Improving Access to Undocumented Students in Higher Education via Institutionalized Support

• In Event: Barriers to College Access and Barriers on Campus

Abstract

States have developed policies that have supported the college attendance of undocumented students yet, access continues to be a major challenge. Universities have developed models of support through the incorporation of resource centers for undocumented students. This study seeks to show how one resource center and the institution, Mariposa University, are assisting in creating access to undocumented students. By using a qualitative research design, the researcher will analyze how students make meaning of the support provided to them via field notes, surveys, the institution’s Campus Climate Survey findings, and interviews of a purposeful sample of students. The results of this study will highlight how campus-wide collaborations and initiatives address the inequity and barriers undocumented students face in higher education.

Author

• Norma Salcedo, San Francisco State University