The Office of Admission at Albion College is committed to welcoming and supporting undocumented students and we invite qualified candidates regardless of citizenship and immigration status to apply for admission. Please see below for specific information regarding the admission process as it pertains to undocumented students.
For more information, visit the Admissions webpage.
More information from additional academic programs coming soon.
The following provides a brief summary of Michigan policies that may affect undocumented or DACA-mented students interested in K-12 teacher education programs.
Individuals who are admitted to a state-approved (Michigan Department of Education authorization) and nationally accredited program (Council for Accreditation of Educator Preparation/CAEP authorization), and successfully complete, a teacher education program at a Michigan educator preparation institution (e.g., Albion College, Eastern Michigan University, Baker College), must first acquire a Michigan standard teaching certificate in order to be eligible to apply for an initial teaching certificate/credential/license in another state in the US.
Individuals residing in the United States under the terms of DACA may be recommended for teacher certification in Michigan. The parallel situation is the number of teachers who are citizens of other nations who earn Michigan certification while residing out of country or in the United States.
The Michigan Department of Education does not have an official statement or special application for this; candidates who do not have a Social Security Number (SSN) will need to call the Michigan Department of Education (517/241-5000) to obtain an identification number to use in lieu of an SSN to apply.
In order to employ a teacher in a Michigan public school, the school district must by law complete a criminal background check using ICHAT (see MCL 380.1230). A webpage with law, rule, and policy regarding teacher certification and criminal history check information may be found at https://www.michigan.gov/mde/0,4615,7-140-5683_14795_83466---,00.html.
In addition, the vast majority of public school districts in the US are in contract with the United States Social Security Administration and require regular contributions (i.e., per pay period) by each individual employee. Many independent schools (i.e., faith based or charter non-public) do not participate.