Ug-Immigration-Daca-Status​
What is DACA?
The Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) Program, established by President Barack Obama in 2012, allows certain people who meet specific guidelines to request deferred action on their deportation. While the government still has the right to revoke your DACA status at any time, it’s important to remember that as long as you have a valid DACA status you can attend class at USC and receive financial aid.
If you are a USC undergraduate student and have DACA, attending class is not a problem.
- You must file the FAFSA each year to receive financial aid from USC.
- Your status will be verified by Immigration Services when they process your application for renewal of DACA status every two years. If your DACA renewal application is denied or if you lose status, then there may be issues with registering for classes at USC because we cannot verify eligibility for financial aid until all other requirements for admission have been met (including payment of tuition). However, if your renewal application has been approved by Immigration Services or if they continue to accept it as valid without requiring additional information from you regarding eligibility while they process it, then we can enroll students who have lost their deferred action under certain circumstances:
If you are a student whose DACA status has been approved, you will need to file the FAFSA and include the results of your Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) status.
The FAFSA is a form that determines your eligibility for financial aid. It is used by universities to determine how much money you will receive in grants, scholarships and work-study programs. If you qualify on income alone, you may receive up to $7500 per year in grants and work-study programs–this grant can be renewed yearly if your financial situation does not change significantly.
As long as you maintain your eligibility to receive DACA benefits, USC can continue to accept your FAFSA application and process it on time.
If you lose DACA status, USC will not process your FAFSA application until you regain DACA status.As long as you still have DACA documentation on file with the U.S Citizenship and Immigration Services, the university won’t change any of its policies regarding your immigration or financial aid status.If you lose your DACA status, however, you will no longer be eligible for financial aid.
In addition, if you are a current USC student and require assistance with the immigration process, please contact OISS@usc.edu or visit oiss.usc.edu for more information.
