Document Tag: citizenship

Empty Promises: Why and How Community Colleges Exclude Undocumented Students from “Free College” Promise Programs (2024)

Given their lower costs, community colleges are the most accessible postsecondary institutions for undocumented students. Emerging “free community college” (i.e. Promise) programs could therefore be uniquely beneficial for these students. Yet many programs exclude undocumented students, either explicitly or by requiring Pell eligibility or FAFSA completion. Drawing on a case study of a program at Milwaukee Area Technical College, including 146 stakeholder interviews, we shed light on why, how, and to what effect such exclusions occur. We show that this exclusion was not inevitable given administrators’ discretion in program design, but that this outcome was likely given community colleges’ subordinate position in the academic hierarchy as well as the hostile immigration state context. We also examine the college leaders’ choice of an ambiguous exclusion process and provide suggestive evidence that this ambiguity harmed undocumented students. The study furthers the understanding of the role of higher education in shaping bureaucratic incorporation for undocumented youth in hostile immigration states and uncovers another mechanism through which colleges block access to affordability for undocumented students.

The Role of Postsecondary Students’ Citizenship / Residency Status in Facing Basic Needs Insecurity (2024)

Despite the increasing awareness of basic needs insecurity and its adverse impacts on students’ academic achievement and wellbeing, the racial and social inequities in these experiences remain a critical issue requiring scholarly attention. Using the #RealCollege Survey Dataset, this study investigates the prevalence of basic needs insecurity among postsecondary students according to their citizenship/residency status and reveals that students who are not U.S. citizens or permanent residents (NCPR) are disproportionately affected by basic needs insecurity. It also explores several barriers to these students’ basic needs security, including, but not limited to, the reasons why some students do not use campus resources (e.g., not knowing how to apply). The findings of this study suggest that addressing the barriers to students’ basic needs security requires considering multiple intersecting identities, including citizenship/residency status. The paper concludes by providing recommendations for future research, policy, and practice on how higher education institutions can and should appropriately address the related issues and provide adequate support based on students’ unique circumstances.