To determine if, following threats to DACA policies, Dreamer college students experienced greater stress overload, more symptoms, and worse grades than their classmates. Participants: Students (n = 424) from a large public university, including Dreamers (n = 64), participated between March 2017 and June 2018. Methods: Students completed an anonymous online survey containing self-report measures of stress overload, symptoms, grades, and background characteristics. Results: Dreamers reported significantly higher levels of stress overload than did other students, including minorities and immigrants. Dreamers reported more somatic symptoms but not lower grades than other students-outcomes mediated, wholly or partially, by stress overload. Conclusion: Findings document the health toll of current politics on Dreamers, and indicate disproportionate stress overload as a reason. They also attest to Dreamer "grit" in maintaining grades nevertheless. Implications include the need for proactive support by universities and broader social policy change to restore well-being to these students.
Keywords: College students; DACA; Dreamers; grades; stress overload.