Undocumented Student Statistics
These statistics are designed to help you understand the financial and educational position of undocumented immigrants in this country:
- In the United States there are 3.2 million undocumented children and young adults under the age of 24 (www.migrationpolicy.org, 2012).
- An estimated 1.49 million youths and young adults (or 13 percent of the 11.4 million undocumented immigrants) are eligible to apply for the expanded DACA program (Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals) (www.migrationpolicy.org, 2012).
- In 2010 undocumented immigrants paid an estimated $13 billion into the social security system, but only received $1 billion in benefits contributing to $12 billion in cash flow (www.ssa.gov, 2013).
- Undocumented immigrants pay approximately 11.6 billion in federal and state taxes annually, paying a higher portion of their income into the system than the top 1% (www.cbsnews.com, 2016).
- Among undocumented youths ages 18-24, 40% have less than a high school education compared to 8% for U.S.-born counterparts (US Dept. of Education, 2015).
- Approximately 65,000 undocumented students graduate from U.S. high schools every year, 25,000 of those students graduate from California high schools (US Dept. of Education, 2015).
- About 5 to 10% of undocumented students pursue higher education, and far fewer successfully graduate with a degree (US Dept. of Education, 2015).
- Case studies of California, Texas and Massachusetts revealed that, even with access to in-state tuition, undocumented students represent only a miniscule proportion of the total enrollment at public institutions (College Board, 2009).
- Given the opportunity to receive additional education and move into better-paying jobs, undocumented students would pay more in taxes and have more money to spend and invest in the U.S. economy (College Board, 2009).
- By 2020, 65% of jobs will require postsecondary education and training beyond high school (Georgetown Public Policy Institute: cew.georgetown.edu, 2014).
- By 2020, the United States will fall short by 5 million workers with postsecondary education — at the current production rate (Georgetown Public Policy Institute: cew.georgetown.edu, 2014).