Student Gets Accepted — Then Rejected — From Law School Because Of His DACA Status

Kebin Lopez (Screenshot via WTGS FOX 28)

Prospective law students across the country are sitting on pins and needles as they wait to hear back from the law schools they applied to for the upcoming academic year. Can you imagine what it would be like to get accepted at two of the law schools of your choice, only to later have those acceptances turn into rejections? This is every would-be law student’s worst nightmare, and yet it’s happening to one student in Georgia — all because he’s a DACA recipient.

Kebin Lopez of Bluffton, South Carolina, came to the United States from Honduras with his parents when he was just six years old. “My parents came to the United States so I could have a better opportunity,” he says. He is now the first person in his family who has graduated from college.

Lopez applied to both the University of Georgia School of Law and Georgia State University College of Law, and he was initially accepted to both schools. He even received a note from UGA Law that said, “We would love to have you join us in Athens.” His excitement about those acceptances ended rather quickly, because he received rejection letters from both schools just a few weeks later.

WTGS FOX 28 has additional information on what happened to Lopez:

Those letters said that they could no longer accept him because of his DACA status.

“Because students approved for DACA are unable to show any of the supporting documents listed above, enrollment at the University of Georgia is not permitted,” said Lopez as he quoted his rejection letter from UGA. …

He said he’s also confused because he’s already attended a college in Georgia. He graduated from what was formerly known as Armstrong State University in Savannah.

Lopez, who considers himself an American since he’s lived in this country for the majority of his life, only wanted to be given a chance to attend both Georgia law schools, but that chance was ripped away from him. “I was like, wow, I mean, I don’t even have words for it. It just hurts,” he said.

Lopez, who wants to become a lawyer to stand up for others like himself, was recently accepted to the University of Florida Levin College of Law. He says he plans to attend school there, and hopes to eventually find work as an attorney in Florida.

Best of luck to Kebin Lopez on his law school journey!

Bluffton man says he was rejected from law school because of his DACA status [WTGS FOX 28]

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Staci Zaretsky is a senior editor at Above the Law, where she’s worked since 2011. She’d love to hear from you, so please feel free to email her with any tips, questions, comments, or critiques. You can follow her on Twitter or connect with her on LinkedIn.

Student Gets Accepted — Then Rejected — From Law School Because Of His DACA Status curated from Above the Law