[Oasfaa] Oklahoma's Promise - legislative change

[Alexander, Carol]

As you may remember, the Oklahoma Legislature passed legislation during
the 2007 legislative session restricting the eligibility of undocumented
immigrant students to receive state financial aid.  For all state
financial aid programs except Oklahoma's Promise, undocumented immigrant
students can be eligible only if they provide to the institution a copy
of a true and correct application or petition filed with the U.S.
Citizenship and Immigration Services to legalize the student's
immigration status.

 

For Oklahoma's Promise, a higher requirement was set for students
enrolling in the program after July 2, 2007.  Students enrolled by July
2, 2007 were "grandfathered" and remain fully eligible to receive the
program award.  Students who have enrolled in Oklahoma's Promise in the
8th, 9th or 10th grade after July 2, 2007 must be a United States
citizen or lawfully present in the United States at the time they enter
college to receive the Oklahoma's Promise award.  Students that later
become a United States citizen or lawfully present may become eligible
for the award at that time.  Undocumented immigrant students in the 8th,
9th or 10th grade may continue to enroll in Oklahoma's Promise.

 

Some students in the 2010 high school graduation class of Oklahoma's
Promise students are the first students subject to this new requirement.
Of the approximately 10,000 students in the 2010 Oklahoma's Promise
graduating class, just over 3,700 enrolled as 10th-graders after July 2,
2007.  About two-thirds of the 2011 class, students that enrolled in 9th
or 10th grade, will be subject to this requirement.  Beginning with the
2012 class, all students in the graduating class will be subject to this
requirement.

 

All students that are subject to this requirement will be "flagged" on
the Oklahoma's Promise Eligibility Verification list.  Any of the
flagged students that the institution determines not to be a United
States citizen or lawfully present in the United States are not eligible
to receive the Oklahoma's Promise award.

 

In the eligibility letter we will send to each 2010 Oklahoma's Promise
graduating senior certifying their completion of the high school
requirements, we will also remind the student of this additional
condition for receiving the award.  The eligibility letter will no
longer be sufficient evidence in itself that the student is entitled to
receive the Oklahoma's Promise award.

 

We will be at OASFAA next week, and if you have any questions or
concerns, please e-mail me or stop me at the conference.  Thank you!

 

 

Carol Alexander 
Scholarship Coordinator 
Oklahoma's Promise
Oklahoma State Regents for Higher Education 
655 Research Parkway, Suite 200 
Oklahoma City, OK  73104 
phone:  405.225.9160 
fax:  405.225.9230 

Mailing Address: 
PO Box 108850 
Oklahoma City, OK  73101-8850 

 

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