SAN DIEGO — For some cross-border students living in Tijuana, the daily commute to school means sacrificing hours of sleep to wait in line at the often unpredictable border crossing to make it to class in San Diego on time. But that could soon change for eligible higher education students.

U.S. Customs and Border Protection is now accepting applications for a pilot program that allows students who regularly cross the border to use designated lanes at the San Ysidro and Otay Mesa pedestrian ports of entry.

“This program could be a turning point in the history of binational students,” said Joel Pilco, director of binational and international programs at Southwestern College in Chula Vista. He estimated that border wait times for those enrolled could shrink from hours to just minutes.

A CBP spokesperson did not provide a start date for the program, but said more information would be provided as it becomes available. However, students can now apply to participate through the CBP Link mobile app, the spokesperson added.

For now, the program is only available to students at Southwestern College, San Diego State University and UC San Diego. However, officials said there is potential for it to expand to other schools and age groups in the future, though there are currently no definitive plans.

Previously, CBP said that the program would be open to U.S. citizens, permanent residents and those with certain nonimmigrant visas, such as student visas.

Pilco estimated that between 1,500 and 3,000 Southwestern College students cross the border daily to attend school. He noted that many of them choose to live in Tijuana because of San Diego’s high cost of living.

Although CBP has yet to release the requirements, Southwestern College launched a website this week with detailed eligibility and guideline information for its students.

Those interested and enrolled in the current semester should have their student ID ready and request a binational enrollment verification letter from the school. This letter includes an authorization code needed to apply to the program, the website indicates.

Southwestern College’s website indicates April 20 as the tentative date for the program to become operational.

The program has the potential to significantly impact many students’ lives, as the variable wait times at the border can cause stress and anxiety for those constantly worried about missing classes.

“I believe that the students who have been doing this for years have truly done so out of a desire to excel and study, and they have put in tremendous effort to achieve it,” Pilco said.

Jellisa Blanco, 20, a student at Southwestern College, used to wake up every morning at 5 a.m. to catch the bus in Tijuana to the pedestrian border crossing. Her goal was to arrive at school on time for her work-study program duties at 8:30 a.m. and her later classes.

Wait times at the San Ysidro and Otay Mesa pedestrian crossings were difficult to predict. She recalled waiting anywhere from a few minutes to two and a half hours. But that wasn’t the end of her commute. She then had to hop on public transit in San Diego to get to campus.

“It was one of the most exhausting semesters I’ve ever had,” said Blanco. “My classes ended late, and then I had to get back to Tijuana and finish my homework and study.”

To make her school routine easier, she is currently staying with a relative in Chula Vista. Still, she registered for the student lane program so that she could have the option of staying in Tijuana on certain days.

She said she was notified of the approval the next day.

The program was first announced by Nicholas Pierce, the assistant director of border security at CBP’s San Diego field office, during a December event celebrating the launch of a binational higher education consortium.

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