Kaila White

The Republic | azcentral.com

Eduardo Lujan-Olivas, the high-achieving "dreamer" who lost a scholarship to Arizona State University an hour before his first class in August because of his immigration status, should be able to finish his degree debt-free thanks to nearly 400 people who donated to fund his education.

Unable to pay for college while supporting his mother and sister on the pay from his longtime job at a QuikTrip convenience store, Lujan-Olivas, 23, created a GoFundMe account in late August to raise money toward tuition for a criminal-justice degree.

His story — of excelling at Pima Community College, being named one of the top 20 community-college students in the country and earning — and losing — a tuition waiver worth more than $20,000 to attend ASU's Barrett, the Honors College — went viral soon after.

He has since raised about $25,750, far surpassing his goal of $18,300. Base in-state tuition for a full-time student at ASU is $10,370 per year.

Click here to support Help Eduardo L. Attain his Degree by Eduardo Lujan

Many donors wrote notes with their donations, encouraging him not to give up.

"Here's hoping you get your share of the American Dream," one couple wrote.

Dreamers: Able to attend school but pay full price

Lujan-Olivas is a dreamer, or a young undocumented immigrant brought to the U.S. as a child.

He has been approved for the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program, which temporarily shields young immigrants from deportation and lets them work legally, but doesn't provide a pathway to citizenship or legal status.

Undocumented students are not eligible to receive federal financial aid such as scholarships, grants, work-study and loans. In most states they also are barred from state financial aid.

However, at least six states — California, Minnesota, New Mexico, Oregon, Texas and Washington — currently allow undocumented students to receive state financial aid, according to the National Conference of State Legislatures.

'My story ... is one of many out there'

The Arizona Board of Regents decided in May 2015 to allow undocumented students who are approved for DACA to pay in-state tuition instead of out-of-state prices.

Now, undocumented students either can seek highly competitive private scholarships or pay full price. Most students at ASU do not pay full price.

At ASU's Tempe campus, 55 percent of full-time undergraduates receive some kind of need-based financial aid, according to U.S. News & World Report, and the average need-based scholarship or grant award is $10,296.

More than 80 percent of all ASU students receive some form of financial assistance every year, according to ASU.

"The 'bigger picture' is financial aid for DACA students in Arizona," Lujan-Olivas told The Republic last week. "There are thousands of college students across the state of Arizona that have encountered the same dilemma. My story just happened to go viral and is one of many out there."

He declined to talk to The Republic for this article. He is currently studying criminology and criminal justice in ASU's College of Public Service and Community Solutions.