What our Families Really

Want to Know
Myths and Facts About Going to College
as a First Generation Student

First Generation Students

First generation students are those who are the first in
his/her family to complete a college education (1)
A growing demographic in college attendance and
graduation is first generation students (2)
In 2010, a study by the Department of Education showed (2):
50% of the college population are 1st generation students

48.5% Hispanic and Latino students

45% Black or African American
35% Native American
32% Asian
28% White/Caucasian

Myth #1: It is better for my child to

get a job right after High School

Facts:
A college graduate earns up to $20,000 more
per year than a high school graduate alone (3)
Add that up and you are have made almost
$1,000,000
(1 million!) more over your career!
A student with a Bachelors degree earns
about $51K/yr, while those who go on to get
their graduate degree can earn over
$100,000K or more a year (3)

Myth #1 Busted
More Facts:
More likely to get jobs with health insurance benefits
(3)

The payoff of having a degree is especially lucrative

for students from low-income families, since the
education and credential give them a chance to
break out from low-paying careers (3)
The quality of jobs is better(3)
College graduates are overall healthier, contribute
more to their communities, and raise kids who are
better prepared academically (3)

College graduates are more likely to hold on

to their job and less likely to become
unemployed (3)

How much can I earn with my degree per

year?

Myth #2: My child will be going to

college too far away from home!

All parents are worried about what their child

will be doing while in college, and want them
to be closer to home, but going to college
away from home helps to foster
independence and life-long skills!
Not all schools are far away, your child can
look into community college options in
Breckenridge, or be close by in Denver (an
hours drive) as well!

Myth #2 Busted
Life long skills a child learns by going away to college:

Independence
Learning to live on your own
Making your own decisions on a daily basis
Creating connections in your field
Time management skills
Self-discipline
Effective communication skills
Balancing work and play
Internship Opportunities = Practical, real world
experience
Your passion!

Yes, it is far away but

There is a great community college offering a 2 4
year degree in your backyard Colorado Mountain
College is located in:
Breckenridge, Dillon, Leadville, Eagle/Vail, Steamboat Springs

Or there are many options in Denver/Boulder and the

surrounding areas which are a short drive from Summit
Students will be able to visit many colleges (both in
and out of state) with Pre-C staff to explore their
options

Some of the colleges Pre-Collegiate

has visited (in and out of state)

University of Colorado Denver

University of Colorado Boulder
Denver University
CO School of Mines
Colorado Mountain College
University of San Francisco
UCLA
University of San Diego
Northern Arizona University
Grand Canyon University in Phoenixand more!

Myth #3: It is too expensive

to go to college
College can be affordable!
College tuition can start as low as $3000 or less per
semester and the following can help complete the
financial gap:

Grants
Loans
Financial Aid
Scholarships
Work-Study Opportunities
In-State Tuition
Tuition Discounting

Myth #3 Busted

State Grants
Merit Based Grants
Need based grants
Pell Grants
A student whose family qualifies as low income
can receive a Pell Grant
Awards the student anywhere from $400$5,550/year (4)

Loans, Financial Aid,

Scholarships
Loans and Financial Aid
Stafford Loan
Fill out a FAFSA to qualify for up to $5,500 per
year in financial aid (4)

Private, low-interest loans

Scholarships
Merit and Talent Based (5)
Demonstrated Need (5)

Work Study
Federal Work Study(6)
Part time jobs for undergraduates and graduate students
with financial need
Available to full or part-time students
Emphasizes employment in civic education and work
related to your course of study
On and off campus jobs
Earn at least the current minimum wage if not more
Will be paid directly, or put towards tuition, fees, etc
Employers are required to consider your school schedule (7)
Does not reduce your financial aid eligibility (7)

Tuition Discounting
Small colleges sometimes provide tuition discounting (5)
Awarding to an average of 39%-42% students
Large colleges/universities also provided it to 33%

North Carolinas Davidson College have 100% of their

student demonstrated need met through a combination of
grants and student employment (5)
PAs Swarthmore College gives 50% of students assistance
and 70% of students shared more than $34 million in
scholarships, loans, and work study (5)
Cooper Union (NY) and Curtis Institute of Music (PA) dont
charge tuition and award talent with a free ride (5)

In-State, In-District Tuition

At Colorado Mountain College, in-distract and instate tuition can really help a student
Current Tuition Rates (2015-2016):
In District: $57/credit hour (100-200 level courses)
$855/semester for 15 credit hours

In State: $107/credit hour (100-200 level courses)

In comparison to Out of State: $373/credit hour (100-200)
Approx. double the rate for 300-400 and/or BSN level courses
See residency requirements for more information

Military and Veterans families also get a further

discount

Myth #4: Undocumented students cannot

obtain post-secondary education in the
United States

You CAN go to college if undocumented/non-US citizen

There is NO federal or state law that prohibits your
admission to any U.S. college, public or private (9)
Federal law also does not prohibit states from providing
in-state tuition to undocumented students (9)
Federal and state laws do not require students to prove
citizenship, yet institutional policies can vary so (9)
DO YOUR RESEARCH!

Myth #4 Busted
In 2001, Texas became the first state to allow
undocumented students to pay in-state tuition rates to
attend public colleges and universities (10)
In 2005, Texas also enacted a law which allows
undocumented students to qualify for state financial aid
(Texas DREAM Act) (10)
At least 18 other states now have provisions for
undocumented students to access in-state tuition rates (10)
Since the beginning of 2015, at least 12 more states have
introduced legislation on their tuition-equity policies (10)

Colorado Law ASSET

Senate Bill 33
ASSET is similar to the Texas Dream Act, in that
students who meet certain requirements can become
eligible for in-state tuition (11)
To qualify for the in-state tuition (Sept 2013 and after):
1. Students must attend a Colorado high school for three
years.
2. Be admitted to a participating college within 12 months
of graduating or completing a GED
3. They must declare their intention (sign an affidavit) to
pursue legal immigration status. (12)

The schools do not have to verify the immigration

status of the students. (11)

More on CO ASSET
Since the bill was signed in 2013, more than 950
undocumented students have enrolled in state
colleges in Colorado. (13)
The Community College of Denver, where 21 full-time
and 53 part-time students are enrolled under ASSET,
is one of the schools changing the financial
application so just one form will make any student
eligible for any of the school's scholarships. (13)
At the University of Northern Colorado, all 16 current
ASSET students have received some scholarship aid.
(13)

Myth #5: There is no money available for

undocumented students to go to college

As we can see from the CO ASSET law alone,

there are already students receiving
scholarship aid from colleges here in CO.
There are also many scholarships available to
non-U.S. citizen students
DACA, or the Deferred Action for Childhood
Arrivals program enacted by President Obama
has also helped undocumented students obtain
money for college and access financial aid (14).

DACA
Current federal law continues to prohibit all undocumented
students from accessing federal financial aid, including Pell
Grants and the Federal Work-Study Program. (14)
But DACA gives undocumented youth access to renewable
two-year work permits and Social Security numbers (14)
With this Social Security number, students can now access
financial aid for higher education (14)
Able to now fill out their FAFSA form to get their estimated
family contribution number
Can now petition their schools for institutional aid that is
available to ALL students

Most DACA Beneficiaries Live in

States with Tuition Equality Laws

Scholarships
Not all scholarships require proof of citizenship
Some of these include:

Denver Scholarship Foundation (denverscholarship.org)

Custom Made Scholarship $1000
Scholarship America Dream Award $5,000-$15,000
Microsoft Minority Scholarship
La Unidad Latina Foundation $250 - $1,000
Golden Door Scholars (goldendoorscholars.org)
Educators for Fair Consideration (e4fc.org)

More from
UnitedWeDream.Org
Becas Univision 2015
34 Scholarships - $5,000 each

DREAM Summer 2015

Ascend Educational Fund Scholarship
OCIYU Scholarship
Since 2011, they have provided $11,500 in Scholarships

The RAISE Scholarship for Undocumented Pan-Asians

Many more on blog.collegegreenlight.com

DSF Making it Happen