First & Second Generation Make Up Biggest Share of Enrollment Growth Since 2000
WASHINGTON — The face of U.S. higher education is changing. College and university students are more likely to come from immigrant families than in the past, and they are more likely to be racial and ethnic minorities. Immigrants and the children of immigrants have driven 58 percent of the growth in post-secondary enrollment between 2000 and 2018, the Migration Policy Institute (MPI) finds in a first-of-its-kind U.S. and state analysis of immigrant-origin students.
These students represented 28 percent (5.3 million) of the 19 million college students enrolled in 2018, up from 20 percent in 2000. Their shares are significantly higher in some states: 50 percent of all students pursuing diplomas in California; 40 percent in Florida, Hawaii and Nevada; 39 percent in New York; and 36 percent in New Jersey.
Drawing from MPI analysis of data from the U.S. Census Bureau’s Current Population Survey (CPS) and other sources, a new fact sheet offers a profile of college students who are immigrant (first generation) and the U.S.-born children of immigrants (second generation). The fact sheet excludes international students, who come from abroad specifically for the purpose of study, to permit a focus on established U.S. residents who are in the country for more than an education.
“With immigrant-origin workers projected to drive U.S. labor force growth through at least 2035, examining student characteristics can help colleges and universities as well as state education policymakers as they seek to equip their residents with the skills and knowledge to meet the changing demands of the U.S. and local economies,” said MPI Senior Policy Analyst Jeanne Batalova, the lead author.
Among the top findings:
The fact sheet highlights implications of these trends on efforts by states to encourage college attendance and completion and touches on the effects of U.S. immigration policies on immigrant-origin students pursuing higher education.
Read the fact sheet, Immigrant-Origin Students in U.S. Higher Education: A Data Profile, here: www.migrationpolicy.org/research/immigrant-origin-students-us-higher-education.
For a spreadsheet with U.S. and state-level data on enrollment and other characteristics for first- and second-generation students, check out: www.migrationpolicy.org/sites/default/files/MPI_Student-ProfilebyGeneration-Detailed-Tables-FINAL.xlsx.