Across America, Universities Cut Staff and Budgets but Fund Illegal Aliens

The far-left takeover of academia deprioritizes an educated citizenry.

Universities across the United States have had to tighten their belts financially due to federal and state cuts and dropping enrollment. But guess what universities are not willing to abandon? Illegal aliens who should never have been here to begin with, let alone taking Americans' slots at college. As millions of Americans struggle to find work and miss out on the opportunity to attend college, foreign lawbreakers receive special treatment.

Before we dive into details, an important piece of context is 8 U.S. Code § 1324, which penalizes anyone who "conceals, harbors, or shields from detection, or attempts to conceal, harbor, or shield from detection" an illegal alien. Therefore, any individual or institution that deliberately harbors illegal aliens without notifying federal authorities has violated federal law. Unfortunately, that doesn't seem to influence the decision-making of countless universities in America now.

Colleges Favor Illegal Aliens Over U.S. Citizens

I looked at 30 universities, some private and some public, across 22 states and Washington, D.C. Only one of the universities appears to have recently removed its webpage offering resources and admission standards to illegal aliens: the University of Notre Dame. The Catholic university in Indiana now simply offers resources to international students, including potential aid with immigration, and posts updates about federal immigration policy. It remains unclear what illegal aliens can expect regarding admission and aid at Notre Dame. 

Aside from that one instance, I confirmed that all of the other 29 universities continue to accept illegal aliens and offer them some sort of financial aid or tailored assistance. Likewise, each of those universities has had to make staff, budget, or financial aid cuts within the last couple years. These cuts impact American citizens, and yet instead of ditching the financial aid and resources for illegal aliens, the universities are choosing to cut in other areas, even essential areas. In some cases, the university has had to make reductions because fewer students attended the university, donors provided less money, or the school had spent far too much. In other cases, the universities made cuts because states reduced funding or the federal government implemented reforms. 

The Trump administration has tried to crack down on student loan fraud, woke grants, antisemitic activism, and DEI expenditures at the university level. But again, each of these 29 universities I reviewed continue to offer slots and aid to illegal aliens despite the federal reforms and the budget squeeze.

Rampant Examples Across the U.S.

One particularly egregious instance is the University of Arizona, which is in my own hometown of Tucson. In 2023, the university became embroiled in a scandal after it allegedly miscalculated the amount of cash it had on hand by millions of dollars, and by early 2025 it became clear that this "miscalculation" was a $240 million one. Now U of A has to make major cuts which included reducing the merit scholarships it offered to students who have a certain GPA level. Instead of automatically qualifying for scholarships now based on high school GPA, many students will not be able to receive the scholarships, as university employees informed my relative soon before she began this school year. Well, that is, citizens have fewer merit scholarship options.

U of A has a dedicated webpage for "DACA/Dreamer Applicants," and it advises noncitizens to see if they qualify for in-state tuition. Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals, or DACA, is an Obama-era program that delays immigration enforcement against illegal aliens who entered as minors, and that is often abused by criminals. Noncitizens, even illegal aliens, also qualify for merit scholarships, and incoming freshmen can apply by the Early Action Application deadline to receive "priority scholarship consideration." Furthermore, "DACA students are eligible for the President's Directed Scholarship Fund," and there are also TheDream.US scholarships for "undocumented students." A member of the janitorial staff said that U of A even cut janitors this year.

University of Colorado Boulder, a school infamous for its wokeness, is another offender. It brags about welcoming illegal aliens at the undergraduate, graduate, and doctoral levels. "Immigration status is only one part of a person's story, but it can bring extra questions," CU Boulder enthuses, offering a myriad of campus resources including academic advising, counseling, "victim assistance," student legal services, career services, and work study. CU Boulder offers numerous financial aid opportunities for "undocumented students," including the Student Relief Fund, My Undocumented Life, Immigrants Rising, and Dreamer's Roadmap.

Despite all those resources and scholarships still available to illegal aliens, CU Boulder has felt the financial pinch of federal reforms too. For instance, in November 2025, Boulder Reporting Lab mourned cuts to DEI programs that resulted in a loss of "more than $2.2 million in grants — funding that supported foreign-language instruction, international scholarship programs, and college access for children of migrant farmworkers." Again, notice how the focus is all about foreigners. 

But citizens also feel the effects. In spring 2026, the University of Colorado Board of Regents approved tuition hikes and salary increase limits to deal with state cuts. And since the Trump administration capped Federal Direct Loans as of July 1, 2026, CU Boulder now has a notification for students that it may have to reduce or cancel federal loans. But don't worry, undocumented students can still receive scholarships.

The University of Iowa has illegal alien students, and Iowa Capital Dispatch even reported in August 2025 on a lawsuit between the Department of Homeland Security and UI students who were battling deportation. UI also has the following two paragraphs on its webpage about various scholarship opportunities:

Immigrants Rising - This organization provides well-maintained, comprehensive lists of external funding awards that do not require US citizenship.

DREAM Iowa - DREAM Iowa compiled a list of scholarships available to DACAmented and/or undocumented students at the state and national level.

But in March 2025, according to local news outlet Little Village, the University of Iowa told some of its graduate students that it "can no longer guarantee financial support" for them. The outlet was able to confirm that English grad students certainly received the email, and that other departments might also have received it.

The three universities above might be particularly blatant examples, but there are dozens of other universities cutting salaries or scholarships or programs for citizens while continuing to offer resources and aid to foreigners. For example, Harvard University in Massachusetts affirms it "makes no distinction based on citizenship in the financial aid process or in the amount of aid for which students are eligible." Yet Harvard had to cut personnel this year. In New York, Columbia University provides scholarships and mentorship programs to undocumented students. Its operating budget surplus dropped by 63% in Fiscal Year 2025, though, leading to dozens of layoffs. State University of New York helps illegal alien students obtain state financial aid, but it also had to tighten its financial belt; it is offering reduced financial assistance to graduate assistants. 

The University of California, Berkeley has a special program to give "holistic support" to illegal aliens, which includes financial aid. The University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) likewise has an "undocumented student" program. And yet, last year, the University of California system asked for a $140 million loan to fill its significant budget shortfalls. Maybe if the UC system spent less money on illegal aliens, it would have less of a budget problem.

Over in another sanctuary state, the University of Illinois (U of I) offers guidance in obtaining state financial aid for some noncitizen students, and says that some illegal aliens can receive in-state tuition. Aside from that generosity, the U of I system is suing the federal government after the loss of climate-related grants, claiming federal reforms and cuts put it in a desperate situation. In the same state, the University of Chicago also provides special help for undocumented students, but last year began to lay off staff and freeze acceptance to almost 20 doctoral programs over a massive budget deficit. 

Utah State University (USU) says that illegal aliens are eligible for in-state tuition if they promise, without providing verification, that they are looking to become citizens. Because of course, you can accept the word of honor of people who broke our laws to be here. University of Utah (UU) also provides tuition waiver assistance for undocumented students. But starting in 2026, UU noted, federal reforms would require elimination of certain grants or financial aid loopholes. USU had to make major budget cuts in 2025.

Yale University in Connecticut provides financial aid regardless of immigration status. Yale even provides free tuition to students from families making less than $200,000 a year. But such reckless spending has its toll, and Yale had layoffs earlier this year. Southern Oregon University offers help achieving in-state tuition and waivers of fees for certain undocumented students. Incidentally, SOU cut over 60 jobs this summer. Priorities, priorities. Arizona State University claimed that state cuts necessitated an on-campus tuition surcharge and lost scholarships starting spring 2025. And yet, ASU's website still offers information resources to help noncitizens qualify for in-state tuition. 

Woke New Jersey offers financial aid to illegal alien students at its state institutions of higher learning. NJ is also, however, planning to cut summer financial aid to low-income students at universities and colleges, even private ones like Fairleigh Dickinson University. This includes community colleges. Up north, Michigan State University offers financial support to noncitizen students, but is cutting its operating budget in a way that will impact hiring and financial capabilities this year.

In our nation's capital, George Washington University says it gives illegal aliens "significant financial assistance, programming, and academic support services." But GWU reduced staff, reduced salaries, and limited discretionary spending in 2025. It also confirmed the financially limiting effects of federal loan reforms and the disappearance of the Grad PLUS Loan Program. I doubt the Father of Our Country would be proud of his university. Speaking of institutions that would disappoint their namesake, George Mason University in Virginia offers some scholarship options to illegal aliens. As a result of federal reforms, though, GMU is changing its financial aid to citizen students.

The University of Minnesota offers merit scholarships and assistance in obtaining state scholarships for "undocumented students." Minnesota state assistance for students in general is dropping, however. The University of New Mexico offers possibilities for in-state tuition and financial aid for "undocumented" graduate students. New Mexico universities have cut student support services after losing some federal funding.

Likewise, Indiana University offers scholarship options for illegal aliens and promises to protect them from federal authorities. IU has eliminated jobs and cut programs recently. The University of Vermont says it works with students of "various immigration statuses." It also provides special immigration and student support services to noncitizens. But the Department of Justice just sued Vermont for providing in-state tuition to illegal aliens. And UVM is cutting budgets for multiple programs and parts of its operations due to a loss in revenue.

Ivy League University of Pennsylvania offers financial aid for illegal aliens, but it hiked tuition costs this year and cut spending on certain department activities. In Ohio, the University of Dayton offers financial aid to "undocumented students." Despite that, it slashed programs in 2024 and reduced staff and faculty in 2025. In Washington state, Gonzaga University provides legal aid and representation to low-income illegal aliens, and Pacific Lutheran University offers illegal aliens in the Undocumented Student Fund "academic expenses & supplies, legal fee aid, personal wellbeing & health resources, and more." Unfortunately, Washington universities had a major state financial aid cut this year. 

Down South, the University of Louisiana at Lafayette provides housing assistance and immigration information to all noncitizens. It had a major budget crisis in 2025 requiring cuts in every department. Finally, the University of North Carolina has an UndocuCarolina program and offers scholarships and fellowships to undocumented students. UNC severely limited financial aid for out-of-state students starting in 2025, though. Apparently it is better to be out-of-country than out-of-state.

The Trump Administration Must Act

These examples illustrate a major crisis in American education, where universities that receive taxpayer funding and charge large amounts of money from citizens are expending resources on illegal aliens, but cutting resources for citizens. President Trump should launch an investigation into federal funding for all universities that accept and financially assist illegal aliens—with the goal of ending the practice for good.

MORE COVERAGE FROM RESTORATION NEWS

Infiltration Alert: Godless Marxism 101: How Howard Zinn Infiltrated Public Schools

 Wither The Three Rs: Wisconsin Schools Prioritize Climate Justice Over Academic Achievement

 Separate But Equal: HUD Warns Colleges: End Racially Segregated Dorms or Face Consequences

 Value Of A Degree: Recent Grads Are Underprepared for the Workplace. Here’s How to Reverse the Crisis.

 More Colleges Favoring Illegal Aliens: Worker Co-ops Laundering Jobs for Illegal Aliens

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