$1 million gift to help illegal immigrants at UC Berkeley

BERKELEY — The University of California, Berkeley says a $1 million gift will help provide scholarships to nearly 200 students who are illegal immigrants.

UC Berkeley officials said Tuesday the award from the Evelyn and Walter Haas, Jr. Fund is the largest single gift for this type of scholarship at any American university.

Most of the scholarship recipients will be UC Berkeley students who came to the U.S. as children and are living in the country without legal permission.

Illegal immigrant students are not eligible for federal grants, loans or work-study positions. But the 2011 California Dream Act made them eligible for state financial aid and privately funded scholarships.

Haas, Jr. Fund President Ira Hirschfield says he hopes other donors will consider "providing funding to help undocumented students achieve their potential."