On Wednesday afternoon, Senior Vice President for Students and Enrollment Andrew Flagel led a discussion on undocumented students' access to higher education, and the challenges they face when applying to American colleges and universities.

Following a brief introduction of his background in higher education, Flagel explained the different steps undocumented applicants face in the application process, including the actual application, admission and enrollment. He said that there are no federal laws preventing undocumented students from applying to institutions or prohibiting institutions from admitting said students. However, according to Flagel, "most institutions require an answer on citizenship status, which creates a de facto barrier" to prospective students. Such a response might prompt an institution not to admit the student based on this status, or on the admissions officer's feelings on the issue of immigration.

Flagel highlighted that the Common Application admission process is a significant source of concern for undocumented students, saying that the "Common App holds the keys here: it contains a question on citizenship ... and requires an answer." This effectively adds a national barrier to undocumented students, due to the vast number of institutions that rely on the Common Application, he said. According to the Office of Admissions' website, Brandeis still requires the Common Application as a component of the individual's overall application.

Arguing against this creation of another hurdle in the admissions process, Flagel said that "it is silly" for institutions to hold applicants' undocumented status "against them [during the admissions process] when they may have had no say in the decision to come to this country at a young age." He advocated instead for a further look into how to classify such applicants without labeling them negatively and creating more difficulties.

When asked about the low number of undocumented students studying at Brandeis, Flagel stated that the Office of Admissions is "not seeing many applications from undocumented students here." He also said that for those who have applied, there is no definitive policy for undocumented students specifically.

Flagel said that while Brandeis does not discriminate against undocumented applicants, their status does become problematic with the issue of funding. No undocumented student would be able to access federal aid, which includes grants, loans and work-study programs. To address this issue, some undocumented students label themselves as international students, a practice Flagel cautions against.

"This can push them into the process of getting an F1 visa," said Flagel, which can further complicate the student's admissions process. An F1 is a student visa that permits foreign nationals to study in the United States. Rather, he advised that students should declare their undocumented status, saying that while counterintuitive, it is "safer to report oneself as undocumented than to apply for a student visa." He later added that "there is no requirement whatsoever" for an institution to report an applicant's status to the federal government, and that while this is not prohibited by the Family Education Rights and Privacy Act, which only applies to matriculated students, he had never heard of an institution doing so.

When asked what Brandeis's official position on undocumented students is by Estela Lozano '15, co-president of the Brandeis Immigration Education Initiative, Flagel responded that Brandeis has "no restriction based on citizenship for admission or enrollment." Flagel also announced that he is working with BIEI, a student-led organization that aims to facilitate the conversation about the various immigration issues facing Brandeis, Boston and the United States on a whole, on a video in which he will publicly state this policy; BIEI co-sponsored the discussion.

This statement was well received by Lozano, who called this "a great step in showing [the University's] position on undocumented students." Lozano also mentioned that BIEI is working to get the same statement written online in order to publicize the message to prospective undocumented applicants.
After the discussion, Lozano said in an interview with the Justice that she was pleased with the event, saying that Flagel "really knew his stuff" m about the admissions process for undocumented students.

The discussion was also co-sponsored by the International Center for Ethics, Justice and Public Life and the "Immigrant Support Services Practicum" course taught by associate director of the Ethics Center Marcia McPhee. There will be a follow-up event tomorrow from 6 to 8 p.m. in the Mandel Atrium, entitled "A Journey to the Dream," during which a student from the Heller School for Social Policy and Management will discuss her experience as an undocumented graduate student at Brandeis.