Some states allow undocumented students to qualify for in-state tuition if they attended and graduated from high school in the state. New Mexico and Texas are the only two states that allow undocumented students to compete for financial aid.

In order to obtain legal status, students would be required to have entered the United States before the age of 16 and have accepted admission into an institution of higher learning, have received a high school diploma or GED certificate at the time of application for relief, or have served in the Armed Forces for at least two years. Students must also have lived in United States for at least five years preceding the legislation’s effective date and have no criminal record.

Marvin Esquivel, recreational services director for Identity, a youth empowerment group founded in 1998 to serve Hispanic youth in Montgomery and Prince George’s Counties in Maryland, brought about 25 students to the mock graduation ceremony.

Esquivel, who works with several undocumented students, said he has witnessed first hand the struggles of students who graduate high school and are left with uncertainty about their future.

“The first thing they ask us after high school graduation is, ‘What’s next?’” he said.

Jerry Canete, 16, from Staten Island, N.Y., was one of the participants. He traveled with a group of students representing an anti-violence youth group called Eye Openers.

Canete said he came to especially show support for his older sister, who has been unable to attend college because of her status as an undocumented student.

“We heard about the DREAM Act and we wanted to support it. It affects us,” he said. “Some people are smart, they have talent, but they can’t go to college.”