Documenting Attitudes toward Undocumented Immigrant Access to Public Education: A Multilevel Analysis

This study investigates how students' views toward undocumented immigrants' access to public education change during college. A multilevel analysis among a national sample of 12,388 undergraduates, drawn from the Cooperative Institutional Research Program's (CIRP) Freshman Survey and College Senior Survey, revealed that significant predictors of senior-year views include various student characteristics and predispositions, political contexts, college experiences, and institutional contexts. Given the often-hostile debates over undocumented immigrants' participation in American education, the findings have broad implications for college access, campus climate, and the way institutions of higher education think about their role in shaping students' understanding of this compelling issue.