AB540: Allows certain non-resident students to receive reduced in-state tuition at public colleges and universities (CCC, CSU, UC). Students must have attended at least three years of high school in California and earned a diploma or GED.
AB2000: Expands on AB540 to enable students to count years spent at CA elementary and middle schools towards the three years of CA schooling requirement.
SB68: Expands on AB540 to enable students to count years spent at CCC and adult education towards AB540 eligibility. Students with less than three years of high school in California, may earn any (remainder) of the required 1,260 hours via non-credit and credit attendance. One year of full-time attendance (non-credit or credit) is equivalent to 420 hours. Additionally, SB68 allows the completion of an associate degree or meeting minimum requirements to transfer to a CSU or UC as sufficient for students to qualify for in-state tuition and financial aid.
CA Dream Act (CADAA): The California Dream Act allows undocumented and nonresident documented students who meet certain provisions to apply for and receive private scholarships funded through public universities, state administered financial aid, university grants, community college fee waivers, and Cal Grants.
Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA): A 2012 executive order that provides undocumented young people (who meet certain criteria) a two year temporary administrative relief from deportation, and authorization to work in the U.S. In 2017, the Trump administration ended DACA. After a series of lawsuits filed against the administration for unlawfully terminating the program, the Supreme Court ordered the continuation of DACA applications. Currently (as of September 1, 2020), DACA renewal applications are being accepted, but no initial applications are being accepted at this time.
DREAMer: A term commonly used by students who connect with the DREAM Act movement and is sometimes used as a synonym for terms such as, undocumented, immigrant, and non-U.S. citizen. The term is becoming less popular as the DREAMer narrative holds many implications such as marginalizing different groups of immigrants and perpetuating the model minority stereotype.
Federal Dream Act: The Development, Relief and Education for Alien Minors Act (the “DREAM Act”) bill would provide certain undocumented individuals who graduate from U.S. high schools, who are of good moral character, arrived in the U.S. as minors, and have been in the country continuously for at least five years prior to the bill’s enactment, the opportunity to earn conditional permanent residency. The DREAM Act was first introduced in 2001, but was never passed despite multiple legislative attempts. **Do not confuse the CA Dream Act (which provides state financial aid to undocumented AB-540 eligible students) with the proposed Federal Dream Act.
Immigration and Customs Enforcement (I.C.E.): The bureau within the U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) that enforces immigration laws and conducts the apprehension, detention, and deportation of immigrants.
Mixed-Status Family/Household: A family/household in which one of more immediate members include people with different citizenship or immigration statuses. Some may be U.S. citizens, legal permanent residents, recipients of DACA, while others remain undocumented. Compositions of the families/households vary.
Temporary Protected Status (TPS): The Secretary of Homeland Security may designate a foreign country for TPS due to conditions in the country that temporarily prevent the country’s nationals from returning safely, or in certain circumstances, where the country is unable to handle the return of its nationals adequately. The U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services may grant TPS to eligible nationals of certain countries (or parts of countries), who are already in the United States. Eligible individuals without nationality who last resided in the designated country may also be granted TPS.
