AB540 Resources

In 2001 the California legislature passed AB 540, which allowed undocumented students who attended at least three years at a California high school, graduated, and were accepted by a college or university in California to be eligible for resident fees.  AB 540 went into effect in 2002.  The law applies to students who would otherwise be classified nonresidents for tuition purposes, not just undocumented students.  Many of these students are also low income and/or first generation college students. SLAS/EOP is committed to working with this emerging student population.

Support at UC Berkeley

Asian Pacific American Student Development
Asian Pacific American Student Development (APASD) office serves the changing needs of Asian Pacific American (APA) students on the UC Berkeley campus. The APASD office provides programs and supports activities that further the educational goals of the APA students and enhance their opportunities for academic success.
The APASD office is located on the 2nd floor of the César Chávez building in Room 249. Contact  (510) 643-5497 or http://multicultural.berkeley.edu/apasd/index.html

Chican@/Latin@ Student Development Office
The mission of the Chican@/Latin@ Student Development Office is to empower Chican@/Latin@ students to achieve academic excellence and engage in community involvement.

The CLSD office is located on the 2nd floor of the César Chávez building in Room 245. Contact Lupe Gallegos at  (510) 642-1802 or lupeg@berkeley.edu

Multicultural Immigrant Student Program
The Multicultural Immigrant Student Program (MISP) was established in 1982 to serve the changing needs of immigrant students on the UC Berkeley campus. MISP offers programs, classes, and activities that help immigrant students adjust to campus life as well as enhance their opportunities to achieve academic success and social well-being. Our main goals are to recruit immigrant students and to assist in their retention at the university, simultaneously providing them resources that will help them obtain a successful graduation regardless of their distinct background and despite of their individual challenges.

URL:http://ucbmisp.tumblr.com/

RAZA Recruitment and Retention Center
The RRRC's goal is to increase the enrollment of Chicano/Latino high school students in institutions of higher education by sending UCB students on recruitment trips to local area high schools. The center also helps improve the retention rate of Chicano/Latinos through various programs.

URL: www.ocf.berkeley.edu/~rrrc
Email: calrazacoords@lists.berkeley.edu

RISE
Rising Immigrant Scholars through Education (RISE) is a group of students promoting awareness for current college and high school students on educational issues that affect the immigrant community. RISE serves as a support group for students by being a resource on campus to ensure that AB540 students at UC Berkeley have academic and financial support to complete their academic endeavors.
Contact them at risecochairs@gmail.com or ucb_rise@yahoo.com
Feel free to visit their blog for upcoming events http://rise-ucb.blogspot.com/

Additional useful websites and resources:

A)     AB540.com
http://ab540.com/
A simple yet comprehensive website with information for students and advisors. Very useful user-friendly site for anyone not familiar with AB540. Learn about preparing for college, college admissions, paying for college, and other useful information regarding current and potential AB540 students.

B)      AB 540/Undocumented Student Information Guide:
Undocumented Student Guide
A resource guide released by Center for Higher Education Policy Analysis (CHEPA) at the University of Southern California and the Salvadoran American Leadership and Educational Fund (SALEF), and Malou Chavez. A great source of definitions, FAQs and more.
 
C)      The Achievement Award Program
http://alumni.berkeley.edu/services/scholarships/achievement-award-program
Scholarship program for incoming freshman students and a two-year scholarship program for incoming junior transfer students. Only incoming Cal students are eligible to apply for this scholarship program. AB 540 students are eligible for this program.

D)       Bay Area Gardeners Foundation
http://www.bagf.org/
A community foundation to help low income students by providing them with scholarships and the opportunity to pursue their dreams.
 
E)      Cal State Long Beach AB 540 Online Resource Guide:
http://www.csulb.edu/president/government-community/ab540.html
Provides a great deal of extremely useful information on applying for college, financial aid and legal issues. Also has a PowerPoint presentation for training advisors and counselors on issues surrounding AB 540 students. In addition, the group provides a support group for undocumented students, which may be a great resource for CCC in considering holding workshops or classes.

F)       Educators For Fair Consideration (E4FC)
http://www.e4fc.org/
Scholarships That Don't Require Social Security Numbers
           
G)       Futuros Educational Services:
http://futuros-california.org/resources/guide/index.html
Provides college advising, application assistance and group workshops for undocumented students.

H)      Latino College Dollars:
http://www.latinocollegedollars.org/
Search for scholarships available regardless of documentation status. 
Compiled by the Tomas Rivera Policy Institute.

I)      Mexican American Legal Defense and Education Fund:
http://www.maldef.org/education/public_policy/ab540/index.html
This is a good resource for any legal advice regarding fair employment practices and education policy and reform. It is also one of the few websites that lists scholarships that do not require citizenship documentation.

J)       Rising Immigrant Scholars through Education Resource Guide
http://students.berkeley.edu/apa/apa%20home/eaop/files/12-15-07/AB%20540%20Packet-for%20students.PDF
Resource guide created by AB 540 students about student rights, The Dream Act and answers to FAQ’s. Includes a list of scholarships that do not require citizenship.

K)       Salvadorian American Leadership and Educational Fund
http://www.salef.org
Good resource for all Latino students about legal actions, community involvements, and scholarship resources. Provides information about mentorship opportunities and advocacy for public schools.

L)      Undocumented Students…Unfulfilled Dreams:
http://www.labor.ucla.edu/publications/reports/Undocumented-Students.pdf
UCLA Report on Undocumented Students – a brief but very informative
source of information.