Colleges Face Challenges as Funding Halts for Migrant Student Program
The sudden cessation of federal funding for a key program supporting migrant students in higher education has led to layoffs and reduced services at numerous colleges across the United States. This decision has left many institutions scrambling to maintain support for their students.
The College Assistance Migrant Program (CAMP), established in 1972, has long provided essential resources such as internships, mental health counseling, tutoring, and financial aid to around 2,400 students annually. However, the Trump administration’s recent move to halt funding, citing the program’s high cost and questionable effectiveness in its proposed budget for 2026, has disrupted its operations.
Millersville University in Pennsylvania is one example where four staff members were laid off, and the 21 students enrolled in CAMP have lost their support. “Until we receive the funding, we can’t continue this year’s program,” stated Lara Willox, dean of the college of education and human services at Millersville.
The funding halt, which affects schools in the middle of their five-year funding cycles, has prompted a lawsuit from a group of colleges, universities, and nonprofits involved in CAMP, arguing that Congress appropriated the funds and they should be reinstated. Katie Covington, president-elect of the National HEPCAMP Association, highlighted the closure’s impact, stating that “nearly 7,000 students throughout the country will not receive the support they need this year.”
Despite the usual fall application period for CAMP funding, the Education Department has yet to open applications or communicate any resumption plans, leaving many institutions in uncertainty. Notably, a bipartisan group of U.S. senators has urged the department to release the allocated funds for fiscal year 2025, emphasizing the programs’ importance for agricultural farmworker students.
With an estimated 2.9 million seasonal or migratory farmworkers in the U.S., the challenges faced by their children in accessing higher education are significant. CAMP has been instrumental in assisting students like Sofia Mireles-Gonzalez, a Michigan State University graduate, who credits the program with helping her navigate the complexities of college life as a first-generation student.
At Michigan State, where CAMP has supported over 1,000 students since 2000, efforts are underway to raise the necessary funds to continue offering aid this year. Across the nation, the funding halt has forced colleges to prepare for potential program closures and staff layoffs, as noted by Covington.
Data from the national HEPCAMP organization underscores CAMP’s effectiveness, with 76% of participants completing their first year and 96% continuing into the second. A 2024 Congressional report indicated that CAMP programs retained more first-year students during the pandemic than the national average, achieving an 81% retention rate at four-year institutions in 2021 and 2022.
California State University San Marcos, another institution affected by the funding halt, reported a 90% first-year retention rate and a 97% sophomore return rate over the past decade. Maria Venegas Escobedo, director of CAMP programs there, emphasized the program’s success and the challenges now faced in maintaining support without federal funds.
Despite these challenges, Mireles-Gonzalez hopes CAMP can continue to provide opportunities for future students, saying, “As the first in my family to get the opportunity to go to college, I want to see that opportunity for others.”
