For Immediate Release: August 12, 2026
Contact: [email protected]
New installment of The Frequency highlights the ambitions and growing immigration uncertainty facing the 2026-2027 New Scholar class
Washington, DC – TheDream.US today released new data on its incoming class of close to 1,000 new TheDream.US Scholars, who are set to attend one of nearly 80 Partner Colleges across the nation this academic year. As detailed in a new Substack post by Vernisa Donaldson, Senior Research Analyst of Measurement and Evaluation at TheDream.US, the data show a cohort preparing to pursue careers in critical fields and build greater economic security for their families while facing significantly fewer immigration protections than the Scholars who came before them.
The details and implications about the newest cohort of TheDream.US Scholars are the latest installment of The Frequency: The Pulse of America’s Dreamers, TheDream.US’s ongoing data and storytelling series drawing from the nation’s largest and most comprehensive dataset on Dreamers in America. Among the findings:
- Nearly 9 in 10 New Scholars are Dreamers without DACA or TPS, compared with roughly 1 in 5 TheDream.US Alumni.
- Seven in 10 are interested in pursuing fields in Science, Math and Technology, Health and Medicine, or Business, including future engineers, health professionals, entrepreneurs, and researchers.
- The median household income among New Scholars is approximately $32,000. Four in five will also be the first in their families to attend college, and the median age at which they arrived in the United States is nine years old.
“Last week, I attended the 2026 New Scholar Welcome, one of my favorite moments of the year alongside graduation, because it gives us the chance to celebrate the newest members of TheDream.US community. As I listened, I found myself reflecting not just on the promise of this new cohort of close to 1,000 Scholars, but also on the very different landscape they’re entering as they begin their college journeys,” said Vernisa Donaldson, Senior Research Analyst of Measurement and Evaluation at TheDream.US. “Our theme, ‘Hope. Dream. Act.’ asks our Scholars to imagine a future and continue moving toward it even in the face of uncertainty, but that responsibility can’t only belong to them. We can’t ask these young people to become the backbones of their communities while forcing them to live in perpetual limbo. They’ve done everything we’ve asked of them, and now it’s time for this country to do its part. A permanent legislative pathway is long overdue, and we need it now.”
The data on the newest cohort of Scholars build on TheDream.US’s recent Alumni Survey Report, In Their Own Words – The Authorization Gap, which examined how the lack of work authorization affects Dreamer graduates’ employment opportunities, income, financial stability, and ability to plan for their futures.
Read Vernisa Donaldson’s full reflection on “The Frequency” Substack HERE and find key excerpts below:
“Many of our New Scholars are also beginning college from households with limited financial resources, with a median household income of roughly $32,000, less than half that of the average US household. Yet the data also tells us where they hope to go next. Seven in ten of our New Scholars are interested in pursuing fields in Science, Math, and Technology (25%), Health and Medicine (23%), or Business (22%). Behind those numbers are aspiring engineers, health professionals, entrepreneurs, researchers, and others preparing to bring their talents to communities across the country and fill critical gaps in essential fields. For our Scholars, higher education represents not only an opportunity to pursue their own goals, but the potential to change the economic trajectory of their families and contribute to the prosperity of the country they call home.”
“At the same time, this cohort is beginning higher education in a significantly more precarious climate than many of the Scholars who came before them. Nearly 9 in 10 New Scholars are Dreamers without DACA or TPS, compared to roughly 1 in 5 of our Alumni. Our recent Alumni Survey Report, In Their Own Words – The Authorization Gap, showed what the absence of work authorization can mean in practice, including greater barriers to earning income and financial stability as well as the mental and emotional toll of living with prolonged uncertainty. For today’s New Scholars, earning a degree may therefore be only one part of the challenge. Their ability to fully release the potential of that education remains constrained by an immigration system that offers no secure pathways forward.”
“Hope. Dream. Act. asks our Scholars to imagine a future and continue moving toward it even in the face of uncertainty, but that responsibility can’t only belong to them. We can’t ask these young people to become the backbones of their communities while forcing them to live in perpetual limbo. They’ve done everything we’ve asked of them, and now it’s time for this country to do its part. A permanent legislative pathway is long overdue, and we need it now.”
About TheDream.US
TheDream.US is the nation’s leading organization supporting Dreamers at the intersection of higher education, workforce development, immigration, and advocacy. We’ve awarded over 13,000 scholarships to immigrant youth from 120+ countries and 45 states, with more than 5,000 graduates to date. We partner with close to 80 colleges in 19 states and Washington D.C. to provide scholarships, career support, and access to legal options that help Dreamers break through systemic barriers and achieve social mobility.
Through data, Scholar and Alumni stories, strategic partnerships, and targeted state and local advocacy, we work to expand equitable access to college, professional pathways, and permanent legal status. For more information on TheDream.US, visit www.thedream.us
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