Allows for the admission of undocumented individuals who meet certain established criteria.
At its February 16, 2011 meeting, the County College of Morris (CCM) Board of Trustees voted to amend the college’s admission policy to allow for the admission of undocumented individuals who meet certain established criteria.
Under the change, individuals who do not hold a non-immigrant visa can be admitted to the college if they 1) can provide proof of entrance into the United States before the age of 16 and are under the age of 35, 2) provide proof of having resided in the United States for at least five years without interruption, and 3) provide proof of having graduated from an American high school or obtaining a GED or equivalent, or if they meet other conditional admissions requirements. Undocumented individuals who satisfy those requirements would pay the in-county tuition rate if they live in Morris County. Those who live outside the county would pay the admission fee associated with their current place of residence.
The college continues to reserve the right to refuse admission to any applicant where there is evidence that the individual would endanger the health or safety of himself/herself or others.
“Over the last two years, we’ve become aware of an increasing number of Morris County students who were educated in our public schools, who got good grades, but because of our policy could not be educated at their community college,” said Dr. Edward J. Yaw, CCM president. “These students either had to attend other county colleges or pay significantly more to attend private colleges, or give up on their dream of pursuing a higher education. By allowing undocumented individuals to continue their education at CCM, the trustees have reinforced our founding mission to serve as an open access institution for all seeking a quality higher education.”
Most of New Jersey’s two- and four-year colleges do not ask about immigration status or require Social Security numbers when enrolling students.
CCM’s policy barring undocumented individuals from enrolling was instituted in 2002 following the September 11, 2001 terrorist attacks. Prior to that, the college – since its founding in 1968 – never asked for proof of citizenship or immigrant status from students wishing to enroll.
