Hampshire College, an Amherst-based private liberal arts college may be well-known for its unconventional curriculum. But, as it appears, it will soon become a popular choice of college among illegal immigrants of the United States.

The college announced Thursday that it would be providing financial assistance to students who are residing in the nation illegally. The scholarship amount will be $25,000 each year to help an undocumented student to pursue his choice of course at Hampshire college whose tuition fee comes somewhere around $43,000.

According to the college spokeswoman Elaine Thomas, the scholarship will support one student's studies at the college every four years.

The scholarship is an icing on the cake for those who are mulling on reaping the benefits of the Development, Relief, Education for Alien Minors (DREAM) act. The DREAM act paves the way for a selective bunch of aliens with a college degree to achieve permanent US resident status. In fact, the act influenced a professor at the college so much that she went forward and initiated the process of creating a fund for the illegally-resident students.

The sociology professor behind the establishment of the fund, Margaret Cerullo, said to The Associated Press that the act of impeding the students from accessing quality education is 'social injustice'.

Apparently, a huge number of Hampshire alumni, graduating students, parents and other benefactors came together to fund the scholarship. A total of $300,000 has been collected since the spring and they have unanimously decided on a fixed endowment to sustain the fund.

According to the National Conference of State Legislatures, only California, New Mexico and Texas allow aliens to receive state financial aid, while Illinois has a privately-funded scholarship endowment for such students. Reportedly, many privately-funded scholarships have no qualms about granting the scholarships to illegal immigrant applicants.

Though the issue of rewarding the illegal immigrants is touching a nerve, Hampshire College has made a bold statement by standing by its values that govern the institution.