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Financial Aid Applications For California Students In US Illegally Drop By Half

LOS ANGELES (CBSLA/AP) — There's been a significant drop in applications for college financial aid by California students who are in the country illegally after being brought to the U.S. as young children.

The Los Angeles Times reports that as of Monday 19,141 students had applied for aid under the California Dream Act roughly two weeks before the deadline. That number is just over half of last year's total.

College counselors say this reflects increasing distrust of government among immigrant families, as well as uncertainty over the status of the separate Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program — better known as DACA.

State officials have worked to differentiate between the California Dream Act (CADA) and DACA, but confusion over both programs may also be a factor in the drop in applications.

The deadline to apply for CADA is March 1.

(© Copyright 2018 CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved. The Associated Press contributed to this report.)

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