DePaul welcomes undocumented and DACAmented students to apply to the College of Law. Undocumented and DACAmented students should follow the same application procedures as United States citizens and permanent residents.

DePaul and other organizations offer scholarships specifically dedicated to underprivileged groups and communities, including undocumented and DACAmented students, including:

●      DePaul University Undocumented Student Support

●      MALDEF Scholarship Resource Guide (please note that some scholarships do require TPS, DACA or other status)

●      Illinois Dream Fund

More information about tuition and financial aid at DePaul can be found in the DePaul University DREAM Resource Guide.

DePaul's Office of Professional & Career Development is available to help undocumented and DACAmented students navigate internships during law school and employment after graduation, and the office also provides programming and other opportunities to connect with potential employers and alumni of the College of Law. Please contact Elizabeth Boe EBOE@depaul.edu with any questions. 

DePaul College of Law has several undocumented and DACAmented student mentoring opportunities. The First Generation Law Student Organization has a peer mentoring program that provides diverse first-year students with second- and third-year student mentors. Please e-mail depaul.firstgen@gmail.com for more information. 

Click here for information on additional student mentoring opportunities.

Diverse IL students: One of the strong recommendations made by the Diversity Council in its diversity plan for DePaul Law was the need for professional mentoring for our diverse students. While we understand that all of our incoming students could benefit from a professional alumni mentor, we determined that certain students–including undocumented/DACAmented students—could benefit the most in our mentoring program to ease their transition and reinforce the communities created by student affinity groups and bar associations. Please email Ana Vazquez-Rivera, Director of Diversity, Inclusion & Student Life, avazquez@depaul.edu for more information.

Illinois law permits DACA beneficiaries’ admission to the Illinois bar and prohibits state officials from denying professional licenses based on immigration or citizenship status.

In New York, an otherwise eligible applicant to practice law in the state cannot be denied due to immigration status.

The State Bar of California is authorized to issue a license to practice law to an otherwise eligible applicant, even if that person is not lawfully in the United States.

For questions regarding other state bars, please contact the director of the Bar Passage Program, Jamie Kleppetsch, at JKLEPPET@depaul.edu.

Both Illinois and Chicago welcome immigrants.

In 2017, Illinois enacted the TRUST Act, which prohibits local police from complying with immigration detainers and warrants not issued by a judge. Under the TRUST Act, local police cannot stop, search or arrest anyone based on their immigration or citizenship status. 

The Chicago Welcoming City Ordinance prohibits local agencies from asking immigrants about their legal status while seeking city services or talking with Chicago police officers, and prevents Chicago Police from honoring immigration detainers or warrants, cooperating with ICE enforcement operations or directly share information with ICE. See the Mayor’s Office of New Americans.

“Know Your Rights” Information

• The Illinois Office of the Attorney General
• Immigrant Legal Resource Center 
• Illinois Coalition for Immigrant and Refugee Rights
• National Immigrant Justice Center

The Illinois Coalition for Immigrant and Refugee Rights (ICIRR) provides the following resources:

• A list of local non-profit agencies providing free or low-cost assistance with immigration matters
• A list of organizations that assist in multiple languages with public benefits, state resource centers, food pantries, emergency assistance, financial assistance, housing, utilities, and more
• A list of nonprofit organizations that can assist with citizenship and DACA renewals

●      DePaul College of Law Society for Asylum & Immigration Law (SAIL) 

●      Dream Bar Association

●      United We Dream

●      Immigrants Rising

●      Dream Activist

●      My Undocumented Life

DePaul College of Law is committed to supporting the health and wellness of our undocumented and DACAmented students. Please see the below free and low-cost health and wellness resources:

●      ACCESS Community Health Network is the Chicago area’s largest provider of community health care and includes a behavioral health department

●      Coalition for Immigrants Mental Health provides mental health resources, including lists of mental health resource directories in English and Spanish

●      Wellness programs at the College of Law

●      DePaul University Undocumented Student Support

●      DePaul University Resources for Serving Undocumented Students