Opening the Door to the American Dream: Increasing Higher ...

Access and Success Accountability Diversity Finance Global Impact

April 2007

a report by

Institute for Higher Education Policy

Supported by

Lumina Foundation for Education

Opening the Door to the American Dream: Increasing Higher Education Access and Success for Immigrants

By Wendy Erisman, Ph.D., and Shannon Looney

The Institute for Higher Education Policy (IHEP) is an independent, nonprofit organization that is dedicated to access and success in postsecondary education around the world. Established in 1993, the Washington, D.C.-based organization uses unique research and innovative programs to inform key decision makers who shape public policy and support economic and social development. IHEP's Web site, , features an expansive collection of higher education information available free of charge and provides access to some of the most respected professionals in the fields of public policy and research.

This report was funded by Lumina Foundation for Education, an Indianapolis-based private foundation dedicated to expanding access and success in education beyond high school.

For further information, please contact:

Institute for Higher Education Policy

1320 19th Street, NW, Suite 400 Washington, DC 20036

202 861 8223 TELEPHONE 202 861 9307 FACSIMILE Web

Opening the Door to the American Dream: Increasing Higher Education Access and Success for Immigrants

By Wendy Erisman, Ph.D., and Shannon Looney

April 2007

a report by

Institute for Higher Education Policy

Supported by

Lumina Foundation for Education

Acknowledgments

We would like to thank the members of the staff at the Institute for Higher Education Policy who helped make this report possible: Jamie P. Merisotis, president; Alisa F. Cunningham, managing director of research and evaluation; Tia T. Gordon, managing director of communications and marketing; Jennifer Ramsey, research project coordinator; Margarita Benitez, senior associate; and Tom Wolanin, senior associate. Yuliya Keselman, former research analyst, and Lan Gao, former graduate fellow, were instrumental in developing the concept and literature review for the report and conducting much of the preliminary data analysis.

Our work benefited from the expertise of a number of people: Marian Blaber, LaGuardia Community College, City University of New York; Stephanie Bohon, University of Tennessee; Sarita E. Brown and Deborah Santiago, Excelencia in Education; Gregory Chen, U.S. Committee for Refugees and Immigrants; Murray Haberman and Sherri Orland, California Postsecondary Education Commission; Walter Jimenez and Angela Lee, New York Immigration Coalition; Vivian Louie, Harvard Graduate School of Education; Laura Hill, Public Policy Institute of California; Fatiha Makloufi, Hostos Community College, City University of New York; William Perez, Claremont Graduate University; Andre M. Perry, University of New Orleans; Elias Vlanton; and a number of immigrant students who generously took the time to speak with us about their experiences. We appreciate the assistance of these people. They are not responsible for any errors of omission or interpretation in this report.

We would like to offer special thanks to Lumina Foundation for Education for its generous financial support of the project. The views expressed in the report are those of the Institute for Higher Education Policy and do not necessarily reflect the views of Lumina Foundation for Education.

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Opening the Door to the American Dream

Table of Contents

Executive Summary

04

Introduction

08

Who is an immigrant? Data sources and definitions

09

Overview of the report

11

Immigrants in the United States

12

Demographics

12

Educational Attainment

13

College Enrollment

15

Immigrants in the Workforce

15

Value of Higher Education for Immigrants and Society

16

Barriers to Higher Education

18

Access and Success for Immigrants

Stresses of Immigration

19

Lack of Information About Postsecondary Education

19

Work and Family Responsibilities

20

Financial Need

21

Academic Preparation and Achievement

21

Limited English Proficiency

22

Enrollment Patterns Among Immigrants

24

in American Higher Education

Undergraduate Enrollment Patterns

24

Graduate Enrollment Patterns

26

Variations by Race and Ethnicity

27

Immigrants and Higher Education:

32

State Case Studies

Georgia

33

California

34

New York

36

Conclusions and Policy Implications

38

At-Risk Immigrant Groups

39

General Policy and Program Needs

41

References

43

Appendix: Data Sources and Limitations

46

Institute for Higher Education Policy

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