Undocumented Student Program (USP)

What Undocumented Student Program (USP) does

The Undocumented Student Program (USP) is a university support program within UC Berkeley's Centers for Educational Equity and Excellence (CE3), established in January 2012 to provide holistic, individualized services to undocumented, DACA-recipient, and humanitarian-protection students on campus. Headquartered at the Robert D. Haas Undocumented Community Resource Center (UCRC) in the Cesar Chavez Student Center, USP serves approximately 500 students annually through five integrated service lines: academic counseling (staff + Peer Academic Counselors), licensed mental health support from specialized psychologists, immigration legal representation delivered via a dedicated partnership with the East Bay Community Law Center (EBCLC), California Dream Act financial aid advising and emergency grants, and professional/community programming including the Transcending Beyond Berkeley (TBB) Fellowship.

The program does not operate commercial technology products; its digital surface is limited to a Drupal/Pantheon-hosted informational website, an Instagram channel (@calundocu), a Mailchimp newsletter, and a public Google Calendar of events. Service delivery is hybrid (in-person at UCRC and via Zoom/phone), with the physical center open Monday–Thursday 10am–5pm and Friday 10am–3pm during regular semesters. USP is staffed by 18 employees including Director Liliana Iglesias, Ed.D., Assistant Director Madeleine Villanueva, two licensed psychologists (Dr. Diana Peña and Dr. Bianca Barrios-Montoya), and a graduate-student program administrator (Jessica Mena Flores), supported by an embedded financial aid counselor and dedicated legal staff from EBCLC.

USP is not a revenue-generating entity. It is funded through UC Berkeley institutional budget allocations and private philanthropy—most notably donations from Elise Haas (in honor of her father Robert D. Haas) which established the original Dreamer Resource Center in 2012 and funded a larger replacement facility that opened in February 2020. All services are provided free of charge to students, including a $7,000 TBB Fellowship stipend. The program operates as part of a broader UC system-wide network of undocumented student support programs (UCLA, UC Davis, UC Riverside, UC Irvine, UCSB, UCSC, UCSD, UCSF) and maintains partnerships with the UC Immigrant Legal Services Center, Immigrants Rising, the National Immigration Law Center, TheDream.US, and Path2Papers at Cornell Law School for downstream legal and scholarship pathways.

Name

Undocumented Student Program (USP)

Legal name

Undocumented Student Program (USP)

Website

https://undocu.berkeley.edu

Company type

Private

Founded year

2012

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

The Undocumented Student Program (USP) is a UC Berkeley support program within the Centers for Educational Equity and Excellence that provides holistic, no-cost services—academic counseling, mental health, immigration legal aid, financial advising, and professional development—to approximately 500 undocumented and DACA-recipient students annually.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Higher Education Student Support Services

NAICS

Educational Support Services (6117)

SIC

Services-Educational Services (8200)

akta.pro primary industry

International Student Orientation & Transition Programs (EDALANAC)

Keywords

• Higher education support
• Student counseling services
• Immigration legal aid
• Mental health counseling
• Financial aid advising

Headquarters

HQ city

Berkeley

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Others

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

The Undocumented Student Program (USP) provides holistic, free support services to approximately 500 undocumented, DACA-recipient, and humanitarian-protection UC Berkeley students annually. Core offerings include academic counseling (course selection, major exploration, graduation planning), licensed mental health support with trauma-informed care, free immigration legal representation via East Bay Community Law Center (EBCLC) for DACA renewals, family petitions, asylum, and advance parole, financial aid advising specific to the California DREAM Act and emergency grants, the Transcending Beyond Berkeley paid professional development fellowship ($7,000 stipend), and community-building programming at the on-campus Undocumented Community Resource Center.

Product overview

The Undocumented Student Program (USP) at UC Berkeley is not a technology product company. It is a university support program that provides holistic services to undocumented undergraduate and graduate students, including academic counseling, mental health support, immigration legal services, financial aid assistance, and professional development opportunities. The program operates as part of UC Berkeley's Centers for Educational Equity and Excellence (CE3) and does not offer software products, APIs, or technology platforms.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• IDEAS at Berkeley: Improving Dreams, Equity, Access, and Success - A student-led club serving as a safe space and hub for resources for the undocumented community at UC Berkeley.
• Transcending Beyond Berkeley (TBB) Fellowship
• UndocuAlly Training
• UndocuGrads
• UNTITLED Publication

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

17 partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• East Bay Community Law Center (EBCLC)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerEBCLC, a clinic of Berkeley Law School, is the legal services provider for USP. It provides free immigration legal consultations and full legal representation to undocumented UC Berkeley students and their undocumented family members. EBCLC staff handle all immigration matters including DACA renewals, family petitions, removal defense, asylum, U visas, Special Immigrant Juvenile Status, advance parole, naturalization, FOIA requests, and post-conviction relief. EBCLC serves clients in proceedings before USCIS and the San Francisco Immigration Court. All consultations are strictly confidential and privileged.
• Office for Graduate Diversity (OGD)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerUSP partners with the Office for Graduate Diversity (OGD) to support undocumented graduate and professional students. OGD's Inclusive Excellence Hub provides a supportive space open to all graduate students, while Jessica Mena Flores serves as the Program Administrator for Undocumented Graduate Student Success. OGD Diversity Community Fellows provide office hours for graduate students, and the UndocuGrads listserv is managed through OGD.
• Financial Aid & Scholarships Office (FASO)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerFASO Counselor Catherine Custodio provides dedicated financial aid advising for USP students, specializing in California Dream Act navigation, Cost of Attendance Adjustment Requests, and financial wellness. She conducts regular one-on-one appointments (via Zoom or phone) and co-hosts financial aid workshops with USP throughout each semester.
• Community College Transfer Services / Transfer Alliance Project (CCTS/TAP)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCCTS/TAP provides dedicated transfer student support with a focus on undocumented, formerly incarcerated/system-impacted, and current/former foster youth students. Luis Yataco serves as the Data & Systems Manager and Transfer Coordinator, providing outreach and guidance to community college students interested in UC Berkeley.
• Office of the Vice Chancellor for Equity & InclusionminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerThe Office of the Vice Chancellor for Equity & Inclusion provided funding to launch the UndocuAlly Training project in 2012, supporting the development of campus-wide ally training for staff and faculty on undocumented student issues.
• Office of Communications & Public AffairsminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerThe Office of Communications & Public Affairs provides branding identity and design for USP's communications materials. They also provided photography for the program's website and publications.
• Immigrants RisingminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerImmigrants Rising is a partner organization referenced across multiple USP resources. Their materials are linked for DACA updates, mental health resources for undocumented people, SB68 guidance, Selective Service information, and fellowship program development guidance. The organization also creates tools like the Dream Act application map.
• National Immigration Law Center (NILC)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerNILC is a national advocacy organization referenced as a resource partner. Founded in 1979, it is dedicated to defending and advancing the rights and opportunities of low-income immigrants. NILC resources are linked for DACA developments and CARES Act analysis affecting immigrant communities.
• Path2Papers (Cornell Law School)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerEBCLC has partnered with Path2Papers, a Cornell Law School project providing consultations on employment-based immigration options for DACA recipients and those who would be eligible for DACA. Students can sign up for Path2Papers consultations online or through a general EBCLC consultation.
• UC System-wide Undocumented Student ProgramsminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerUSP is part of a network of UC system-wide undocumented student support programs including UCLA Undocumented Student Program (Bruin Resource Center), UC Davis Undocumented Student Resource Center, UC Riverside Undocumented Student Program, UC Irvine DREAM Center, UC Santa Barbara Undocumented Student Services, UC Santa Cruz Undocumented Student Services, UC San Diego Undocumented Student Services, and UCSF Undocumented Student Support Services. These programs share best practices and support system-wide advocacy.
• UC Immigrant Legal Services CenterminorImplementation/ SI/ Consulting PartnerThe UC Immigrant Legal Services Center (UC Imm) serves UC Berkeley alumni and some staff with DACA and TPS through Staff Attorney Grace Alano. UC Imm is a network serving multiple UC campuses and provides visa sponsorship guidance and employment-based immigration consultations.
• TheDream.USminorOthersTheDream.US is a national scholarship fund for DREAMers with DACA, referenced as a resource and partner organization. It provides multimillion-dollar scholarships to immigrant youth to complete college education.
• Berkeley Career EngagementminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerBerkeley Career Engagement partners with USP to co-facilitate the Life After Berkeley Workshop Series, providing sessions on career exploration, workplace navigation, and alumni panels for undocumented students preparing for post-graduation.
• Cal Student CentralminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCal Student Central is a UC Berkeley service department assisting students with financial aid, registrar, accounts payable, and billing services. It is the designated department for undocumented students to request Director's Work Study and resolve financial aid matters in person or online.
• Basic Needs CenterminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerThe Basic Needs Center at UC Berkeley is referenced as a resource partner for housing search assistance, emergency housing, and general basic needs support for undocumented students. The center maintains a housing search resource list for on- and off-campus housing.
• Starting Point Mentorship Program (SPMP)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerSPMP pairs eligible community college students with current UC Berkeley student mentors for guidance on admissions, campus, and community resources. The program is designed to encourage California Community College students to transfer to UC Berkeley and other four-year universities.
• Centers for Educational Equity and Excellence (CE3)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerUSP is a component of the Centers for Educational Equity and Excellence (CE3) at UC Berkeley. CE3 is the parent organizational unit that houses USP alongside EOP and other equity-focused programs. USP's director Liliana Iglesias leads both USP and the Miller Scholars Program within the CE3 cluster.

Scale indicators1 record

Recent moves4 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Others

• East Bay Community Law Center (EBCLC): Berkeley Law clinic that is USP's core legal services partner, providing full-scope immigration representation; included as a peer because the legal services function is integral to USP's offering, and EBCLC's capacity directly determines program delivery.

Direct peers

• Stanford BEAM (Basic Education for Advocacy and Momentum): Stanford's student-run resource center supporting undocumented and AB540 students with advocacy, education, and community programming — directly comparable mission at a peer private university.
• UC Irvine DREAM Center: UC Irvine's dedicated center serving undocumented and mixed-status students with academic, legal, mental health, and community resources — directly comparable mission and service mix.
• UCSF Undocumented Student Support Services: UCSF's support unit for undocumented and mixed-status students, including graduate and professional students — parallel to USP's UndocuGrads function.
• UC Santa Cruz Undocumented Student Services: UCSC's support program for undocumented and mixed-status students within the Educational Opportunity Programs — comparable scope, structure, and target population.
• UC Davis Undocumented Student Resource Center: UC-campus peer delivering nearly identical holistic support services (academic advising, legal referrals, financial aid, community programming) to undocumented UC Davis students; collaborates with USP on system-wide advocacy.
• UC Riverside Undocumented Student Program: UC Riverside's undocumented student support program, part of the same system-wide network as USP, offering comparable advising, programming, and resource navigation.
• UC San Diego Undocumented Student Services: UCSD's dedicated support unit for undocumented students offering legal services, financial aid advising, and community programming, in the same UC-wide network as USP.
• UCLA Undocumented Student Program (Bruin Resource Center): UC system's most prominent direct peer — provides parallel academic, legal, financial, and community support services to undocumented UCLA students and is explicitly listed as a USP system-wide partner.
• UC Santa Barbara Undocumented Student Services: UCSB's resource hub for undocumented and AB540 students, providing academic advising, financial aid navigation, and community programming analogous to USP.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Instagraminstagram.com/calundocu
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/undocumented-student-program-usp

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles8 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments

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Frequently asked questions about Undocumented Student Program (USP)