Led by PSTC Sociologist Kevin Escudero with support from PSTC Postdoctoral Research Associate Rachel Freeman-Wong, the Immigrant Student Research Project (ISRP) utilizes comprehensive survey and interview data to shed new light on the higher education experiences of immigrant, undocumented, and international students attending graduate and professional schools within the United States.

“The project seeks to provide critical insight into the challenges and successes that immigrant students experience as they navigate the U.S. higher education system at the undergraduate and graduate/professional degree levels,” says Professor Escudero. Founded in 2017, Escudero first drew inspiration for the project while conducting research for his 2020 book Organizing While Undocumented: Immigrant Youth’s Political Activism under the Law, during which he interviewed several young immigrant organizers, many of whom were also pursuing their college degrees. 

Now, using a combination of qualitative and quantitative methods, ISRP researchers are examining the previously under-studied intersection between barriers to graduate level education and immigrant status. This summer, ISRP will launch a national survey designed to explore the structural economic and political obstacles that might prevent immigrant students from accessing adequate funding, student support services, and post-graduate career opportunities. Escudero and his team will then conduct follow-up, qualitative interviews with interested survey participants.  

“The goal of these interviews will be to provide individuals with an opportunity to expand upon their survey responses,” says Escudero. “Specifically, the decisions that they have made as they navigate the U.S. higher education system and enter the U.S. workforce based on their chosen/intended career pathway.” 

The ISRP is both research and policy focused,” Escudero continues. ISRP plans to collaborate with community-based organizations to further develop immigrant-supporting educational policies and resources at various colleges and universities. Likewise, Escudero will host a week-long institute at Brown, providing a forum for these community-focused organizations to collaborate with immigration researchers, develop shared research projects, and discuss potential policy implications. 

“My hopes for the project moving forward are that my research team and I will have a robust response to the launch of the project’s national survey in the coming months and that we can, in partnership with community based organizations and college/university administrators, utilize the data collected to develop and implement policies for supporting the educational pursuits of all immigrant students.”