Title: Access to higher education for migration-impacted students in the USA, Canada and Mexico: a comparative analysis

Authors: Paloma E. Villegas; Francisco J. Villegas; Ricardo Zepeda

Addresses: California State University, San Bernardino, CA, USA ' Kalamazoo College, Kalamazoo, Michigan, USA ' Universidad de Guadalajara, Guadalajara, Mexico

Abstract: Higher education is a bordered space across North America. This paper compares higher education access for migration-impacted students in Mexico, Canada, and the USA. Migration-impacted students are those affected by border enforcement practices - undocumented, refugees, precarious status - including deportation. We include Mexican returnees in this category given their experiences vis-a-vis borders and discuss the similarities to their counterpart students in the USA and Canada. Examining immigration and educational policies and programs, we argue that each context has complicated patchworks of access which, although presenting as inclusionary, often reproduce bureaucratic barriers for students. Bureaucratic barriers include limited information about existing programs, strict document requirements, onerous degree recognition processes, and high fees. We propose that universities and government entities develop additional oversight to ensure transparency and efficacy, which can, in turn, influence admissions and retention.

Keywords: borders; higher education; undocumented students; returnees; revalidation; administrative burdens; USA; Canada; Mexico.

DOI: 10.1504/IJMBS.2024.145501

International Journal of Migration and Border Studies, 2024 Vol.8 No.3/4, pp.301 - 322

Received: 17 Nov 2023
Accepted: 20 Jul 2024
Published online: 01 Apr 2025 *

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