Newcomer Students' Pursuit of Higher Education in the United States: Examining Access and Returns

Session Submission Type: Panel

Abstract

This panel considers federal, state, and institutional policy levers that either facilitate or hinder newcomer students’ access to postsecondary education and credentials, and ultimately, their economic mobility in the United States. In spite of recent shifts in federal immigration policy, a fact remains clear - the United States’ economy strongly benefits from immigrants’ participation in the workforce. Despite interest in upskilling (i.e., enhancing skills), reskilling (i.e., learning new skills), or reentering their previous fields, newcomers frequently encounter financial, social, and bureaucratic obstacles in accessing postsecondary programs and related services. Limited access to education opportunities can hinder newcomers’ economic mobility and career aspirations. 

Each paper in this panel considers unique sets of barriers humanitarian immigrants face. Humanitarian immigrants are individuals who entered the U.S. under urgent and life-threatening reasons and in search of safety. Examples of humanitarian immigrants include refugees, asylum-seekers, and individuals with humanitarian parole. In the first paper, Echave et al. use data from the Annual Survey of Refugees to investigate the rate at which newly resettled refugees participate in foreign credential evaluation and its association with their early labor market outcomes. In the second paper, Casellas Connors uses a novel collection of policy documents to explore how state-level tuition policies privilege certain humanitarian immigrant groups and the sociopolitical context in which those policies evolve. In the third paper, Dusard uses matched longitudinal data from multiple Virginia state agencies to develop profiles of newcomer students pursuing postsecondary programs based on their access of the federal safety net and other benefits, including federal student aid, SNAP, TANF, and Medicaid.  

Collectively, the panel seeks to elevate opportunities for greater coordination among postsecondary systems, public assistance programs, and state and federal policymakers to broaden education access for new arrivals. Discussions will highlight policy and programmatic recommendations as well as the implications of recent policy changes (i.e., the indefinite pause on the U.S. refugee resettlement program, termination of humanitarian parole programs, etc.) on research and future data collection involving humanitarian immigrants.  

Policy Area

• Population and Migration Issues

Secondary Policy Area

• Education

Chair

• Breno Braga, Urban Institute

Discussant

• Stephanie Potochnick, University of North Carolina, Charlotte

Organizer

• Lindsay Dusard, University of Pennsylvania

Individual Presentations

• The Role of Pursuing Higher Education in Attaining Financial Security and Mobility among Refugees - Presenting Author: Paola A Echave, Urban Institute

• Policy by Design or Omission: A National Analysis of In-State Tuition Policy for Displaced Populations - Presenting Author: Ishara Casellas Connors, Texas A&M University

• Newcomer Students in Virginia: An Analysis of Financial Aid Access and Safety Net Participation - Presenting Author: Lindsay Dusard, University of Pennsylvania

• Using Machine Learning to Estimate the Effect of Undocumented Status on Education-Occupation Mismatch for College Graduates - Presenting Author: Mario Alberto Arce Acosta, University of California, Davis