Abstract
California is the home of one of the largest populations of undocumented immigrants in the United States (Drachman, 2006; Nevins, 2010). With an estimated 65,000 undocumented students graduating from high school every year (Passel, 2006), these undocumented students are facing challenges and barriers to enter institutions of higher education. Those barriers are in the form of coming from low socioeconomic status, being underprepared academically, being first-generation students, and lack of federal financial aid (Chávez, 1998; Einsema, 2013; Frum, 2007; Gonzales, Roth, Brant, Lee, & Valdivia, 2016). A college degree is seen as an opportunity for social and economic mobility (Abrego, 2006; Chávez, 1998; Gandara & Contreras, 2009; Menjivar, 2000, 2006). With undocumented students entering institutions of higher education, the State of California needs to understand how the challenges and barriers are impacting those students. A better understanding of these challenges and barriers California will help improve the graduation and retention rates.