Enrollment of low-income, undocumented students declined by half at University of California and California State University campuses from 2016 through the 2022–23 academic year, according to a new study by the University of California Civil Rights Project at UCLA and UC Davis School of Law.

The paper, "'California Dreamin': DACA's Decline and Undocumented College Student Enrollment in the Golden State" is believed to be the first to report on data collected during an era marked by increasing limitations on DACA, or Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals.

Further, researchers found, for UC and CSU low-income undocumented students overall (new and continuing students) there was a 30% decline between 2018–19 and 2022–23. This reflects a delayed impact as earlier large cohorts took time to graduate.

Given existing state laws intended to provide equal access for undocumented students who grew up in California, the authors attribute the stark declines to the gradual constrictions on DACA since 2017, which worsened after a Texas federal district court's national injunction in 2021 blocking the processing of new DACA applications, researchers said.

Restrictions make it more difficult for Gen Z undocumented college students to obtain legal employment and other benefits that make college more accessible and affordable, researchers said.

• Read More