Higher Education
Paving the way for Latino College Success
Latino students and their parents understand the significance of obtaining a college degree for achieving upward mobility, and many aspire to pursue their dreams of higher education. However, too many young people in the community encounter obstacles in accomplishing this goal.
To ensure that our students have access to and persist in higher education, and graduate with a degree, the Latino Policy Forum pursues an advocacy agenda aimed at removing barriers and empowering Latino students.
Sign up for updates on our work to expand opportunities and remove barriers for Latinos pursuing a higher education.
State Budget Priorities
Monetary Award Program (MAP) Increases
The Forum continues to advocate for increased allocations to MAP to ensure the persistence and graduation of Illinois students.
Promoting College Affordability
The Forum is advocating for the Adequate and Equitable Funding Formula for Public Universities Act that will aid college affordability, and academic support for first-generation, low-income, Latino and undocumented students. The Forum also supports increases for community colleges, adult education, and career technical education.
Scholarship Supports for Educators
The Forum supports funding to support a diverse teacher pipeline through scholarships like the Early Childhood Access Consortium for Equity and the Minority Teachers of Illinois.
Accomplishments in Higher Education Policy
The Latino Policy Forum works with community and educational leaders, agencies, decision-makers, and higher education advocacy groups to remove barriers to college success for Latino students.
College Affordability through Collective Advocacy
The Forum and other advocates secured scholarship funding to support college students pursuing an early childhood degree, diversify the teacher pipeline, and increase the MAP grant to improve college affordability.
Promoting Undocumented Student Belonging
Undocumented liaison staff at two- and four-year public higher education institutions are able to better support students and families because of training and resources provided by a collaboration between the Forum and the Illinois Dream Fund.
In the Works
Research-Policy Partnerships
The Forum is currently collaborating with the Illinois Workforce and Education Research Collaborative at the University of Illinois on research about access to dual credit opportunities, trends in FAFSA completion, and issues regarding student transfer between two- and four-year universities.
Convening the Illinois Undocumented Student Liaisons
The Forum is currently partnering with the Illinois Dream Fund to convene bi-monthly with the undocumented student liaisons at the two and four-year institutions of higher education to provide issue education on policy and share best practices.
Issue education on legislation
The Forum is providing legislative support for Public Act 103-876 passed in Illinois, an amended bill allowing certain undocumented students to receive in-state tuition at public universities. The Forum is working with the legal attorney at the Mexican American Legal Defense and Educational Fund (MALDEF) to inform the undocumented student liaisons so they can inform their institutions, students, and families about the bill and eligibility.
Higher education memberships
The Forum is a member of the Illinois College Access Network (ICAN) Steering Committee which is an Illinois Student Assistance Commission (ISAC) initiative, and the Coalition for Transforming Higher Education Funding.
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Training
Our higher education workshops are designed for higher education practitioners at two- and four-year institutions, including advisors, staff, and faculty. They explore the impact of immigration factors on student well-being, belonging, and retention and cover the rights and privacy protections for undocumented students and staff on college campuses in Illinois.
