National Dream University To Open for Undocumented Students
Fri, Aug 3 3:25 PM
Plans to open a new college for undocumented students are now in the works in southern California and Maryland. The University of California, Los Angeles Center for Labor Research and Education and the National Labor College teamed up and plan to open National Dream University in 2013, according to The Associated Press.
The idea came after five professors in Georgia chose to ban together and teach promising undocumented students who were otherwise unable to attend college. The group of professors founded Freedom University, which later fell through. NDU mirrors the idea, but plans to expand nationally, the AP reported.
Created for undocumented students who want to achieve a higher education, NDU will initially offer six online classes on labor history, social movements and nonviolence to around 35 students. Classes will cost $2,490 each.
“There are particular experiences and challenges they face as undocumented that other students don’t face,” Kent Wong, director of UCLA’s Labor College, told L.A. Weekly.
Those involved in creating the school said they are optimistic that undocumented students will take advantage of the program because it may be the only option they have to go to college. The classes will be offered online to appeal to students who otherwise would not be able to attend due to high tuition costs, as well as students who need to keep a job while enrolled in school and account for other living expenses, Fox reported.
Unlike other colleges in the United States, NDU will not require proof of citizenship, a green card or a U.S. visa to be accepted into the school.
Students who complete the program will graduate with a certificate and the opportunity to transfer their credits to another college, the project’s coordinator, Alma Castrejon, told the source.
If NDU is successful, students may have the opportunity to earn a full associates or bachelor's degree in the future.
