ASU Foundation receives $937K in scholarships for 35 DACA recipients

PHOENIX — The Arizona State University Foundation has been awarded $937,000 to give scholarships to 35 students in the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program.

The Bob and Renee Parsons Foundation grant announced Tuesday will support students who were brought into the U.S. illegally as young children and are allowed to remain in the country if they meet certain requirements.

Students with this status, also known as Dreamers, are unable to receive federal aid or benefit from work-study programs.

They also must pay 50% more than in-state tuition in Arizona, which covers the cost of university attendance without state subsidy.

America is a nation of immigrants and it is our duty to step up & support those who are working hard to earn a better life for themselves & their families, no matter how they got here. –@DrBobParsons on recent grant to @ASU https://t.co/bBKdRBvEtw #DREAMers #HigherEducation

— TheParsonsFoundation (@WeDealinHope) January 21, 2020

The grant will cover the extra cost and establish the Parson Scholars program, which will include financial literacy and academic coaching, according to a press release.

Students in the scholarship program will also take a trip to Washington, D.C., to learn about public policy, the release stated.

“By no fault of their own, Dreamers are starting their pursuit of higher education at a great disadvantage,” philanthropist Bob Parsons said in the release.

“America is a nation of immigrants, and it is our duty to step up and support those who are working hard to earn a better life for themselves and their families, no matter how they got here.”

Parsons founded Scottsdale-based technology company GoDaddy in 1997. His net worth last year was calculated to be about $2.7 billion.

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