Emory University estimates that fewer than a half a dozen immigrants eligible for a special reprieve from deportation will enroll at the university this year after it begins offering them a new scholarship.
Asked where the money will come from and how much will be available, a spokeswoman for the private research university identified the source only as “Emory institutional resources.”
“There is no predetermined formula for this,” Nancy Seideman said in an email in response to questions The Atlanta Journal-Constitution sent the university this week. “Scholarship awards, if needed, will be awarded on a case-by-case basis.”
Emory’s initiative is important for immigrants without legal status because they don’t qualify for federal student aid. Plus, Georgia bars them from attending some of its public universities — including the University of Georgia — and requires them to pay out-of-state tuition rates at others.
Supporters of Emory’s move say it will gain from the University System of Georgia’s loss of bright students. Meanwhile, critics say they don’t agree with making public or private universities open to immigrants without legal status in the U.S.
Emory officials say the scholarships will be made available to students who qualify for a deportation deferral through the Obama administration’s Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program, or DACA. That program applies to immigrants who were illegally brought to the U.S. as children, who attend school here and who have no felony convictions.
The university announced it will start offering the financial aid starting with the class entering this fall. Applicants will be required to complete applications and submit their most recent tax returns.
“Their aid awards will be composed of the same components as domestic students — grant, loan, and work study — but with federal and state aid replaced with private institutional aid,” Seideman said.
Emory announced its new policy after coming under pressure from some of its students, who had teamed up with DACA recipients and immigrant rights activists to campaign for changes.
“We have been listening to our students, faculty, alumni, and staff, and this is an important topic for many of them,” Seideman said. “It’s not a change regarding the institutional view on shaping the best class of students — the best class for Emory.”
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