College Options for DREAMers Act

College Options for DREAMers Act

This bill amends title IV (Student Assistance) of the Higher Education Act of 1965 to allow Dreamer students to receive federal financial aid for higher education.

A "Dreamer student" is an individual who was under age 16 upon entering this country, has provided a list of secondary schools the individual attended in this country, and, in this country:

• has earned a high school diploma or the equivalent,
• is scheduled to complete the requirements for a high school diploma or equivalent before the next academic year begins,
• has acquired a degree from an institution of higher education,
• has successfully completed at least two years of a program for a baccalaureate or higher degree,
• is a beneficiary of the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program, or
• has served honorably in the uniformed services for at least four years.

The Department of Education must provide for a hardship exception to the age and secondary school list requirements.

States are allowed to offer unlawful aliens postsecondary benefits on the basis of their residence in the state (e.g., in-state tuition).