – What should I do if I encounter problems during the process of preparing for or applying to college?

A. If you experience trouble or problems, you can call El Pueblo, Inc. at (919) 835-1525 and ask to speak with Amanda Giese at ext. 227 or email her at amanda@elpueblo.org. We at El Pueblo will try to help you in whatever way we can or refer you to someone who can be of even more help to you.
If you have questions about legislative or legal matters involving the process, we suggest you contact the Immigration Legal Assistance Project at the NC Justice Center at 1-888-251-2776 (toll free) or (919) 856-2159.
Q. – How can I help to promote change to higher education policies in North Carolina that would increase access to higher education for undocumented students?

A. If you want to get involved in these efforts, please contact our Advocacy Initiative at (919) 835-1525 or email elpueblo@elpueblo.org.
Q. – What if I have more questions?

A. You can ask teachers, school guidance counselors, and organizations such as El Pueblo , SAF (Student Action with Farmworkers), and the North Carolina Society of Hispanic Professionals .
We are committed to seeing you achieve your dreams of pursuing higher education and are ready and willing to help you along the way!

El Pueblo, Inc. – A State wide non-profit dedicated to strengthening the Latino community in North Carolina. (919) 835-1525, elpueblo@elpueblo.org, www.elpueblo.org
SAF (Student Action with Farmworkers) brings students and farmworkers together to learn about each other’s lives, share resources and skills, improve conditions for farmworkers, and build diverse coalitions working for social change. Melinda Wiggins Executive Director (919)-660-3652, mwiggins@duke.edu
NC Society of Hispanic Professionals acknowledges the under representation of Hispanic youth in higher education, and sees the need for role models. It is the intent of NCSHP to develop and secure educational opportunities and financial support to improve Hispanic youth's success and school performance. (919) 654-4516, mailbox@TheNCSHP.org

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