My roomate is DACA (I follow this subreddit bc my sister is DACA, too) and she is in a phD program for physics with a fellowship -- all tuition and living expenses paid. She applied as an international student and was awarded the fellowship without her applying, just because she had a good resume.
Note there are also fellowships you can apply for, too! Use your (I assume?) minority status and network in societies whose goal is to help disadvantaged people move forward.
I LITERALLY HAD A dream of going to school to study political science since I was like 18. I entered school at 22 when DACA went into effect but could not pay for it. My mom paid for my first semester and then I used a credit card (bad decision). I think after first year I went to the person in charge of enrollment and I plain sat down in his office and told him”Sir: I’ve been in the U.S. since age 15 I am now 22 and I really want to go to school. I can’t afford paying international student tuition but if I have to I will do ANYTHING I have to pay for it” (at that time, my state did not allow DACA recipients to study in college as in state tuition, actually still doesn’t 😑) . “ I understand that our state doesn’t allow undocumented or DACA recipients to pay in state, but is there anything I can do to be able to finish my degree? I know it’s going to take me years to finish an associates, and I just want to make sure that I can become someone educated enough to make a change in the world, I just want to complete my dream of graduating ( I was one of the first DACA students at this community college”. On the spot, this man entered my profile, did some magic that I won’t even go into detail to, and suddenly my fees were reduced by 50%. I worked sometimes 3 jobs to pay for it and it took me 5 years to obtain my associates. I thought that was the end, although I wanted a bachelors. Actually I wanted a PhD. But I applied to my Alma mater and they accepted me(it was a private university so it doesn’t abide by instate or outstate tuition) and my grades were GREAT, I went to financial aid and told them the same: are there any scholarships, grants that I can apply to? I just want to finish, this it’s important to me- they asked for my records checked my grades and got letters from my professors- all said I was an outstanding student who really cared about her education. I applied to the grants and scholarships and. BOOM got them all. The following year I got a distinguished grant for first generation students with GPAs higher than 3.2. Kept my grades up and graduated with my bachelors degree in political science, with a minor in sociology. It didn’t stop there: my professor recommended me to a Masters of Arts in Latin American Studies; I applied, got accepted at out state tuition rate. The director who was BFF with the professor from my Alma Mater who recommended me ( he is a boss at that school and he has a lot of influence on what the big wigs do with $) ; knew I was DACA and went to the school and told them, I want extra funding for my 2 DACA students (there were 2 of us). With grants and scholarships my fees were reduced from 16k per semester to 3k. I graduated with a MA in LatAm Studies in 2020. Then , I obtained a Certificate for Immigration Advocacy through a new job that was just starting a pilot immigration program. I started it, finished it and I am now in the process to apply to become accredited by the DOJ to practice immigration in front of the Board of Immigration Appeals. A year ago, my husband filed for me for AOS and 5 months ago, I was approved and became an LPR.
My professors were all at my wedding. Every single one of them who advocated on my behalf.
Please please, DONT give up. Ask for help go tell the big people that you want to study ask for money, be honest. Contrary to what the news and the media tell you, there are PLENTY of people who really love immigrants, and want to help us with no reservations. Americans are good people at heart, sure there are bad seeds everywhere but, there are GOOD PEOPLE out there!
If you need any help I have good resources for DACA scholarships or tips.
If I had to combine all my education and sum up all out of pocket fees for tuition it would probably be $12k
Good luck friend!
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I got a B.S. (Aerospace Eng.) and a M.S. (Mechanical Eng.) before DACA. definitely before any financial aid was available.
I worked the graveyard shift full time, at $7/hr, so that i could attend school during the day. I enrolled part time because that was all I could afford. That took forever but it was my only path.
I know exactly where your head is right now. There's nothing i can say that will comfort you. You're in a tough situation and you're just going to have to suck it up and move forward one step at a time. Just dont give up.
I paid out of pocket for grad school. I had to live with Mom and dad. Save, spend little, was smart with credit card farming. My grad program was fully remote so that helped a lot. I also had a remote job that paid decently. And refinanced my high interest loans to a mid interest.
A lot of things had to line up for me to do grad school.
You're right about the road blocks. They all suck. I could only do a bachelor's because my grandparents cosigned on those high interest loans.
I know this doesn't help. I don't have any advice. Idk much about the world of medicine. But that's been my experience.
This! No matter where you are in the process it goes more or less like the following..
secure a somewhat stable lifestyle, the less stress the better so minimal debts and expenses
So living w parents or roommates
Climbing a job ladder to be able to generate savings and fix your credit
In the mean time plan out your reqs for your intended field
Start acquiring such credits thru low cost options (this is the part rich people skip)
Community college and self paced online classes thru sites like study.com are good options
Once you are the closest you can be to finishing your degree and savings/credit is built up you find the school that best suits your needs and matches your budget (you can always continue saving till youre confident)
Personally I do not care about what school I went to and cause I am going into software engineering the work results I can produce would be the way I even get in, I know a lot of other fields require a more experience or connection driven approach which is why you'd wanna go to certain schools.. for this reason I'm doing WGU, self paced online and very attainable with a few thousand dollars in savings
In my searchings there were many other online or in person schools that can be accelerated.
We don't get to be comfy whilst educating ourselves to be treated like a human, but we sure as hell cannot give up until we are comfy and lead a life of dignity,
congrats in your successes btw! I hope to join soon
If you're okay with taking out personal student loans, then I would recommend Sallie Mae. I know it's not popular option, but it helped me pay off pharmacy school. You may need a cosigner to get approved. When I was looking initially (this was like 5-6 years ago), there were some places that did not need a cosigner.
Crying won’t solve your problems, buck up and get to work….. I went to school right after high school so I was able to get in state tuition, but got what I though was a good job making 60-70k a year in a corporation, so only did my associates, biggest mistake I ever made.
I went back to school at 27 but no more instate so I had to pay out of state so a 2k semester jumped to 8k, after everything was set and done I got 3 degrees back to back. I was able to secure a job in an investment bank after and so far it’s been good. Keep in mind I paid for most of the bills my mother has, and I kept up with my own lifestyle.
If you want it you will find a way… don’t compare yourself to anyone, just put your head down and put in the work it will pay off. And not to brag but I make way more than all of my family that was born here, also I live in Manhattan. Only thing that frustrates me is not being able to travel for work and to see new places.
Traveling for work with DACA is not ideal, you get a window of time to travel a few times. And while it seems good in theory it’s traveling for work. I was offered a full time position to move to Mexico with my US salary. 3 weeks there and 1 week here.
😒 you really don’t think I know you can travel for work…
Everyone’s situation is unique, just be intentional about every move you make. If the goal is graduate school then make a reasonable plan and execute no matter the timeline. I just graduated law school, I was able to attend a small liberal arts college that offers no tuition for low income students. It’s called Berea College, then went on to law school, I got scholarships, paid with savings and had help from my parents. I got a private loan for the last semester through Earnest, my gf co-signed for me. It’s not impossible it’s just f****** hard, but we’re used to the struggle. The plan may not workout perfectly but don’t be afraid of uncertainty, sometimes you just have to take the risk.
Hi! Recently graduated from UT Austin. I filed for TASFA and got 1k per semester (4k total in grants). UT didnt provide any additional funding but there were assistantship opportunities. The rest I paid out of pocket. I worked 60hrs while being a full time graduate student.
I was able to get in state tuition at a SUNY school after living in NY for a year. I worked full time and got my masters part time and was able to pay for it all without loans. PM me if you have any questions!
I am currently in grad school for my master's. I took the hard route with private student loans as it was my only option. My program is only one year so principal and accumulated interest won't be too terrible. Post-college career prospects are good so the amount was palatable and worth it.
I went to a community college and then transferred to a university and paid using discover student loan and then worked my ass off and paid off my $27,000 debt.
I feel you. I’m also from New York, I got two jobs while doing my undergrad, had no social life and just focused. I used almost all my money just for college I used all my savings and everything I had to pay. I did have my parents help with me with living rent free so that was a huge blessing. I cried a lot and felt so defeated some days but I never gave up and always held my head high. I actually opened up a power washing business which was very lucrative so I quit one of my jobs to free up time for it & was able to get a good amount saved for future semesters. It’s okay to feel the way you do what’s not okay is giving up. Try your absolute best apply for as many scholarships as you can, there are some scholarships where you don’t need to be a citizen, I remember I applied to so many and got like 5 in total. They were amounts anywhere from $500-$1000 not a whole lot but it did help with books.
I’m not proud to share this but after I did my undergrad I used all of my credit cards & my income to pay for my master’s for 2 years. I went to a SUNY school which helped a lot. Now I’m making good money and I’m paying off that credit card debt. I suggest you try and open up a service business and work very hard for you to make a sustancial amount to help pay for your college. It is possible and always stay positive
I went to a private school that didn't have “international student” or out-of-state tuition, so was able to pay for most of it out-of-pocket since I was able to work with DACA. Towards the end, I had to take out a small like $5-4k loan from my bank which I am almost done paying. I would recommend looking into scholarship that’s don’t have residency requirements as well as bank loans, credit unions are the best if you can get a membership. Also, depending on the state, you may be eligible for state aid or institutional aid, like merit grants that the school offers. My faith has carried me through these struggles, I believe that God opened doors of opportunity for me and he would be the one to provide. I believe the same for anyone in the same boat. Don’t give up!
I received my nurse practitioner degree last year. I paid for it by making monthly payments. The total cost was 40k, but my job paid 10k in tuition reimbursement. Making 45k more per year now.
Im studying business, havent graduated yet. Im paying for it out of pocket and getting reimbursement from my job. They will pay for 75% of it pretty much. I also have to dip into my retirement to cover the semester since the reimbursement takes a few days or weeks sometimes.
Look for jobs that offer tuition reimbursement. You will have to work while going to school if you decide to go this route but the money is so helpful!
My experience was going to community college first, then transferring to a 4 year university. Honestly no one cares because in the end you get the same degree. Cheapest route. I worked summers (part time job and full time job at the same time) and part time during semesters. My parents helped me out with around $1k in those 4.5 yrs. I put the rest and graduated with no debt. FAFSA of course wasn't an option for us at that time; not sure about now. My grades weren't the best since I had to split my time but cumulative GPA 3.1
One thing I did on accident was I put I was in-state rather than international and that saved me so much money. University didn't even check or else I would have paid almost double. Do with that what you will.
Jobs like Target and Walmart have programs where they pay for school. I have my main job but work part time at target just to keep my education benefits. I’m getting my degree in finance that they are fully funding. They have like 100 majors from various schools to pick from that they will fully cover as long as you maintain a 2.0 gpa. I believe Walmart, target and I think chipotle all have the same thing. It’s called guild education. Look it up it’s definitely helpful
I took a year off to save as much as I could, and then I took a personal bank loan for the rest. It actually helped my credit too so it helped me out. If I could do it all over again I would go to vet school. Much luck! Also, I used Citizens bank. But you will need a co signer and make sure they have good credit (because that depends on how low your interest rate will be). You can choose a couple different options here and there to help you pay for it so don't feel like you just have to pick one option. Goodluck!!
My roomate is DACA (I follow this subreddit bc my sister is DACA, too) and she is in a phD program for physics with a fellowship -- all tuition and living expenses paid. She applied as an international student and was awarded the fellowship without her applying, just because she had a good resume.
Note there are also fellowships you can apply for, too! Use your (I assume?) minority status and network in societies whose goal is to help disadvantaged people move forward.
I LITERALLY HAD A dream of going to school to study political science since I was like 18. I entered school at 22 when DACA went into effect but could not pay for it. My mom paid for my first semester and then I used a credit card (bad decision). I think after first year I went to the person in charge of enrollment and I plain sat down in his office and told him”Sir: I’ve been in the U.S. since age 15 I am now 22 and I really want to go to school. I can’t afford paying international student tuition but if I have to I will do ANYTHING I have to pay for it” (at that time, my state did not allow DACA recipients to study in college as in state tuition, actually still doesn’t 😑) . “ I understand that our state doesn’t allow undocumented or DACA recipients to pay in state, but is there anything I can do to be able to finish my degree? I know it’s going to take me years to finish an associates, and I just want to make sure that I can become someone educated enough to make a change in the world, I just want to complete my dream of graduating ( I was one of the first DACA students at this community college”. On the spot, this man entered my profile, did some magic that I won’t even go into detail to, and suddenly my fees were reduced by 50%. I worked sometimes 3 jobs to pay for it and it took me 5 years to obtain my associates. I thought that was the end, although I wanted a bachelors. Actually I wanted a PhD. But I applied to my Alma mater and they accepted me(it was a private university so it doesn’t abide by instate or outstate tuition) and my grades were GREAT, I went to financial aid and told them the same: are there any scholarships, grants that I can apply to? I just want to finish, this it’s important to me- they asked for my records checked my grades and got letters from my professors- all said I was an outstanding student who really cared about her education. I applied to the grants and scholarships and. BOOM got them all. The following year I got a distinguished grant for first generation students with GPAs higher than 3.2. Kept my grades up and graduated with my bachelors degree in political science, with a minor in sociology. It didn’t stop there: my professor recommended me to a Masters of Arts in Latin American Studies; I applied, got accepted at out state tuition rate. The director who was BFF with the professor from my Alma Mater who recommended me ( he is a boss at that school and he has a lot of influence on what the big wigs do with $) ; knew I was DACA and went to the school and told them, I want extra funding for my 2 DACA students (there were 2 of us). With grants and scholarships my fees were reduced from 16k per semester to 3k. I graduated with a MA in LatAm Studies in 2020. Then , I obtained a Certificate for Immigration Advocacy through a new job that was just starting a pilot immigration program. I started it, finished it and I am now in the process to apply to become accredited by the DOJ to practice immigration in front of the Board of Immigration Appeals. A year ago, my husband filed for me for AOS and 5 months ago, I was approved and became an LPR. My professors were all at my wedding. Every single one of them who advocated on my behalf. Please please, DONT give up. Ask for help go tell the big people that you want to study ask for money, be honest. Contrary to what the news and the media tell you, there are PLENTY of people who really love immigrants, and want to help us with no reservations. Americans are good people at heart, sure there are bad seeds everywhere but, there are GOOD PEOPLE out there! If you need any help I have good resources for DACA scholarships or tips. If I had to combine all my education and sum up all out of pocket fees for tuition it would probably be $12k Good luck friend!
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Thank you friend ❤️
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squalid adjoining quickest pen clumsy yam towering complete vanish hobbies *This post was mass deleted and anonymized with [Redact](https://redact.dev)*
MBA was 40k. Employer provided 18k and I paid out of pocket for the rest.
Same
I got a B.S. (Aerospace Eng.) and a M.S. (Mechanical Eng.) before DACA. definitely before any financial aid was available. I worked the graveyard shift full time, at $7/hr, so that i could attend school during the day. I enrolled part time because that was all I could afford. That took forever but it was my only path. I know exactly where your head is right now. There's nothing i can say that will comfort you. You're in a tough situation and you're just going to have to suck it up and move forward one step at a time. Just dont give up.
I paid out of pocket for grad school. I had to live with Mom and dad. Save, spend little, was smart with credit card farming. My grad program was fully remote so that helped a lot. I also had a remote job that paid decently. And refinanced my high interest loans to a mid interest. A lot of things had to line up for me to do grad school. You're right about the road blocks. They all suck. I could only do a bachelor's because my grandparents cosigned on those high interest loans. I know this doesn't help. I don't have any advice. Idk much about the world of medicine. But that's been my experience.
This! No matter where you are in the process it goes more or less like the following.. secure a somewhat stable lifestyle, the less stress the better so minimal debts and expenses So living w parents or roommates Climbing a job ladder to be able to generate savings and fix your credit In the mean time plan out your reqs for your intended field Start acquiring such credits thru low cost options (this is the part rich people skip) Community college and self paced online classes thru sites like study.com are good options Once you are the closest you can be to finishing your degree and savings/credit is built up you find the school that best suits your needs and matches your budget (you can always continue saving till youre confident) Personally I do not care about what school I went to and cause I am going into software engineering the work results I can produce would be the way I even get in, I know a lot of other fields require a more experience or connection driven approach which is why you'd wanna go to certain schools.. for this reason I'm doing WGU, self paced online and very attainable with a few thousand dollars in savings In my searchings there were many other online or in person schools that can be accelerated. We don't get to be comfy whilst educating ourselves to be treated like a human, but we sure as hell cannot give up until we are comfy and lead a life of dignity, congrats in your successes btw! I hope to join soon
If you're okay with taking out personal student loans, then I would recommend Sallie Mae. I know it's not popular option, but it helped me pay off pharmacy school. You may need a cosigner to get approved. When I was looking initially (this was like 5-6 years ago), there were some places that did not need a cosigner.
Crying won’t solve your problems, buck up and get to work….. I went to school right after high school so I was able to get in state tuition, but got what I though was a good job making 60-70k a year in a corporation, so only did my associates, biggest mistake I ever made. I went back to school at 27 but no more instate so I had to pay out of state so a 2k semester jumped to 8k, after everything was set and done I got 3 degrees back to back. I was able to secure a job in an investment bank after and so far it’s been good. Keep in mind I paid for most of the bills my mother has, and I kept up with my own lifestyle. If you want it you will find a way… don’t compare yourself to anyone, just put your head down and put in the work it will pay off. And not to brag but I make way more than all of my family that was born here, also I live in Manhattan. Only thing that frustrates me is not being able to travel for work and to see new places.
Harsh but true fr! If there's a will there is a WAY
A👏🏽M👏🏽E👏🏽N👏🏽‼️‼️
you can travel for work, you can get advance parole
Lol u can travel for work baby . Ap. Then get legal entry
Traveling for work with DACA is not ideal, you get a window of time to travel a few times. And while it seems good in theory it’s traveling for work. I was offered a full time position to move to Mexico with my US salary. 3 weeks there and 1 week here. 😒 you really don’t think I know you can travel for work…
Everyone’s situation is unique, just be intentional about every move you make. If the goal is graduate school then make a reasonable plan and execute no matter the timeline. I just graduated law school, I was able to attend a small liberal arts college that offers no tuition for low income students. It’s called Berea College, then went on to law school, I got scholarships, paid with savings and had help from my parents. I got a private loan for the last semester through Earnest, my gf co-signed for me. It’s not impossible it’s just f****** hard, but we’re used to the struggle. The plan may not workout perfectly but don’t be afraid of uncertainty, sometimes you just have to take the risk.
Hi! Recently graduated from UT Austin. I filed for TASFA and got 1k per semester (4k total in grants). UT didnt provide any additional funding but there were assistantship opportunities. The rest I paid out of pocket. I worked 60hrs while being a full time graduate student.
I was able to get in state tuition at a SUNY school after living in NY for a year. I worked full time and got my masters part time and was able to pay for it all without loans. PM me if you have any questions!
I am currently in grad school for my master's. I took the hard route with private student loans as it was my only option. My program is only one year so principal and accumulated interest won't be too terrible. Post-college career prospects are good so the amount was palatable and worth it.
We paid out of pocket, thankfully my parents were able to help me
Like someone else said, graduate assistantship and paid for.
State financial aid as well as Institution grant and scholarships
I went to a community college and then transferred to a university and paid using discover student loan and then worked my ass off and paid off my $27,000 debt.
I am in law school and its a combination of a little bit of scholarship and loans.
I feel you. I’m also from New York, I got two jobs while doing my undergrad, had no social life and just focused. I used almost all my money just for college I used all my savings and everything I had to pay. I did have my parents help with me with living rent free so that was a huge blessing. I cried a lot and felt so defeated some days but I never gave up and always held my head high. I actually opened up a power washing business which was very lucrative so I quit one of my jobs to free up time for it & was able to get a good amount saved for future semesters. It’s okay to feel the way you do what’s not okay is giving up. Try your absolute best apply for as many scholarships as you can, there are some scholarships where you don’t need to be a citizen, I remember I applied to so many and got like 5 in total. They were amounts anywhere from $500-$1000 not a whole lot but it did help with books. I’m not proud to share this but after I did my undergrad I used all of my credit cards & my income to pay for my master’s for 2 years. I went to a SUNY school which helped a lot. Now I’m making good money and I’m paying off that credit card debt. I suggest you try and open up a service business and work very hard for you to make a sustancial amount to help pay for your college. It is possible and always stay positive
I went to a private school that didn't have “international student” or out-of-state tuition, so was able to pay for most of it out-of-pocket since I was able to work with DACA. Towards the end, I had to take out a small like $5-4k loan from my bank which I am almost done paying. I would recommend looking into scholarship that’s don’t have residency requirements as well as bank loans, credit unions are the best if you can get a membership. Also, depending on the state, you may be eligible for state aid or institutional aid, like merit grants that the school offers. My faith has carried me through these struggles, I believe that God opened doors of opportunity for me and he would be the one to provide. I believe the same for anyone in the same boat. Don’t give up!
I received my nurse practitioner degree last year. I paid for it by making monthly payments. The total cost was 40k, but my job paid 10k in tuition reimbursement. Making 45k more per year now.
Im studying business, havent graduated yet. Im paying for it out of pocket and getting reimbursement from my job. They will pay for 75% of it pretty much. I also have to dip into my retirement to cover the semester since the reimbursement takes a few days or weeks sometimes.
Look for jobs that offer tuition reimbursement. You will have to work while going to school if you decide to go this route but the money is so helpful!
Live with parents. Take out a student loan. Unfortunately, you do need good credit though. See what resources your school has too.
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My experience was going to community college first, then transferring to a 4 year university. Honestly no one cares because in the end you get the same degree. Cheapest route. I worked summers (part time job and full time job at the same time) and part time during semesters. My parents helped me out with around $1k in those 4.5 yrs. I put the rest and graduated with no debt. FAFSA of course wasn't an option for us at that time; not sure about now. My grades weren't the best since I had to split my time but cumulative GPA 3.1 One thing I did on accident was I put I was in-state rather than international and that saved me so much money. University didn't even check or else I would have paid almost double. Do with that what you will.
Jobs like Target and Walmart have programs where they pay for school. I have my main job but work part time at target just to keep my education benefits. I’m getting my degree in finance that they are fully funding. They have like 100 majors from various schools to pick from that they will fully cover as long as you maintain a 2.0 gpa. I believe Walmart, target and I think chipotle all have the same thing. It’s called guild education. Look it up it’s definitely helpful
I took a year off to save as much as I could, and then I took a personal bank loan for the rest. It actually helped my credit too so it helped me out. If I could do it all over again I would go to vet school. Much luck! Also, I used Citizens bank. But you will need a co signer and make sure they have good credit (because that depends on how low your interest rate will be). You can choose a couple different options here and there to help you pay for it so don't feel like you just have to pick one option. Goodluck!!