University of California President Napolitano Announces Multi-Year Support for Undocumented Students

OAKLAND, CA – University of California (UC) President Janet Napolitano recently announced a three-year commitment to support the university’s efforts for undocumented UC students.

“We are committed to continuing a path forward for undocumented students at the University of California,” Napolitano says. “This funding will further strengthen the university’s undocumented student initiative, and help ensure that these students receive the support and resources they need to succeed.”

The university will earmark $8.4 million a year through the 2018-19 academic year for undocumented student support across its 10 campuses. The funding will be divided among three priorities:

  • UC’s DREAM Loan Program will receive $5 million per year for at least three years. The program makes student loans available to undocumented students, who are not eligible for federal aid. Students will repay their loans back into the DREAM Loan fund.
  • Student services staff coordinators and targeted undergraduate and graduate fellowships, as well as other financial support such as funds for textbooks, will be allocated $2.5 million per year.
  • UC’s Undocumented Legal Services Center will receive $900,000 per year.

President Napolitano first launched the Undocumented Students Initiative just weeks after joining the university in fall 2013. The initiative allotted $5 million for undocumented student support.

“From the earliest days of her presidency, Janet Napolitano has acted to ensure that our undocumented students are on equal footing with others seeking to fulfill their aspirations at UC campuses,” says UC Board of Regents Chairman Monica Lozano. “These efforts have made the University of California a leader among universities across the nation in ensuring academic opportunity for undocumented college students.”

Featured

  • Campus Safety Requires Using Every Resource Available

    Across the U.S., school and campus leaders are facing a security landscape that has changed dramatically over the past decade. Incidents on school property have increased in recent years, with several consecutive years setting record totals. According to analysis of data by CNN, dozens of shootings now occur on school grounds annually across K-12 and higher education environments.

  • Montclair State University Starts Construction on $120M STEM Building

    Montclair State University in Montclair, N.J., recently broke ground on a new $120-million Interdisciplinary Science Building, according to university news. The university partnered with HoK Architects for the project’s design, and it’s scheduled to open in time for the 2028–29 academic year.

  • Classical building columns display digital data streams

    The Campus Nervous System: Why Facilities Risk Is Now a Leadership Issue in Higher Education

    Facility performance now intersects with safety, compliance, on-campus experience, institutional reputation, and financial resilience. That places it firmly on the leadership agenda.

  • GeoCam and UCLA: Modernizing Campus Accessibility Mapping

    In early 2025, UCLA partnered with GeoCam to capture and modernize its pedestrian infrastructure data. The goal was ambitious but clear: to produce a high-accuracy, imagery-backed digital map of every sidewalk, pathway, ramp, and ADA-related feature on UCLA’s 419-acre campus.