New Report Looks at Undocumented Student Resource Centers Across the Country

Title: Undocumented Student Resource Centers: Institutional Supports for Undocumented Students

Author: Jesus Cisneros and Diana Valdivia

Source: University of Pennsylvania Graduate School of Education: Center for MSIs

Undocumented students and those from mixed-status families often face considerable academic, financial, and personal challenges that limit their likelihood of enrolling and succeeding in higher education. Several of the nation’s minority serving institutions (MSIs) have taken steps to provide sustainable support structures—referred to as undocumented student resource centers (USRC)—to help support the needs of these students.

With support from the UndocuScholars Project at University of California at Los Angeles, authors Cisneros and Valdivia conducted a qualitative study that examined USRCs in the United States. Their findings show that while structures and services offered vary by center, student services such as counseling, legal services, financial aid, and UndocuAlly training are among just some of services MSIs offer that support undocumented students. The research brief discusses major findings, common resources offered by USRCs, and the implications these resource centers have on policy, staff, and institutions as a whole.

Click here for the full brief