President Barack Obama’s blueprint for immigration reform that leaked last weekend hinted at a future path to citizenship for aliens residing in the United States. But it may be too little, too late for many undocumented students with college ambitions. Lacking American social security numbers, undocumented immigrants are ineligible for federal loans or Pell grants, forcing them to pay out-of-state tuition at public universities or apply for financial aid as international students at private colleges. Affordable options for higher education are often limited to community colleges and the six schools that offer need-blind admission for international students. Dartmouth spends $1.2 million annually to finance education for foreign students, but the opportunities Dartmouth creates for undocumented students serve as another reason why progressive friends of Dartmouth should support the current policies.

Every year, 65,000 undocumented students graduate from American high schools and face the daunting task of paying for college out of pocket. Many of these people were brought to the U.S. at a young age. They have lived most of their lives here and consider themselves Americans. In light of Obama’s June announcement to indefinitely defer automatic deportation of young undocumented immigrants, many immigration activists are hopeful for a path to citizenship for those aliens who plan to attend college, an aspiration that could be granted under the DREAM Act.

While no law prohibits undocumented students from attending American universities, need-based aid for non-U.S. citizens is scarce: besides Dartmouth, only Harvard, Yale, Princeton, the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and Amherst College offer the same support to international students. Many students fear that applying for federal aid will alert U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement to their alien status, endangering their family as well. Dartmouth’s expansive financial aid coverage for international students provides an exclusive but substantial alternative.

Questions about higher education for undocumented students are not limited to national politics. They are relevant on our campus. Until these legislative solutions come to fruition, Dartmouth’s financial aid policy for international students functions as a band-aid on a larger wound. Though it currently faces criticism on various issues, Dartmouth’s administration should be applauded for its 2008 decision to provide full aid to international students. While diversity and prestige are good reasons to support need-blind admissions for international students, allowing undocumented students who grew up in the U.S. to attend college is a humane windfall of the sound policy.

Granting undocumented students access to education is both humane and economical. Political action can certainly ameliorate the circumstances of undocumented youth in the U.S. while strengthening society by tapping reserves of human capital. Ideally, undocumented students across the country would be granted in-state tuition and be put on a path to citizenship. But until then, supporters of such policies should appreciate Dartmouth’s rare willingness to grant aid to all aspiring students, regardless of their country of origin.

Traditionalists oppose financial grants to international students, citing the injustice of arming foreign students with skills to compete against American businesses upon returning to their native countries. However, in a globalized world, this view is just as narrow-minded as denying education to students living in the U.S. who apply for citizenship upon graduation and join society’s ranks of tax paying medical researchers, academic pioneers, artistic geniuses and business innovators.

The allegedly unintentional leak of the White House’s immigration plan last weekend rekindled the ongoing national debate over immigration reform. The proposal outlined a path to citizenship for undocumented immigrants, but analysts predict a tough road ahead for the bill. Granted, the policies of six undergraduate institutions cannot solve the problem of undocumented youth, but until a more comprehensive solution is reached, these institutions can do their part, no matter how small, to provide what opportunities they can. Changing individual lives is worthwhile, but Dartmouth also has the ability to generate high-profile success stories that serve as an intellectual defense for the larger national issue. We should let Dartmouth continue to be a launching pad for progress.