Online College Is Helping Undocumented Students Claudio Sanchez - NPR.org
go to original October 30, 2015

US Federal law does not prohibit undocumented students from enrolling in college, but it does something nearly as effective, banning them from receiving government aid. In recent years, though, some undocumented students have stumbled upon a little-known, non-profit, online university that doesn't charge tuition and doesn't care about students' legal status.

University of the People certainly got the attention of Miguel Angel Cruz. The 27-year-old entered the U.S. illegally from Mexico a decade ago. He settled near Tampa, Fla. where he now shares a small trailer with his father. Cruz learned English and earned his GED.

But his dream of going to college was just that, a dream, because of the high cost. Then, he started searching online.

"I was Googling, not for free but for cheaper universities, and I found the University of the People," Cruz says.

He had never heard of the school but had nothing to lose, except the $50 non-refundable admission fee he paid to enroll in the school's business administration course. A similar course at the University of South Florida, near his home, would have cost close to $1,100.

Cruz is precisely the kind of student Shai Reshef says he set out to help when he founded University of the People six years ago.

Read the rest at NPR.org

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