Migrant Students' College Access: Emerging Evidence From the Migrant Student Leadership Institute

Abstract

Little is known about migrant students' college access. Outreach programs serving such students rarely track their participants' postsecondary trajectories, nor do they compare participants' college access outcomes with those of similar students. This study examines the California public college application, acceptance, and enrollment patterns of participants in the Migrant Student Leadership Institute, a residential college preparatory summer program serving migrant students in California. Findings indicate that program participants apply to University of California campuses at a higher rate than non-participants with similar academic and school background characteristics. Evaluation evidence indicates that interventions like the MSLI contribute to improved college-going outcomes.

Key words:

• Latino/Hispanic
• migrant education
• college access
• outreach
• social capital
• cultural capital

Notes

^aIncludes students who attended private schools or who did not attend college. Matching efforts could not capture information about private college enrollment or whether a student had not attended college.

^bIncludes 2000, 2001, and 2003 years only (2000 and 2001 data based on University of California Office of the President matching process; 2003 data based only on MSLI process of contacting program graduates directly, which yielded a 53% response rate.)

^cIncludes all cohorts: 2000–2003, inclusive. No information on CSU or CCC enrollment was available for 2002; therefore, CSU and CCC enrollment figures are not included here.