| Undocumented students’ access to higher education has been an understudied topic, not due to lack of interest but because of difficulties in obtaining institutional approval for research and institutional concerns about student disclosure. While the exact number of undocumented persons in the United States is not known, it is estimated at 11.6 million people. The growth in this population and their opportunities for upward mobility and access to education has been a concern in K-12 education and are just emerging in higher education. This study used the Educational Longitudinal Study of 2002 (ELS: 2002) to examine the effects of students’ social capital, school context, and state political context on undocumented students’ access to postsecondary education.;Logistic regression analysis was used to explore the postsecondary enrollment of undocumented Hispanic and Asian students. Specifically, the analysis used an adapted version of Perna’s conceptual model on college choice to examine the relationship between social capital, school context, and state policy context on the decision to enroll or not to enroll in postsecondary education.;The adapted conceptual model provides insight into the factors that influence the postsecondary enrollment decisions of undocumented students. Social capital was one of the best predictors of postsecondary enrollment for both undocumented Hispanic and Asian students, but the resources that they engaged were quite different. Undocumented Hispanic students were more likely to consult college publications and websites and immediate family members for information about postsecondary education. Undocumented Asian students utilized more expert resources, such as counselors and college publications, websites, and representatives for postsecondary information. Additionally, states with in-state resident tuition (ISRT) programs provided undocumented Hispanic and Asian students with a pathway to postsecondary education. |
