The following are state and national laws or policies that shape the support available for undocumented individuals on campus.
Court Ruling on In-State Tuition, the RISE Act, and the Illinois Dream Act
On July 24, 2026, a federal district court ruled that, as applied to undocumented students, the Illinois in-state tuition law in effect for the 2026-2027 academic Year (2024 Acevedo Act), the RISE Act, and the Illinois Dream Act were deemed unlawful. The University of Illinois System is carefully reviewing the court’s decision and working with state officials and legal counsel to assess its implications.
About the status of the DACA program
On January 17, 2025, the Fifth Circuit released a decision finding major portions of the Biden Administration’s DACA rule unlawful and returning the case to district course. In July 2025, the district court determined that only the state of Texas had the right to sue based on demonstrated harm and requested supplemental information. Currently, DACA recipients can renew their applications and USCIS is also accepting new (initial) DACA applications. However, USCIS is not processing initial DACA requests at this time.
House Bill 5093
Illinois House Bill 5093 was signed into law on June 26, 2026. This law establishes a new framework governing eligibility for in-state tuition and ISAC-administered financial aid beginning with the 2027-2028 academic year.
Illinois Bivens Act
Illinois House Bill 1312 (Public Act 104-0440) restricts public institutions of higher education from sharing citizenship and immigration status information of students, employees, and anyone associated with students. The bill also requires that public colleges and universities develop and publish procedures for reviewing and authorizing requests from civil immigration enforcement to enter campus. The University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign procedures can be located here: Immigration Status Privacy and Law Enforcement Interactions Procedures.
Undocumented Student Liaison and Center Bill
Illinois House Bill 3438 (110 ILCS 305/120), signed into law in September 2021, directs public universities in the state to designate an employee to serve as an Undocumented Student Resource Liaison. The designated employee would be responsible for helping students without documentation to access financial aid and other academic support. A list of Undocumented Student Liaisons at Illinois higher education institutions can be found on the Illinois Board of Higher Education webpage.
Illinois TRUST Act (5 ILCS 805/15)
The TRUST Act clarifies the role that Illinois law enforcement will play when interacting with immigration. This law is intended to strengthen community trust and cooperation by affirming that law enforcement agencies in Illinois are largely prohibited from participating in immigration enforcement. The Illinois TRUST Act states that a “law enforcement agency or official may not participate, support, or assist in any capacity with an immigration agent’s enforcement operations.” For more information, visit the Illinois Attorney General’s Guidance on Immigration Issues and Law Enforcement.