Undocumented student enrollment at California colleges declined by half since 2016. Here’s why

A new study reveals a sharp decline in the enrollment of low-income, undocumented students at California’s public universities.

From 2016 to 2023, undocumented student enrollment at the University of California and California State University campuses dropped by about 50%, according to the report from the UCLA Civil Rights Project and UC Davis School of Law. The decline is linked to gradual restrictions on the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program, which began under former President Barack Obama and provides work permits to eligible youths who were brought to the United States as children.

The program began facing challenges in 2017 and worsened in 2021 when a Texas federal district court ruling blocked new applications. These restrictions make it harder for undocumented students to access legal employment and other benefits that make college affordable, said William Kidder, research associate at the UCLA Civil Rights Project and an author of the study.

“I believe that (the findings) underscores how common it is for young Gen Z undocumented college students to struggle when DACA is beyond reach and when they are excluded from campus jobs and surrounding labor markets,” Kidder said in a statement.

To reach their conclusion, the authors compared low-income undocumented students with low-income peers at UC and CSU campuses. The lack of enrollment decline among the groups with citizenship status emphasized the particular challenges faced by undocumented students, said Kevin Johnson, the former dean of the UC Davis School of Law and the second author of the study.

“The study serves as a reminder that action is needed to address the fading away of DACA, which benefited so many young noncitizens,” Johnson said in a statement. “Hopefully, Congress and the president in the future work to address the issues.”

Last month, the California Legislature passed Assembly Bill 2586 which would allow the UC, CSU and California Community Colleges systems to employ students without legal work permits. Gov. Gavin Newsom has until Sept. 30 to sign or veto the bill.