Before this year, the University of Washington threw away the applications from medical-school hopefuls who came into the United States illegally, even if theyd lived here most of their lives.

Now, after a lobbying effort by its own students, the UW School of Medicine has joined a few dozen others across the nation that have quietly started to allow such students to apply to medical school. The change opens up the last part of the university that barred them.

Its the right thing to do, said Benji Perin, a third-year UW medical student who led the effort to change the school policy.

A year ago, only one U.S. medical school accepted undocumented students. Now, at least 35 of the nations other medical schools will accept students who are enrolled in the federal Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program, which gives them a temporary, quasi-legal status.

Undocumented students have long been welcome as undergraduates and graduates at schools across the nation, even before DACA was created two years ago. In 2003, a Washington state law also granted in-state tuition to undocumented students who grew up in this state.

We felt we were really catching up to the rest of the UW, said Carol Teitz, associate dean for admissions at the medical school. In addition to being enrolled in DACA, medical-school applicants must also meet certain residency requirements for their state.

Still, Teitz does not think the university will receive many DACA student applicants, and noted that competition for Washingtons 120 medical-school seats is fierce, with 6.8 applicants for every spot.

Supporters acknowledged that admitting DACA students may not sit well with those who already think DACA undermines U.S. immigration law by temporarily giving legal status to people who entered the country without legal permission. And it comes at a time when state policymakers say there are too few medical-school seats available.

But students say expanding the pool of students who can become doctors will only improve medical care.

There was a time when people were anxious about the increased competition from women coming to medical school, Perin said.

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UW medical school to allow nonlegal residents