Refugee Belonging in U.S. Higher Education: A Critical Integration Studies Approach

• In Event: Holistic Success: Institutional Influences on Community College Student Outcomes

Abstract

This study explores the lived experiences of refugee and displaced students navigating U.S. higher education through the lens of critical integration studies. Drawing on multimodal data collected over three semesters—including interviews, audio diaries, and surveys—the research reveals how displaced learners manage intersecting responsibilities, cultivate campus belonging, and encounter systems of support or exclusion. Findings highlight how students navigate family obligations, chronic financial stress, and institutional barriers while forging connections through peers, faculty, and campus spaces. This work problematizes dominant integration logics by centering student agency and structural challenges. Ultimately, the study calls for institutional practices that respond to the complex realities of refugee learners, advocating for equity-driven, relational, and system-level interventions that move beyond deficit frameworks to support long-term educational inclusion.

Authors

• Ishara Casellas Connors, Texas A&M University

• Kerri Evans, University of Maryland - Baltimore County

• Lisa Unangst, SUNY - Empire State University