When One Door Closes, Another Opens: Community Colleges as Gateways to Higher Education for Refugee Students

Overview & Synopsis

Currently, only 1% of refugees worldwide have access to postsecondary education as compared to global enrollment rates of 34%. In view of this disparity, it is clear that access to education is problematic for refugee youth. Recognizing the challenges associated with the inaccessibility to higher education for refugee youth and the long-term negative impact of this lack of access to individuals and nations, the purpose of this paper is to advocate for the expansion of refugee education initiatives to include community colleges as education gateways for higher education. Toward this end, the paper will include recommendations such as the use of technology, the implementation of peer learning models between host and refugee students, and enhanced cross-cultural training for faculty to improve access to underrepresented, disadvantaged, and underserved students such as refugee youth.