"Education Not Deportation": The Experiences of Undocumented Immigrant Students in Law and Medical Degree Programs

• In Event: Understudied Student Populations and Higher Education Access and Persistence

Abstract

In Plyler v. Doe, the U.S. Supreme Court case ruled that undocumented students could not be excluded from K-12 education. However, access to higher education, both at the undergraduate and graduate levels, remains an open question. While a growing set of scholarship to date has focused on undocumented students’ access to an undergraduate education, little is known about access to graduate and/or professional degree education. This pilot study seeks to better understand the experiences of both documented and undocumented immigrant students at the professional degree level, particularly in law and medical school programs.

Authors

• Kevin Escudero, Brown University

• Rachel Freeman, University of California - Los Angeles