A recent court ruling now bars undocumented students in Illinois from receiving in-state tuition and receiving state financial aid.
Just days before classes start, universities are rushing to send undocumented students updated award letters telling them they won’t receive the financial aid they thought they would.
Undocumented students are ineligible for federal financial aid like Pell Grants but in some states like Illinois they could receive state financial aid like the MAP grant.
In Illinois, it was through the RISE program, which was open to undocumented students who graduated from Illinois high schools. There was also the Illinois DREAM Fund, which was a privately funded scholarship program.
In order to qualify for state aid like through RISE, undocumented students had to attend an Illinois high school for at least two years before enrolling at a college or university; graduate or receive an equivalent diploma from an Illinois high school and agree to file an application for U.S. permanent residency as soon as they're eligible.
Now students can’t get that aid for the upcoming school year.
It's estimated there are nearly 25,000 undocumented students enrolled at Illinois colleges and universities, with around 3,000 undocumented students graduating high school every year.
According to a report from June 2025, there are just over 500,000 undocumented students at colleges and universities across the United State.
In a statement, Northern Illinois University President Lisa Freeman said it’s not the outcome they advocated for and they’ll work with undocumented students to find options to help them continue their degrees.
The university declined to say how many NIU students this decision would affect.
