College & Career Support for New Arrivals

Statue of Liberty

YOU CAN DO BIG THINGS.

New arrivals have the potential to achieve greatness! Even though moving to a new place can be challenging, it’s also full of opportunities. With hard work and determination, anyone can reach their goals, including going to college and building a successful future. Many people who started in a new country have gone on to become doctors, teachers, business leaders, and more. It doesn’t matter where you come from—what matters is your willingness to learn and grow. Education, like going to college, can open doors to endless possibilities, and with the right mindset, anything is possible!

PAYING FOR COLLEGE

If the student and parents both have social security numbers → FAFSA

If the student or parent does not have a social security number → Dream Act

Students applying for the Dream Act must have attended any California public high school for three years by the time they graduate.

If none of the situations above match the student → Long Beach City College's Dream Services

See our list of scholarship opportunities for students who are new to the U.S. → Click Here

THE DREAM ACT

The California Dream Act helps students who weren’t born in the U.S. go to college.
It lets these students apply for special money called "financial aid" to help pay for school
This act is for students who don’t have legal residency status.
The money helps pay for things like classes, books, and other school expenses.
The Dream Act does not give students citizenship or legal status—it just helps them with school costs.
To get this help, students have to fill out forms and meet certain requirements.

ELIGIBILITY:

- - The students must live in California and have gone to public high schools for three years.
    - - This means a total of three years in any California public high schools.
      - So, if you went to a public high school in San Diego for 2 years, then came to Cabrillo for your senior year, that counts as three years total in any California public high school.
  - To apply, the student must not have a social security number.
    - - If the student does have a social security number, they can apply to the FAFSA instead of the Dream Act.